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WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
The 90 bed-Southwest Idaho
Juvenile Detention Center is an integral part of the Juvenile Justice System
of Canyon County and the State of Idaho.
Juvenile Detention is defined as the temporary and safe custody of juveniles
who are accused of conduct subject to the jurisdiction of the court who require
a restricted environment for their own or the community's protection while pending
legal action. The Center provides a range of helpful services which support
the juvenile's physical, emotional and social development, which may include
education, recreation, counseling, nutrition, medical and health care services,
reading, visitation, communication and continuous supervision.
Only those juveniles that
have been charged with or adjudicated of crimes may be housed in the Center.
These crimes can range from failing to appear in court on minor offenses to
murder, however, if a juvenile is charged with certain serious crimes and has
reached 14 years of age, s/he may be automatically held in the adult jail. Juveniles
under the age of ten are usually not held in the Center, and no one is held
in the Center past his/her 18th birthday.
When a juvenile is taken
into the Center, s/he will be taken to court on the next judicial day for a
detention hearing. A parent or guardian MUST attend this detention hearing.
Please check with the Juvenile Probation Department at 454-7330 to find out
times and places for the detention hearing.
Visitation is held on Sundays and Wednesdays. The visitation schedule is as follows:
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If last name of juvenile starts with:
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A-L
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M-Z
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visitation will be on
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Sundays from 1:00 until 2:30 p.m.
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Sundays from 3:00 until 4:30 p.m.
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and on
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Wednesdays from 6:00 until 7:30 p.m.
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Wednesdays from 8:00 until 9:30 p.m.
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If these times are impossible,
contact the detention staff. You will be allowed to visit for one hour
during each visitation period. Approved visitors include mother, father, and
grandparents. Other visitors may be requested on an individual basis by submitting
the appropriate form, available from detention staff. Visitation for non-custodial
parents may be restricted if there is a valid court order restricting visitation
for that parent. Because of space and time limitations, only two visitors per
juvenile will be permitted to enter the Center at one time. If more than two
approved visitors are present to visit a juvenile, detention staff will allow
the visitation time to be split up to accommodate all approved visitors.
Items
which may be brought into the Center for your son/daughter include the following,
subject to search and review:
1.
Religious books;
2.
Paperback books;
3.
Hair brush, small, one piece construction, no metal bristles, no detachable
handles, no red or blue colors;
4.
Jigsaw puzzles, new, unopened;
5.
Shampoo or body wash, new, unopened clear liquid in clear container;
6.
Lip treatment, new unopened, in tube, must be packaged in unopened bubble
on display card;
7.
Playing cards, new unopened.
There
may be a display showing examples of acceptable items at the Center during visitation
times. For answers to specific questions, a Detention Center staff member may
be reached at 454-7240. Except for schoolwork and prescription medication, no
property will be accepted other than at scheduled visitation times.
At admissions, juveniles
are permitted to make telephone calls to notify parents of their status, and
to arrange for their release if permitted by the court. After they are admitted,
juveniles may make at least 2 telephone calls per week to parents or grandparents.
Except for calls placed immediately following admission, calls must be collect calls. Incoming telephone calls for juveniles are
not accepted. Juveniles are permitted to write and receive letters while in
the detention Center. Incoming mail is screened for illegal material or
contraband.
Mail to juveniles must have
your return address and be addressed as follows:
JUVENILE'S NAME
SW. IDAHO JUVENILE
DETENTION CENTER
222 NORTH 12th
AVENUE
CALDWELL, IDAHO
83605
Juveniles will attend school
while incarcerated in the Center. Schoolwork may be picked up from the juvenile's
regular school and delivered to the Center if the juvenile will be incarcerated
for an extended period of time. If this is not possible, the Center's teachers
will assign a program to the juvenile.
The Center has a medical
staff available to take care of emergency medical needs. If your child has a
medical condition that we will need to know about, please, PLEASE CALL THE CENTER.
If your child is taking prescription medication, please bring it as soon
as possible to the Center in its original bottle with the prescription still
attached. The medical staff must
check out each prescription that is brought into the Center.
Juveniles are generally not released to attend medical appointments outside
of the center unless special circumstances exist.
If you feel that you regular physician must see your child, you must
contact our medical staff at 454-7275.
You may not pick up your child for a medical appointment outside the
Center unless a judge signs a written order allowing you to do so.
While in the Center, juveniles
have the opportunity to advance in the "Level System," and earn privileges
and duties. As higher levels are earned through good behavior by the juvenile,
later bedtimes, more phone calls and relaxed visitation restrictions may be
allowed.
If your child is to be moved
to a state program, or to another jurisdiction, you will not be informed of
the time or date of that transport for security reasons. In most cases, the
juvenile will be given a chance to make phone calls as soon as s/he reaches
their next destination to inform you that they have been moved.
You will be required to
pick up your son or daughter upon their release from the Center and to produce
some form of picture identification. If you will not come to the Center when
your son or daughter is being released, the Center staff must contact the Department
of Health and Welfare and the local law enforcement agency to file child abandonment
charges.
There is a possibility that
you will be charged for your son or daughter's time in detention. Idaho Code
20-524(2) allows for the court to set an amount that you will be responsible
to pay in order to cover the costs of detaining your child.
If there are other questions
that are still unanswered concerning the Detention Center, please call the staff
at 454-7240.