About DYRS
The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is responsible for the supervision, custody, and care of young people charged with a delinquent act in the District of Columbia in one of the following circumstances:
- Youth who are detained in a DYRS facility while awaiting adjudication.
- Youth who are committed to DYRS by a DC Family Court judge following adjudication.
Youth can be initially committed to the agency until the age of 18 and may remain in the care of DYRS until the age of 21. The agency provides comprehensive support services to committed youth in our secure facilities as well as within the community. DYRS is designed to help young people get on the right track and successfully transition into adulthood.
DYRS works with fellow District agencies, community partners, and juvenile justice experts to achieve these goals. We collaborate to implement innovative, research-based models that align with best practices in the juvenile justice and youth development fields.
Mission
The mission of the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services is to give court-involved youth 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’ vision is to provide the nation’s best continuum of care for court-involved youth and their families through a wide range of programs that emphasize individual strengths, personal accountability, public safety, skill development, family involvement, and community support.
Guiding Principles
We believe
- Youth prefer the joy of accomplishment to failure, and each youth is unique and can learn, re-learn, and unlearn.
- All youth should be connected to caring adults, services, supports, and opportunities that enable them to contribute to the community and successfully transition into adulthood.
- In honoring diversity.
- All youth, families, staff, and community should be valued, respected, and have opportunities for growth and change.
- Youth, families, and staff at all levels must be at the table and involved in decision-making; from Youth Family Team Meetings to agency policies.
- In a robust continuum of care that is flexible, strengths-based, family-focused, and results in youth being safely served in the least restrictive environment consistent with public safety.
- In creating environments that are safe, structured, stable, and supportive for youth and staff.
- Staff at all levels should be responsive, respectful, and work collaboratively with internal and external customers.
- Decisions should be informed by valid and reliable data.
- Everyone’s job is to help youth develop to their fullest potential.
Oversight by the Mayor of the District of Columbia
The Executive Office of the Mayor (EOM) works to ensure that DYRS is abiding by federal and District laws, regulations, and policies. Each quarter, DYRS submits to EOM a report on the agency’s performance with respect to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). DYRS also regularly responds to information requests from EOM and works closely with EOM representatives to improve performance.
Compliance Inspections by District Oversight Bodies
The agency’s secure facilities and community-based residential facilities (CBRFs) are regularly inspected to ensure compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). These inspections are conducted by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and Juvenile Justice Advisory Group (JJAG), which are local organizations that provide independent oversight over juvenile justice operations in the District.
Assessment and Validation by Industry Experts
DYRS regularly seeks to have its work assessed and validated by outside juvenile justice and other industry experts. Examples of this include validation of the agency’s Structured Decision Making (SDM) risk-assessment tool by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) and the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), and accreditations by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and of the Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Security upgrades at New Beginnings were also approved by the DC Department of General Services and validated as compliant under American Standard for Testing and Materials requirements.
