Juvenile Probation & Youth Services

The Court’s services to youthful offenders and their families emphasizes a commitment to meeting the needs of alleged delinquent and unruly youth and juvenile traffic offenders within the community. With the support of the Youth Services Subsidy and RECLAIM grants through the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS), the Court has been able to develop a variety of programs that enhance the continuum of services provided to juveniles and their families within Geauga County.

Director of Youth Services, Beth Williams:  440-226-4837

Juvenile Probation Officers

Stephanie Voss:  440-226-1492
Heather Mountsier:  440-226-7305

Juvenile Probation Officers manage a caseload of youthful offenders and are responsible for ensuring compliance with court orders, assessing client needs, initiating referrals to appropriate resource agencies, and maintaining related documentation while promoting behavioral change. Each youth placed on probation is required to follow the conditions of probation which establish the parameters of acceptable behavior for the probationer. Probation Officers maintain regular contact with the youth, parents, schools, agencies, and others involved with the youth to assist them in making positive changes in their lives. Probation Officers utilizes the Ohio Youth Assessment Survey (OYAS) risk assessment, ACE, GAIN-SS, and CRAFFT assessments to assist in determining levels of service intervention and case planning/goal setting to effectively target the criminogenic needs of the youth. The Probation Officers use Carey Guides and Brief Intervention Tools (BITS), along with motivational interviewing techniques, to promote behavioral change among the youth who have been assigned to them.

Diversion Services

The Diversion Program redirects youth from the formal court process when possible in an effort to still hold them accountable for their behavior while addressing the underlying behavior that brought them to the Court’s attention without the stigma of having an official court record. Discretion to divert cases is provide in Juvenile Rule 9, which states that “court action should be avoided and community resources utilized to ameliorate situations brought to the attention of the court”. Court staff working with the youth use a variety of risk assessments to help identify potential risks/needs of the youth and then links them to services.

Drug Testing

Hair follicle and oral fluids tests are administered.

Community Service

Juveniles are ordered to “replace the void” their offenses created in society by performing a designated number of hours working at a non-profit or government agency, either located by the juvenile or as part of the Court’s organized community service work crews. Juveniles ordered to perform community service are engaged in a variety of projects throughout the year that help the community.

Restitution Program

The Restitution Program is intended to hold juveniles accountable for their actions by ordering them to pay restitution to the victims of delinquent acts when damages were incurred. The Court monitors court-ordered payments.

Intensive Supervision / Electronic Monitoring Program

This program provides an additional layer of supervision to youth identified as high risk to recidivate or as an alternative sanction to filing a formal Violation of Probation. Juveniles are monitored by wearing an ankle monitor that tracks their location via GPS 24 hours a day. Some juvenile may be placed on house arrest.

4-H CARTEENS

This is a partnership between the Geauga County Juvenile Court, the Ohio State University Geauga County Extension, 4-H Youth Development, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol that was formed to provide a traffic safety program to first time traffic offenders. Goals of the program include: reducing the number of repeat juvenile traffic offenders; decreasing the number of teen traffic offenders, and increasing teen awareness of traffic/vehicular safety.