It is the mission of the Hamilton County Juvenile Services Center to provide our youth with a safe, secure, and healthy environment by holding them accountable for their behavior through positive reinforcement; and provide the youth with an opportunity for behavioral change through various programs. The center is broken down into 2 major areas: shelter care and secure detention.
Shelter Care
The Shelter Care Unit provides a non-secure temporary or emergency care for pre-adjudicated juveniles who have committed status offenses. Shelter Care offers a supervised setting with accommodations to house as many as 20 juveniles during any given period of time. While in Shelter Care, juveniles who are currently enrolled in school will continue their education at their home school with transportation being provided by Shelter Care staff. Juveniles in Shelter Care will also attend various on-site treatment programs as assigned by their Probation Officer. Shelter Care also offers an opportunity to venture "off grounds" with staff supervision, enabling residents to enjoy a variety of recreational activities as well as participate in community service projects.
Secure Detention
Juveniles are assigned to Secure Detention when they are accused of committing criminal acts which would also be criminal if committed by an adult (non-status offenses). Juveniles may also be housed in Secure Detention if the court finds the juvenile is unlikely to return to court, or if the court finds that the child must be locked up to protect himself or the community. The Secure Detention unit can accommodate up to 86 children.
School Program
These children attend an on-site school under the guidance of certified Noblesville School Educators. School programs are tailored to meet the individual needs of each student. Students enrolled in a local school may continue working toward that school's curriculum. Juveniles not enrolled in school are enrolled in the JSC continuing education program designed to prepare the student for the GED or to help develop life skills.
