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Thursday May 24 2012

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 31, 2005
Contact: Sherry Hill (907) 465-1618, Cell (907) 321-2838
Jeff Kasper, (907) 465-8194, cell (907) 321-3158

Nome Youth Facility opens with dedication ceremony

Expanded capacity enables youth to remain closer to family and community providers

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(Juneau, Alaska) The Dept. of Health & Social Services (DHSS) Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) hosted dedication and opening ceremonies today for the newly expanded Nome Youth Facility. The $4 million expansion and renovation completes the portion of the department’s 1997 Master Plan for Youth Facilities that calls for facility improvements.

”We’ve been working on improvements to Alaska’s juvenile justice system, and for several years our Nome facility has been overcrowded,“ said DHSS Commissioner Joel Gilbertson. ”Now, youth that require secure detention can remain closer to their families and community providers, and that means we can achieve better outcomes.“

The expanded facility will increase the capacity of the old building from six to 14 beds. Both juvenile detention and juvenile probation services will be housed in the 9,700 square foot facility, which will provide secure detention services for youth arrested for serious offenses throughout the Nome and Kotzebue areas.

The Division of Juvenile Justice will provide an array of services to juveniles in secure detention at the facility, including full-time school in cooperation with the Nome School district, individual and group counseling, and recreational activities. In addition to a room dedicated to serve as the school, there is a multi-purpose room for meals and recreation, laundry facilities, a kitchen, a conference room, and administrative offices.

”This is a significant improvement over the old facility, where all facets of programming, security, education and other services occurred in the same multi-purpose space,“ said DJJ Director Patty Ware. “The renovated facility will improve the juvenile justice program’s ability to emphasize community involvement and reintegration of the youth into positive community activities.“

 

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