Every workplace has a training process. At DYS, we have a Training Academy. The people there provide a foundation of knowledge and skills for hundreds of new employees each year. They also help seasoned staff grow by providing professional development and other various trainings through the evolution of evidence-based practices. 

The panel that discusses how it all comes together includes Superintendent Dr. Anna Wise, Technology-Based Training Developer Sara Bowling, and Academy Training Developer Sheila Fryson.

DYS is always looking to evolve and advance its efforts to improve outcomes for the youth in our care and our staff. This conversation delves into the data the agency collects and how it’s applied to advance that mission through our Best Practices Institute.
The panel includes Executive Director Dr. Jordan Argus, Policy Administrator Benita Neely, and ACA Administrator Shanequah Frazier.

We hear from the people in DYS who oversee the agency's largest spectrum in the juvenile justice continuum. Their work ranges from the front end where they invest millions of dollars to deter thousands of youths from the justice system every year to how they walk with youths on their reentry journeys while on parole. 

This episode discusses the programs within the facilities that help youth with their transitions into adulthood and back to the community through the development of communication skills, relationships, and career paths. 

The panelists for this episode include Bureau Chief of Program & Unit Management Jack Vicencio, Cuyahoga Hills Reentry Coordinator Mark Dobrzynski, Circleville Program Administrator Denise Conrad, and Indian River Chaplain Kimberly Dove. 

This episode details the educational efforts of DYS through its school system, the Buckeye United School District.  Educators describe how an average day in a DYS facility is very similar to a public school. And we hear from educators the working done to help young people overcome personal and environmental challenges that often results in young men not attending school for years before they end up in DYS. In many cases, the young men in DYS care become the first in their families to graduate high school. 

Buckeye United Superintendent Dr. Michael Jackson is joined by the principals of each high school:

-Dr. Michelle Milner (Ralph C. Starkey High School at Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility)

-Daniel Hanstein (Luther E. Ball at Cuyahoga Hills Juvenile Correctional Facility)

-Jacob Steuer (Indian River High School at Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility)

This episode provides a day-to-day glimpse of the agency and its operations. When a facility holds between 150 and 200 youth, that means there are a lot of people and moving parts to provide them with living essentials, education, and enrichment. 
Deputy Director of Facilities, Programs, and Operations Chris Freeman, Circleville Unit Manager Charle Locklear, and Indian River Youth Specialist Tony Miler paint the picture of what goes on and how it all happens. 

The parole and reentry teams play pivotal roles in DYS youth development, especially as they transition back to the community.

As part of our spotlight on Second Chance Month, aka Reentry Month, Bureau Chief of Parole Bruce Graham, Reentry Administrator Chris Crine, and Community Engagement Liaison Carmen Dorman discussed the work being done at DYS facilities and with community partners and families to assist in youth transformations.

This episode shines a light on our behavioral health team while recognize their invaluable as part of National Social Work Month. 

Chief of Behavioral Health Services Ryan Smith, Behavioral Health Administrator Abby Baumann, and Behavioral Health Provider Hannah Durica discuss the types of disorders and trauma that many of our youth endure. They then elaborated on the methods the behavioral health team uses to empower young men trying to change and leave behind their troubled pasts.

We highlight DYS' anti-human trafficking efforts on the heels of Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January. 

Guest Chelsea Gaffey discusses her role as the agency's Human Trafficking Liaison and the work she does state and nationwide to help prevent trafficking, protect survivors, and prosecute traffickers.

Her duties include supporting survivors who have been identified after placement in DYS; educating and training hundreds of DYS and juvenile court staff annually about human trafficking; and representing the Governor's Human Trafficking Task Force. 

This is an overview about the Department of Youth Services. Director Amy L. Ast and Assistant Director Ginine M. Trim share how they have grown through the agency and the justice system

(0:40) What is the Department of Youth Services?

(1:54) How long Director Ast and Assistant Director Trim have been with the agency and the different roles they've had in their rise from corrections officers. 

(4:00) The importance of varied experience for leadership positions within DYS.

(5:55) The explanation of the Juvenile Justice Working Group and why stakeholders in juvenile justice (corrections professionals, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, academics, and legislators) met over several months to produce a report for Governor Mike DeWine.

(8:15) The working group's recommendation of transitioning from three larger correctional facilities to four smaller ones. 

(10:10) How laws impact what judges can do in juvenile justice and what changes the working group suggested. 

(14:00) The value of consultancy and working with national organizations to address systemic issues in juvenile justice, such as staffing. 

(18:10) Innovations by the agency to produce better outcomes for youth and staff, including a first-of-its-kind partnership with Google. 

(21:58) A preview of the next episode that discusses the agency's work regarding human trafficking survivors as part of a larger spotlight of Human Trafficking Prevention Month.