Sex-Offender Treatment
The Youthtrack Juvenile Sex Offender Treatment Program has been serving the State of Utah and surrounding states since the early 1990's. The current program allows for the treatment of thirty-two youth, from age twelve to eighteen. The sixteen bed unit located in Logan houses clients of below average cognitive functioning. All decisions regarding program, unit, and room assignments take into account a client's age, size, mental status, and risk factors. The overall desire is to place a client where he can most easily feel comfortable and where he can succeed.
The program follows the guidelines of the Revised Report from the National Task Force on Juvenile Sexual Offending (1993), the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and the Standards of Treatment for Youth in Offense-Specific Residential Programs (National Offense-Specific Residential Standards Task Force, 1999).
INDIVIDUAL INTERVENTIONS:
Weekly therapy sessions with primary therapist.
Collateral contact with caseworkers, probation officers, and other
agencies.
Written sexual offense specific treatment assignments (from acceptance
of responsibility through relapse prevention).
Crisis intervention.
FAMILY INTERVENTIONS:
Weekly multifamily therapy sessions.
Individual family sessions.
Family contact encouraged and facilitated through phone contact,
letters, visits, and passes.
GROUP THERAPIES:
Sex offender-specific group therapy
Conduct disorder/Criminal thinking group.
Deviant sexual fantasy work
Relapse prevention group
ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONS:
Education provided by local school districts.
Special education programming.
Academic testing
Development and maintenance of Individual Education Plans
PSYCHIATRIC CONSULTATION:
Monthly psychiatric consultations.
Monthly nursing consultations
Psychological, psychosexual, and neuropsychological evaluations as
deemed necessary.
SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT:
Independent living skills.
Anger management.
Stress management.
Socialization skills.
Males
Age 12 to 18.
Adjudicated for a sexual crime.
Able to function in a residential treatment setting.
All types of sexual deviancies, paraphilias, and fetishes.
Concurrent mood, anxiety, and other individual mental health issues.
Concurrent family dysfunction. Trauma from personal
victimization's.
Concurrent substance abuse issues.
Concurrent academic difficulties.
The Youthtrack staff members are trained to maintain a safe, therapeutic environment where clients may feel comfortable to work on their personal issues. The team-based approach allows for continuity throughout the program and accountability by the clients to a specific set of program rules. The clients are allowed to interact with peers in treatment where they encourage and learn from one another. The treatment is divided into four phases: Behavioral, Therapeutic, Leadership, and Preventative. The placement and movement among the phases allows clients to focus on a specific area of treatment at any given time.
The goal of Youthtrack's education department is to provide students with educational and therapeutic services that enable the learner to construct, within himself, the ability to acquire knowledge, skill, and value from life experiences. Youthtrack staff members are trained to encourage self-motivated, lifelong learners who will leave the program with the knowledge and skills necessary to return to the public school system, obtain a diploma or GED, pursue post secondary opportunities, and obtain meaningful employment. All youth participate in the educational component. They attend year-round academic classes and work specifically on the competencies that will help them achieve their educational or vocational goals.
Our staff believe that education is a 24-hour a day undertaking. We have found that therapeutic, residential living offers a rich resource for learning about social studies and basic human interaction. Cooking and other activities teach math, science, and language arts. Our staff members know that their most important role is that of teacher.
Youthtrack, Inc. currently operates 10 alternative facility schools approved by the Colorado Department of Education. This is in addition to our recently added programs in Florida, and the programs mentioned in this website. The Education Team reviews each youth's education file within the first five days of his/her placement. The team consists of the teacher, the therapist, the education assistant, and other assigned personnel. The student, his family, caseworker, and other program staff consult in this review. The Education Team obtains the information necessary to prepare the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for special education students. A Specialized Education Plan (SEP) is developed for students who are not identified as having a disability. Information reviewed includes: current achievement test results, education records from public schools and previous placements, social/emotional evaluations, school credits earned, and observed or documented academic/vocational strengths and weaknesses.
Information missing from the youth's current file is requested through the caseworker, previous placements, and the youth's home school district. Education staff members administer tests and informal assessments when records are not available or are outdated, ensuring an accurate understanding of the student's needs. All meetings held for students as having a a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) comply with all state and federal laws. Educational planning incorporates goals and objectives in the area of academic, behavioral, and transitional/vocational needs. When a student enters the program with a current IEP, a transfer of placement meeting is conducted and the existing plan is reaffirmed and followed. A new IEP is written for those students with an education plan that is outdated or is in need of annual review.
Organizational Experience
Youthtrack is a subsidiary of ResCare Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky. ResCare is recognized as the leading provider of quality services to more than 16,900 consumers in 28 states in its Division for Persons with Disabilities. It also serves approximately 9,200 at-risk and special needs youth in 17 states and Puerto Rico in its Division for Youth Services. ResCare, now in its 25th year, employs approximately 25,000 people.
The depth of Youthtrack's programming, coupled with its committed and well-trained staff, ensures that the multiple needs and concerns of placement agencies will be addressed. Youthtrack's current contracts include:
Colorado Department of Youth Corrections
Utah Department of Children and Family Services
Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections
Florida Department of Juvenile Corrections
Colorado Department of Social Services
Nevada Department of Children and Family Services
Montana Department of Children and Family Services
Utah Department of Youth Corrections
Multiple private pay sources