The District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is the District’s cabinet level juvenile justice agency. It administers detention, commitment and aftercare services for youth held under its care in its facilities or residing in the DC community. The agency is actively involved in several innovative programming models, partnering with locally and nationally recognized juvenile justice centers in the following types of programs; juvenile justice, continuum of care, alternative sentencing, supervised citation release and supportive living.

Mission

The mission of DYRS is to improve public safety and give court-involved youths the opportunity to become more productive citizens by building on the strengths of youths and their families in the least restrictive, most homelike environment consistent with public safety.

Vision

DYRS will provide the nation’s best continuum of care for court-involved youths and their families through a wide range of programs that emphasize individual strengths, personal accountability, skill development, family involvement, and community support.