How many community service sites are available?
Nez Perce County Justice Services has over fifty (50) Community Service work placement sites throughout the County and within the region, as well as seven (7) adopt–a–street sites (11 miles of City Roads) and five (5) adopt–a–highway sites (15 miles of State Roads).
Do you offer a tobacco education/cessation class?
Yes, this class is offered on as needed basis, and focuses on smoking attitudes, how advertisements effect youth, pressures to smoke and using chewing tobacco, harmful tobacco effects, addictions, chemicals in tobacco products, tobacco costs, life styles, ill effects, life choices, and why we use tobacco.
Are there Life Skills classes offered through your department?
Yes. This class is for students who need help with “Life Skills.” The class focuses on Goal Setting, resume writing, job search, credit, banking, paying bills, budgeting, keeping a job, living on your own, and life choices.
Do you have any anger management classes for youth?
Anger management is a part of NPCJS cognitive restructuring groups. These groups are gender specific skilled groups and target other high risk emotions and behaviors as well. These are conducted on an as needed basis.
What is a "Spike Camp?"
"Spike Camps" are also called "Wilderness Camps" and are facilitated by Nez Perce County Justice Services. They offer youth ages thirteen (13) to eighteen (18) an opportunity to complete community service in an outdoor overnight setting. Staff members participate with six (6) to ten (10) juvenile offenders in a remote camp setting. Camps take place in Idaho at various locations. Campers perform approximately eight (8) to sixteen (16) hours of community service work. Campers are fed and housed (in tents) while on the camp and also have the opportunity to learn, view and participate in a leisure activity such as: fishing, hiking, outdoor games, etc. These camps are just another opportunity to expose our youth to something new.
What if I need a parenting class? Can you assist?
Yes, we co-facilitate a parenting program with the Department of Health and Welfare called Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL) and it is designed for basic dysfunction in the home, and for parents who have youth who may have Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
What is "Restorative Justice Conferencing?"
Restorative Justice Conferencing is an alternative way of addressing harmful behavior rather than referring it to the court or the school’s disciplinary procedure process. Restorative Justice Conferences are facilitated using restorative questions in a meeting setting that brings together those who have been harmed with those who have caused the harm. The Restorative Justice Conference allows those who have done harm to hear the impact their actions have had on others and gives them a chance to repair the harm they caused.
Does your office perform other types of "civic" duties or activities?
Yes, our office has 2 incredible programs that "give back" to our community: the Canned Food Drive and the Christmas Tree Drive.
The Canned Food Drive is a yearly event that takes place in late fall. The entire Justice Services Department along with approximately 4 community organizations team up to collect food for the Community Action Agency food bank. Justice Services and volunteer staff members along with probationers go door to door collecting non-perishable food items for the food bank. This community service event allows youth and adults the opportunity to give back to their community and help others who are less fortunate. Our average collection is roughly 12,000 pounds.
The Christmas Tree Drive is an effort between Justice Services and local (North Idaho) tree farmers to provide approximately 30 trees for needy families in the Lewis-Clark Valley. Probationers are taken to local tree farms during the spring, summer and fall to help with fertilization, pruning, and other tasks at the tree farms. During November/December the Justice Services Department returns to the tree farms to help harvest trees for needy families. The Christmas Trees are then delivered to local families during the holiday season.
Local elementary school children create, make, and collect ornaments, lights, tree stands and decorations for the trees. Local businesses and schools support the tree drive with collections of ornaments and tree stands and local non-profit agencies promote the tree drive to community members.
What if my child has an alcohol problem. Do you have any classes to assist?
NPCJS coordinates with local private providers to serve juvenile drug and alcohol needs. In addition to coordination, certified drug and alcohol counselor’s on staff facilitate a Minor’s In Prevention class at NPCJS. This substance abuse prevention program targets first time offenders (ages 13 – 18) and those identified as lower risk and/or without a substance use disorder. The goals of the program include providing education and reality based learning regarding drug and alcohol use, abuse and addiction, and consequently reducing drug and alcohol related recidivism rates. The class is typically four hours (depending on class size) and is offered every other month.
Does your staff participate in any "mentoring" of youth (on or off probation)?
We do. Our office offers one-to-one mentoring at local grade schools in our area. Probation staff meet with identified youth in our community and work one-on-one them in a variety of ways to build confidence, add support, and provide encouragement to hopefully prevent any future involvement in our system.
Since the needs of "boys" are different than that needs of "girls", do you have any programs to assist my daughter?
We have one incredible program to assist your daughter: Girls Circle.
Girls Circle is a class for junior high girls that is facilitated by the probation staff, and is intended on addressing life skills issues using the Girls Circle curriculum.