Youth Justice Services

What services does The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre provide to youth involved with the Youth Justice System?

The Centre has a residential program for youth who, under the Youth Criminal Justice ACT(YCJA) have an Open Custody sentence and/ or youth who are being held on an Open Dentention order  

The Centre also provides a school-based day program offered in partnership with the Toronto District School Board, and consultation services regarding youth in other Youth Justice facilities in the Greater Toronto area.

What approach do we take?

The Centre's services to youth in open custody take into account the fact that the vast majority of youth who offend have therapeutic needs. These needs range from a simple need for better self-esteem and more developmentally appropriate problem solving and social skills, to resolution of feelings, beliefs, and attitudes resulting from abusive or other traumatic life events, to long-term management of serious psychiatric illnesses.

Although specific individualized goals are developed for each youth as a part of the youth's Case Management Plan, strives to achieve the following general outcomes for youth:

• reduction in the number and seriousness of future offenses (i.e., reduction of recidivism);
• increase in future positive contributions to the community by the youths served;
• increase in the youths' hope and motivation for a better future, and the youths' belief that they can influence that future;
• increase in the youths' insight into their own behaviour and difficulties, and their understanding of the connection between behaviour and consequences;
• increase in the youths' physical, cognitive, academic, affective, communication, and social and life skills at an appropriate developmental level, as needed;
• increase in the youths' sense of responsibility and belonging to the community;
• Increase in the youths' sense of belonging to and acceptance by their families, or to have worked through at least part of the youths' grief and/or anger if this is not possible;
• A clearer picture of the youths' treatment needs, communication of these needs to the youths and their families/supports, meet at least some of these needs when the youth is in service at the Centre, and establishing the links necessary to continue to have these needs met after discharge, as required.

The Centre's services to youth achieve these goals through a variety of methods. Major methods include: case management, milieu therapy, community involvement, individualized programming, psychiatric and other specialized assessments, and individual counselling and/or psychotherapy. The Centre has clear expectations for the youth, provides a high level of staff supervision, uses rules and structure to keep the youth under necessary control and to learn self-control, and encourages the youth to prepare for the future. All of the youth are required to attend school, have a job, and/or receive job training while in custody.

Admission to any Youth Justice facility, with either an Open Custody sentence or an Open Dentention order is not voluntary. Youth are placed through the Ministry of Children & Youth Services-Youth Justice as a result of Youth Court proceedings under the YCJA.  The provision of specific treatment services (e.g. psychiatric assessment, psychotherapy, medication) are provided only with appropriate consent.