2111 Division Street Marquette, MI 49855 (906) 225-1437 Candace Faulkner, Administrator Craig Mullett, Assistant Administrator

The Marquette County Youth Home is a 12-bed, state-licensed, non-secure facility used for short-term detention of delinquents and status offenders who cannot be maintained in their own homes or other community placements.  The Youth Home operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year.  All youths who are placed at the Youth Home have had their placements authorized by an on-call probation officer, or are placed by order of a judge or referee.

The primary purpose of the Youth Home is to provide a safe, stable living environment for youths who are waiting for a hearing or for a placement or transition to the community within less than thirty days.  Its primary purpose is not for punishment of offenders.

 The Youth Home is part of a continuum of services provided by the Marquette County Juvenile Court.  It is not a stand-alone treatment program.    Other court programs include probation, in-home detention, licensed foster care, and a short-term holdover site near the Sheriff’s office, which can be used to lodge physically violent or dangerous juveniles.

 Judges or referees who make decisions about placing juveniles in the Youth Home are required by the Michigan Court Rules to consider the principle of the “least restrictive alternative”; that is, the Youth Home will not be used if other programs that provide less restrictions on the juveniles’ liberty are sufficient to deal with the problem behavior.

 The Youth Home serves as a Screening Center.  Law enforcement agencies who have taken a juvenile into custody can bring the juvenile to the Youth Home for evaluation.    The staff will screen the juvenile for substance abuse and mental health problems using the MAYSI II instrument, a breathalyzer or urine test as appropriate.  Information derived from the evaluation will be considered in determining an appropriate placement.  Youth Home staff will then arrange for subsequent placement or release the juvenile to a parent.

 The Marquette-Alger Regional Support Agency (MARESA) operates an accredited school program in the Youth Home building.  Some residents attend their home schools from the Youth Home.  Others who cannot safely attend their home schools are given individual instruction or assistance with completing assignments from their home schools.  The Youth Home School also provides services to some juveniles under court jurisdiction who are not residing at the Youth Home but have been suspended or expelled from their home schools.

Youth Home residents are expected to comply with a behavior management system.  Points can be earned or lost, and residents who progress to higher levels generally have more privileges and fewer restrictions.

Youth Home staff members are regular part-time employees of the Juvenile Court. We generally operate with a staffing ratio of one staff member to each 4-6 residents.  Minimum staffing levels include a shift supervisor, one male and one female staff person on each shift.  To be considered for employment, a candidate must have completed 30 hours of college-level courses in social work or a related field, or have equivalent experience.  The staff are required to receive 24 hours of training per year in first aid and physical management techniques.

Youth Home services, including food service and the recreation program, are subject to regular inspection by the state licensing agencies.

The Youth Home is not a treatment program for juveniles; rather it is one part of a comprehensive array of services which are either provided by the court or purchased from other agencies.  The judge and court staff work hard to see that it is a humane, well-run institution that contributes to the safety of its residents and the community at large.