Juvenile Justice Services

Woodfield Cottage, our juvenile justice program, is a secure detention facility for youth ages 10 - 15 who are accused of committing crimes and are awaiting court action. Child-centered services are offered in a structured, caring setting, albeit in a high-security environment. Regardless of how long a youth remains at Woodfield Cottage, each youth goes to school, receives life skills training, and therapeutic services.

At Woodfield Cottage, our education and therapeutic interventions give youth skills that they can use in the community and in the workforce to reduce recidivism. For youth who cannot read when they arrive, educators engage youth through music and drama to foster confidence and promote literacy. Youth are encouraged to express themselves and find new outlets for their anger and frustration. Events are arranged to expose youth to positive and new experiences that they may not have had previously. These events include having sports stars, music celebrities, mayors, judges and former Woodfield residents who have overcome adversity address the youth and demonstrate previously unknown possibilities for their success. Most of the youth that arrive at Woodfield Cottage have suffered abuse, neglect, violence, and trauma. For some, a stay at Woodfield Cottage is the first time in their lives that they can count on a warm, safe bed and three meals a day.

"They made a mistake in life, but they are going to be our future. If we do not make a way for them, what is our future?" Michael Poindexter, Assistant Director of Woodfield Cottage

Services at Woodfield Cottage include:

• individual and group counseling
• anger management
• life skills
• gang and violence prevention classes
• a full-day school program
• 24-hour medical services
• family outreach
• aftercare planning
• religious and spiritual services
• sexual health education
• job-seeking and resume-writing skills