Juvenile Custody Services Specialist

Pay Range: $31.18 - $41.51 Hourly

Department:
Department of Community Justice (DCJ)

Job Type: Regular Represented

Exemption Status:
United States of America (Non-Exempt)

Closing Date:
October 01, 2026

Do you have a passion to help youth involved in the juvenile justice system? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you believe that all youth are capable of turning their lives around? Do you thrive when working on a team? If you answered  yes  to these questions, we want you to join our team as a Juvenile Custody Services Specialist!

The Department of Community Justice Juvenile Detention is seeking committed, enthusiastic and compassionate Juvenile Custody Services Specialists (JCSS) to serve a critical, operational role within the Juvenile Detention Facility. As a Juvenile Custody Services Specialist, you will provide vital guidance, supervision, security, and general care for culturally diverse youth facing a variety of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and intellectual challenges. In this role, you will champion rehabilitative efforts through active group programming, cognitive skill facilitation, and pro-social behavior modeling, all within a safe and secure environment.

• Behavioral Transformation:
  Facilitating cognitive restructuring programming and teaching critical life skills.
• Pro-Social Engagement:
  Guiding youth in positive social development, personal accountability, and healthy peer interactions.
• Daily Wellness & Enrichment:
  Overseeing meaningful leisure time, personal hygiene routines, and structured enrichment activities.

Your role involves these core duties, as well as general support across the facility as required:

• Conduct behavior observations and assessments of individual youth detainees and groups of detained youth through active supervision, which is the intentional and focused monitoring of youth in custody utilizing the components of movement within the environment, situational awareness, and frequent pro‑social youth interactions.
• Prepare detailed incident reports for incidents that occur, document daily individual behavior summaries of youth, and both verbal and electronically documented daily unit and shift reports, individual youth records, and for juvenile counselors/workers and/or court purposes.
• Assist with the intake process of juveniles into the facility.
• Staff may be expected to collect and secure youth’s personal belongings, supervise and manage juveniles prior to screening to determine if youth will be admitted into the detention facility.
• Support the youth with problem‑solving conversations and restorative processes in partnership with our restorative justice coordinators.
• Ensure the safety and security of the detention facility at all times.
• Deliver prosocial role modeling and facilitate skill‑building activities for individual youth and groups of detained youth through skill groups with an emphasis on developing pro‑social behaviors and skills.
• Oversee volunteers and/or contractors while they facilitate skill‑building activities for individual youth and groups of detained youth.
• May assist with orientation of newly admitted youth to the juvenile detention facility by explaining facility rules and the facility behavior level system.
• Staff are expected to introduce youth to the structure of daily routines, outlining the expectations for behavior and providing information to youth on available programs and services.
• Staff will also ensure youth understand the importance of their safety, rights, and responsibilities within the detention facility.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Facility Layout:
This position operates within a detention facility featuring two‑level housing…