FY 2013-FY 2017
Charles Flanagan,
Director

Table of Contents

Executive Summary .................................................................................................2
Vision, Mission and Values .....................................................................................2
Strategic Issues .........................................................................................................3
Agency Goals, Strategies, Objectives and Performance Measures

Agency Goal 1
Ensure a safe and secure environment for treatment of youth ..........................8

Agency Goal 2
Increase recruitment and retention of staff.........................................................9

Agency Goal 3
Improve rehabilitation and reentry outcomes .....................................................10

Agency Goal 4
Improve educational outcomes for youth in secure care and
in community corrections ...................................................................................11

Agency Goal 5
Continue to reform the department to meet the
challenges of the current economic realities ......................................................12
Resource Assumptions ............................................................................................13

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Executive Summary
The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections is responsible for juveniles adjudicated
delinquent and committed by the juvenile courts. The department is accountable to the citizens of
Arizona for the promotion of public safety through the management of the state's secure juvenile
facilities and it provides services to juvenile offenders including rehabilitation, treatment and
education. Arizona law requires that ADJC accomplish its mission by providing supervision,
rehabilitation, treatment and education to the juveniles committed to its care.
Like all other units of state government, the department has been hard-hit by the economic crisis
that took hold in 2008. The department has seen a reduction of roughly 40 percent in both its
budget and its staff. In response to the new economic realities, the department has had to refocus
its efforts on the core services it delivers to youth, close facilities and consolidate administrative
resources. Nonetheless, the department will maintain its services and work to improve outcomes.
Following is the strategic plan that provides an overview of the department’s direction for the
next five years.

Vision, Mission and Values
OUR VISION
Safer communities through successful youth.
OUR MISSION
The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections enhances public protection by changing the
delinquent thinking and behaviors of juvenile offenders committed to the department.
OUR VALUES


We value the safety of the citizens of Arizona, our employees and the youth in our care.



We value the integrity, experience and expertise of our staff.



We value a richness of diversity among our staff and youth.



We strive to create opportunities for youth and families to lead productive lives.



We value excellence, innovation and quality practices based on good data and research.



We value continuous improvement and learning for all individuals, including staff as well
as youth in our care.



We value the families, friends, key stakeholders and staff who support positive change in
our youth.



We value change for the growth opportunities it brings.
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ADJC Strategic Issues
Strategic Issue 1: Ensure a safe and secure environment for treatment of youth
The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) began a new era in September 2007
with the dismissal of United States of America v. State of Arizona. Having complied with all 140
provisions of its 2004 Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice
(USDOJ), ADJC emerged from federal monitoring. Comprehensive reforms improved safety,
security and treatment services for youth in the agency’s jurisdiction. ADJC’s accomplishments
were recently reaffirmed by the Arizona Auditor General in two reports released in 2009. After
auditing the department for two years for ADJC’s decennial sunset review, the Auditor General
concluded that ADJC has continued to make notable progress in the critical areas of
programming and youth safety since federal monitoring terminated in 2007.
The department has implemented changes that include a more rigorous prevention strategy and
incident reviews. Key staff participates in daily morning briefings to discuss any incidents of
concerns in the safe school environment. The executive staff meets biweekly in a COMPSTAT
setting, which allows the staff to look at individual youth for signs of escalating behavioral issues
as well as to monitor for system-wide trends. This allows for proactive monitoring of real-time
data, which identifies trends at the start of a cycle and allows for more timely intervention. In
addition, staff receives a daily dashboard report, which provides an overview of key indicators,
such as demographics, safety incidents, educational progress and community corrections data.
In order to further ensure safety, reduce violence and prevent suicide among the youth, the
department will be implementing an enhanced inspections system. The new web-based system,
referred to as GAR (Green, Amber, Red), allows for real-time automated tracking of inspections.
The system empowers the supervisors, operations staff with specific expertise and community
corrections officers to take responsibility for the facilities and operations under their control, log
in and assign corrective actions to be taken when an inspection reveals an area that must be
addressed. The inspections will be conducted by the supervisors using the GAR system. The
Inspections unit will be responsible for conducting inspections to ensure fidelity of the GAR
results. In addition, the Inspections unit will conduct quarterly audits. Also, the data is compiled
at a high level that will allow for management, including the director, to review the findings for
patterns and identify where there are systems problems and take corrective action. In the
previous system of paper reports, these observations and analyses were impossible and a
systemic problem would not be identified. This new system will allow for immediate review of
trends and assignment of responsibility for compliance to an identified staff member.

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Strategic Issue 2: Increase recruitment and retention of staff
ADJC historically suffers one of the highest turnover rates in Arizona state government. High
turnover limits ADJC’s effectiveness in providing committed youth with a safe environment and
continuity in service delivery, which is crucial toward achieving successful community
reintegration. In FY 2009, ADJC’s department-wide turnover rate was 25 percent, a slight
decrease compared to 2007. The annual staff turnover rate is primarily driven by ADJC’s Youth
Correctional Officer (YCO) staff. In FY 2009, YCO positions had a turnover rate of 50 percent.
YCO positions represent about 47 percent of the department’s total positions. In spite of the state
of the economy, YCO turnover was higher in 2009 than the previous year, though still lower than
the 56 percent recorded in 2007.
To date, the department has experienced a loss of more than 40 percent of its staff, much of this
because of reduction-in-force (RIF) separations and through attrition of employees who were not
replaced upon leaving voluntarily. Additional positions were frozen when vacated. These
changes and related issues resulted in substantial morale issues among staff.
To mitigate high turnover, ADJC will continue to make purposeful efforts to improve the
development, retention and recognition of staff. However, when the economy rebounds and both
correctional and private sector opportunities multiply, it will be in the department’s interest to
avoid a corresponding surge in staff turnover. The department will develop and initiate a
succession planning program to mitigate the loss of institutional knowledge. Also, Staff
Development has expanded and improved the professional development offerings for existing
employees. The department will continue to improve both the pre-service and in-service training
it offers.
Recent revisions to the ADJC confidential exit survey are being monitored for an improved
response rate. The collected responses will assist management in identifying recurring reasons
for employee separations. The department can address the issues identified to prevent future
resignations.
The ADJC Annual Honors Ceremony continues to be redefined so that employees are recognized
for outstanding contributions to the agency. ADJC is also exploring other opportunities to
recognize high performing staff, along with additional measures to address staff morale and job
satisfaction.
Strategic Issue 3: Improve rehabilitation and reentry outcomes
In order for the youth committed to ADJC to return to their communities successfully, the
department must provide appropriate, individualized treatment and educational services. ADJC
recognizes the growing body of research that identifies best practices in its field and is
committed to employing those programs. All ADJC juveniles are provided with core
programming to address dysfunctional thinking as it relates to problematic and delinquent
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behaviors. Department programs are cognitive behaviorally based and designed with
adolescents’ developmental needs in mind. The department works to involve families
meaningfully and will implement strategies to that end. The department also has implemented
gender-specific programming and will continue to do so.
Youth remain in secure care for a relatively short time, approximately seven months on average.
Most of the delinquent youth committed to ADJC will return to their communities. Research
underscores the common sense notion that in order for youth to succeed, they must learn
behaviors and skills that will serve them in the community. Therefore, ADJC will focus on
improving individualized treatment needs as well as resources for Continuing Case Plans that
span secure care and community corrections. The department will focus on developing
partnerships with resource providers and developing strategies for youth in the community with a
focus on a continuum of care that begins with the time that the youth is committed, through
reentry into the community.
While in secure care, youth are thoroughly assessed and classified in order to ensure proper
placement in specialized or general programming units to meet their individualized needs. ADJC
is charged with providing treatment services to all committed juveniles. The department provides
specialized programming to address the neediest of juveniles in the areas of inappropriate sexual
behavior, substance abuse and mental health issues. In FY 2011, approximately 38 percent of
ADJC youth were diagnosed with mental health issues and 13 percent displayed problematic
sexual behavior. Juveniles with substance abuse disorders represented fully 89 percent of the
ADJC population.
ADJC will continue to focus on improving the effectiveness of programs with the goal of
successful rehabilitation and reentry into the community. In order to improve outcomes in these
areas, the department will work to engage families in more activity through the increased use of
video visitation; seek more community and stakeholder support for youth on conditional liberty;
and expand opportunities for youth on conditional liberty such as the support provided by the
Day and Evening Support Center in Maricopa County. These outcomes will be measured through
an increase in absolute discharge, through a reduction in the recidivism rates and through fewer
revocations.
Strategic Issue 4: Improve educational outcomes for youth in secure care and in
community corrections
ADJC recognizes that the majority of committed youth have failed in traditional education
settings. Most ADJC students are below grade level in mathematics and reading. In addition,
most students have had attendance and behavioral problems in traditional public schools. The
department is required to provide services to youth with disabilities as mandated by the federal
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) §15-761
and A.R.S. §15-765 through §15-767. These services include delivery of special education
5

instruction, speech/language services and evaluation services for special education eligibility.
Because of the dramatic over-representation (more than 30 percent) of special education students
within ADJC’s school system, the department requires more special education teachers and
resources per student than other public schools within the state. However, because of concerted
efforts on the part of ADJC Special Education staff, the department was found to fully comply
with state and federal special education services for the first time in FY 2005 and again in FY
2010.
ADJC recognizes that students must be motivated to explore a variety of career paths. Therefore,
the department assessed students’ needs and interests and implemented a curriculum that merges
traditional classroom academics (reading and mathematics) with vocational studies.
The following provides a sample of currently expanded studies within the ADJC School System:







A cosmetology program located on the Black Canyon Campus now provides students
with the skills and transferable hours requisite to licensing in Arizona.
Culinary arts program.
Automotive technology program that allows students to graduate with general
automotive skills.
Building trades program.
Energy auditing program, which was established under federal funding and provides
employment opportunities in an emerging field.
The department recently added Interactive Television (ITV) to its teaching capabilities
to extend the reach of its educators by providing direct classroom instruction and fieldbased enrichment to selected classrooms. The department will continue to ensure that
the educational infrastructure is adequate to support the needs of these students so that
they can elevate their basic skills to a level where they can be academically successful
and ultimately contributing citizens.

The department also seeks to involve youth in pro-social activities in the schools as well. ADJC
schools, through associate membership in the Arizona Interscholastic Association, play
volleyball, basketball, flag football and soccer against private, charter and public schools. This
allows the youth to build on important skills such as team work while engaging the youth in
activities that improve physical fitness.
While there are a variety of educational opportunities at ADJC, department leaders believe more
can be done to improve educational outcomes. This includes improving literacy, increasing the
number of youth who earn a general education diploma (GED) and increasing the number of
high school diplomas awarded to youth in secure care. To improve outcomes, the department
will employ a new assessment tool, increase time spent in learning activities and increase
competition through the use of charter schools inside the school.

6

Department leadership also believes more can be done to ensure continuation of educational
opportunities and achievement when youth are granted conditional liberty (parole). On occasion,
the local public school districts where a youth on conditional liberty resides will refuse to enroll
a youth. The department also may face resistance from the youth’s parents or guardians as to a
preferred educational program. The department currently works with charter schools that are
willing to accept youth on conditional liberty and has a pending request for proposal (RFP) to
add a charter school inside the facility to provide additional opportunities for the youth.
Current law does not clearly specify that the department may enroll youth on conditional liberty
in educational programs that the department concludes would be in the best interests of the youth
and to aid in the education, treatment and rehabilitation of the youth. As such, the department is
seeking a legislative change to statute to clarify that the ADJC director has the specific authority
to designate educational programs for youth in secure care and on conditional liberty and to
enroll youth on conditional liberty in charter schools.
Strategic Issue 5: Continue to reform the department to meet the challenges of
current economic realities
ADJC has been severely impacted by the fiscal crisis that began in 2008. To date, the department
has closed two of four secure care facilities and combined the remaining two, Adobe Mountain
School and Black Canyon School, into a joint facility that shares administrative resources. The
department continues to adjust its practices both to maintain progress made and to continue
improving the provision of programs that enhance public safety by enabling youth to succeed.
The department will continue to consolidate resources while focusing on providing direct
services to youth and maintaining or improving outcomes. In order to maintain the quality of
programs and improve outcomes, the department is focusing scarce resources on direct services
to youth. As such, the department must reduce indirect costs. As of the end of calendar year
2011, Central Office staff has been reduced by 12 positions with plans for more reductions
underway. Central Office staff is currently located in two buildings; in FY 2013, staff will be
under one roof. These reductions will ensure that services to youth are not compromised by
budget reductions.

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ADJC Goals and Objectives

GOAL 1: ENSURE A SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT FOR TREATMENT OF
YOUTH
Maintain a safe and secure correctional environment in which youth participate in
effective treatment programs that prepare them to return to the community successfully.
Objectives:
 Zero escapes
 Zero suicides
 Reduce youth-on-youth assault rates by five percent
 Reduce youth-on-staff assault rates by five percent
 Reduce injuries by five percent
 On-time completion rate of 95 percent or better for all required inspections and audits
 Green-Amber-Red (GAR) findings of green meet baseline setting of 80 percent.
Strategies:
 Employ an effective classification system to ensure that juveniles receive treatment
services that vary in accordance with their assessed risk levels
 Analyze the occurrence of dangerous incidents in secure care facilities and identify
appropriate corrective strategies
 Implement a revised system of internally conducted audits and inspections conducted
regularly using the automated Green-Amber-Red (GAR) system.
Performance Measures:
 Number of escapes
 Incidents of suicidal or self-harm behavior
 Youth-on-youth assault rates
 Youth-on-staff assault rates
 Number of reported injuries
 Percentage of inspections and audits completed on time
 Percentage of completed GAR inspections and audits resulting in a finding of green.

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GOAL 2: INCREASE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF STAFF
Recruit and retain staff, with particular attention given to youth corrections officers
(YCO) recruits and professional services providers, such as nurses, teachers and
mental health professionals as these are the most difficult positions to fill.
Objectives:
 Reach capacity for YCO staff
 Reach capacity for professional service providers
 Improve morale among employees (set a baseline in FY 13 and measure against the
baseline thereafter).
Strategies:
 Focus on recruiting employees who are both highly qualified and well-suited to their
jobs, including identifying and implementing new testing for candidates
 Employ all reasonable efforts to retain qualified and motivated staff by revising the
promotion process for YCOs and developing a defined career advancement process
 Implement a succession planning program to prevent loss of institutional knowledge
 Conduct salary survey to determine the salary ranges for professional service providers
 Measure employee job satisfaction through the completion of an annual employee
satisfaction survey
 Provide meaningful recognition programs and awards to identify and reward employees
who perform outstanding work.
Performance Measures:
 Annual staff turnover rate
 Annual Youth Correctional Officer (YCO) turnover rate
 Annual turnover rate among nurses, teachers, and mental health professionals
 Percent of staff indicating satisfaction with their jobs.

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GOAL 3: IMPROVE REHABILITATION AND REENTRY OUTCOMES
Successfully reintegrate juveniles into their communities by providing them
individualized, structured, evidence-based treatment services both in secure care and
upon community re-entry.
Objectives:
 Increase the percentage of youth showing progress in their primary treatment problem
area by five percent
 Maintain the Secure Care Continuous Case Plan (CCP) on-time completion rate at or
above 95 percent
 Maintain the Community Corrections Continuous Case Plan (CCP) on-time completion
rate at or above 98 percent
 Maintain recidivism rate among juveniles incarcerated within 12 months of release at 33
percent or less
 Maintain recidivism rate among juveniles incarcerated within 36 months of release at 50
percent or less
 Reduce revocations by five percent
 Increase absolute discharges by five percent.
Strategies:
 Increase and enhance meaningful participation by juveniles’ families and other
significant adults
 Develop partnerships with community stakeholders to assist in the successful
reintegration of youth into their communities
 Utilize the Correctional Program Checklist (CPC) to measure the quality of the programs
offered and the effectiveness of the intervention
 Expand the continuum of programs for juveniles ready to return to the community and for
those who are experiencing difficulties upon returning to the community via programs
such as the Day and Evening Support Center in Maricopa County.
Performance Measures:
 Percent of youth showing progress in their primary treatment problem area
 Percent of secure care CCPs completed on time
 Percent of community supervision CCPs completed on time
 Percent of juveniles incarcerated within 12 months of release
 Percent of juveniles incarcerated within 36 months of release
 Percent of youth revoked with delinquent offenses
 Percent of youth earning absolute discharges.

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GOAL 4: IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN SECURE CARE
AND IN COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
As a pathway to responsible and self-sufficient behavior, ADJC must provide all
committed juveniles educational opportunities to acquire core academic, vocational and
job readiness skills.
Objectives:
 Increase percentage of youth who improved in mathematic achievement by five percent
 Increase percentage of youth who improved in reading achievement by five percent
 Increase percentage of youth who earn their GEDs by five percent
 Increase percent of youth who enroll in and pass vocational education classes by five
percent
 Increase percentage of youth who earn high school diplomas by five percent
 Increase percentage of youth on conditional liberty who are enrolled in educational
programs by five percent.
Strategies:
 Continue conducting screenings and, where indicated, assessments to determine
eligibility for special education services
 Ensure that each juvenile who qualifies with a disability receives an Individualized
Education Program (IEP)
 Maintain and enhance vocational/career and technical education programs
 Increase educational services for juveniles on conditional liberty through partnership with
charter schools or other educational entities.
Performance Measures:
 Percent of youth who increased in mathematic achievement
 Percent of youth who increased in reading achievement
 Percent of youth who earn their GEDs
 Percent of youth enrolled in vocational/career and technical education programs
 Number of high school diplomas awarded
 Percent of youth on conditional liberty who are enrolled in educational programs.

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GOAL 5: CONTINUE TO REFORM THE DEPARTMENT TO MEET THE
CHALLENGES OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC REALTIES
In response to the fiscal crisis that began in FY 08, the department has closed two of
four secure care facilities and combined the remaining two, Adobe Mountain School and
Black Canyon School (AMS/BCS), into a joint facility that shares administrative
resources. The department will continue to consolidate resources while focusing on
providing direct services to youth and maintaining or improving outcomes.
Objectives:
 Reduce daily cost per youth (CPY) for committed youth to meet or fall below the
American Corrections Association (ACA) standard
 Reduce the administrative costs as a percent of total cost by five percent
 Maintain current staff-to-youth ratios at AMS/BCS.
Strategies:
 Focus on program outcomes, eliminating that which does not work
 Downsize Central Office and focus resources on direct services to the youth
 Fully staff YCO positions and reduce overtime.
Performance Measures:
 Daily CPY for committed youth meets or falls below ACA national standard
 Central Office staff all located at one facility (1624 W. Adams St.) in FY 13, reducing
overhead costs for administration
 Staff-to-youth ratios at AMS/BCS stay at current levels.

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Resource Assumptions

FY 2012

FY 2013

Appropriation Budget Request
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Positions

General Fund
Other Appropriated Funds
Non-Appropriated Funds
Federal Funds
Total Agency Funds

1001.7

$46,729,800

825

FY 2014

FY 2015

FY 2016

FY 2017

Estimate

Estimate

Estimate

Estimate

825

825

825

825

$42,929,800 $42,929,800 $42,929,800 $42,929,800 $42,929,800

$3,860,200

$3,332,328

$3,332,328

$3,332,328

$3,332,328

$3,332,328

$342,300

$177,600

$177,600

$177,600

$177,600

$177,600

$2,401,900

$1,823,200

$1,823,200

$1,823,200

$1,823,200

$1,823,200

$53,334,200

$48,262,928 $48,262,928 $48,262,928 $48,262,928 $48,262,928

13