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Juvenile Court Judge Teodosio featured in documentary
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: November 17, 2015
Known for her innovative programs and approaches to dealing with young offenders, Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio discusses her views on rehabilitation in a new documentary entitled “Prison Kids: Juvenile Justice in America.”
Produced by the Florida-based cable television network Fusion, the film takes a close look at the juvenile justice systems in several states, including Ohio. It examines the number of young people incarcerated in the state, including their races and socioeconomic status. It also explores whether detention is the best way to rehabilitate juveniles.
A large portion of the documentary consists of interviews with young people who have been locked up more than once. The subjects explain how incarceration has affected their lives.
The producers interviewed Judge Teodosio last summer. One of the segments features the Crossroads Program treatment team addressing the progress of some of those in the program.
A specialized docket for juveniles with co-occurring mental illnesses and/or substance abuse problems, Crossroads is an intensive probation program that lasts a minimum of one year.
As part of the program, each young person receives an individualized case plan and community agencies provide services to the youth and his/her family ranging from treatment for substance abuse and mental health problems to family and individual counseling, educational, vocational and employment services.
“Our philosophy is that it’s important to get youth with mental health and substance abuse problems the help they need,” said Judge Teodosio. “Locking them up is not the answer in most cases. We believe it’s possible to work with them in the community.”
In addition to Ohio, the documentary shines a critical spotlight on juvenile justice systems in Florida and Louisiana. In the case of Ohio, the film also discusses the progress made in decreasing the number of young people incarcerated.
On March 5, 2015, Harvey Reed, director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, testified before the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation stating that in 2008 the department operated eight facilities, which served 1,500 juveniles and 1,400 were on parole. In 2015, he said the average population was less than 500, with an additional 400 on parole.
“One reason for the decrease in incarcerations,” said Judge Teodosio, “is that the state has shifted large portions of funding from operating facilities to community programming.”
Judge Teodosio said it’s “exciting” that the work she is doing in Summit County to help juveniles got the attention of mainstream media.
“The documentary will help to spread the word about some of the things we are doing to safely reduce youth incarceration,” said Judge Teodosio.
The documentary can be viewed by logging on to https://juvenilecourt.summitoh.net/index.php/information/publications/videos