Maricopa County SOAR Center helps juvenile offenders arrested for low-level crimes
Arizona juvenile program: SOAR Center offers intervention for low-level crime
The SOAR Center at the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Facility helps youth arrested for low-level crimes through de-escalation and safety planning. FOX 10's Annalisa Pardo learns more about the intervention for juvenile offenders.
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. - When thinking of a detention facility, games, beds, and no lock and key do not typically come to mind.
What we know:
"We don't have any cells, the kids are not locked in their room. The rooms essentially have a curtain on them and a bed where they can lay down. They're free to move about the cabin if you will," Celena Angstead, Deputy Chief for Juvenile Probation in Maricopa County, said.
The SOAR Center at the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Facility stands for support outreach, assistance and restoration for families. "It's immediate interaction, that's the specialness of this program," Enith Tellez, juvenile probation officer supervisor, said.
When police arrest a juvenile for a misdemeanor or low-level crime that does not require continuous secured detention, they can be brought to the center to chat with probation and surveillance officers.
"Domestic aggression or violence, it's tricky, it's hard, it's different for every situation, every case. It's always nice to be able to give that juvenile the opportunity to kind of just data dump a little bit of that," Tellez said.
Before SOAR:
Before the SOAR Center, youth were often released back home within hours.
"There was a feeling of kids aren't being held accountable, the justice service is doing a disservice to them," Angstead said.
How They Help:
SOAR intervenes. Youths can come to the facility to cool down and discuss what happened. They are also required to come up with a safety plan on how to de-escalate and better handle similar situations in the future.
"How can I make better choices, how can I change my future, how can I change my life to not get arrested again," Angstead said.
Why It Matters:
Since opening in July of last year, the center has intervened in hundreds of cases and kids' lives, hoping to continue the mission to help them, and families in Arizona, soar.
"See you have good in your life, focus on that. Don't let this situation define you. Just move on from it and focus on the good things," Tellez said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from a juvenile probation officer supervisor, the Deputy Chief for Juvenile Probation and the Maricopa County Juvenile Detention Facility.