Juvenile

Mission Statement

Polk County Juvenile Department provides a continuum of services to youth and their families that emphasizes accountability, community safety, and personal change.

Core Values

Fairness

Adhering to a balanced standard of justice acknowledging offender competency needs, victim’s rights, and community safety. Professional decisions are based on the individual merits of the case and not allowing conflicting personal interests or undue influence to impact our decision making.

Integrity

Strict adherence to a moral code which is reflected in transparent honesty, consistency, and congruence in what we think, say, and do.

Teamwork

The process of working together as a group and with community partners, while putting aside individual needs and differences, to advance the larger group mission (“providing a continuum of services to youth and their families that emphasizes accountability, community safety, and personal change”).

Key Elements of the Balanced Approach

Community Protection

The public has a right to a safe and secure community.

Accountability

Whenever an offense occurs, an obligation by the offender incurs.

Competency Development

Offenders who come within the jurisdiction of the court should leave the system more capable of living productively and responsibly within the community.

Individualization

Each offender has a unique set of circumstances and factors which have contributed to his/her offense/behavior. The response by the system to the offender should be individualized, and be related to an assessment of the unique contributing factors.

Balance

Justice is best served when the community, victim, and the offender receive balanced attention and all gain tangible positive outcomes from their involvement with probation.