clay county commission

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

James O’Donnell, superintendent of the West Central Regional Juvenile Regional Detention Center, updated the Clay County Commission on the multi-county facility’s services and programs Tuesday. The center, located at 729 11th St. N., includes a 55-bed secure facility and a 25-bed non-secure program, both serving boys and girls with behavioral, protection, dependency and delinquency issues.

Sixty-two young men and women currently reside at the center. While 55% of those who use the secure program are from member counties Becker, Cass, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wadena and Wilkin as well as Clay, the other 45% come from 33 additional Minnesota and North Daktoa counties.

O’Donnell explained to commissioners that the center – serving an 11-county area – has licenses for two kinds of services. The secure detention side of the facility houses minors who have been arrested and are awaiting a judge or who are detained after adjudication. Non-secure licensure accommodates young people facing emergency situations or needing mental health or behavioral evaluation or therapy. A third part of the program is CLIPs, a transitional program teaching skills the young people will need to live independently in the community after their release.

He cited several trends, including fewer youth in placement per capita. But they act out more violently than in the past. Many have significant delinquency and treatment histories. “Yet no hospitals or mental health facilities are willing to accept violent youth,” O’Donnell observed. “We have a problem in Minnesota.”

Many of the teens housed at the center are victims of ACEs, adverse childhood experiences. O’Donnell said these fall into three general areas: abuse, neglect or household dysfunction, including family violence, parental separation or divorce, a family member who is incarcerated, and other factors.

During their detention, the young men and women can continue their education through the Moorhead Public Schools.  “MPS has been terrific,” O’Donnell said. About half of the youth at the center, he said, “end up with IEDs (individualized education plans).” Others work on their GEDs during the three or four months they reside at the WCRJC.

Staff members employ several other therapies, he added, depending on what works best for the individual. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches that one’s thinking controls one’s behavior, is effective4 with about 90% of the teens. Others are treated with trauma therapy; EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprogramming), most often effective for boys with PTSD; and DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy), an alternative often helpful for females. Sex offender treatment and chemical dependency counseling are also offered.

One issue currently under study by the Minnesota Legislature is the use of DRT – disciplinary room time. “When individuals are violent or threaten violence, it’s necessary for the protection of staff and the other kids,” O’Donnell said. “We want to always maintain a safe environment where the kids can learn.” The bill under consideration would strictly limit or eliminate the practice, which is currently prescribed under licensure rules.

O’Donnell concluded, “I want to thank our staff for everything they do. They deal with difficult issues every single day, and do it well. We have a rule of thumb at the WCRJC: Treat every kid as if they were your son or daughter, brother or sister.”