Standard Supervision is a Community Supervision Program for court-involved youth. CSB Probation and Surveillance Officers ensure court order compliance, assess probationers and their families for necessary services, manage public safety risks, and provide opportunities for amends and prevention of serious behavior problems. The Probation and Surveillance Officers' ultimate goal is to help youth become productive members of society.
In Maricopa County, juveniles (ages 8-18) referred to the court may participate in a series of programs depending on their prior referrals and compliance history. Juvenile Diversion operates under the authority of A.R.S. §8-321, allowing the County Attorney to divert the prosecution of juveniles accused of delinquent or incorrigible acts to court-administered diversion programs. These programs provide early intervention, accountability, and prevent deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system.
Diversion is often the first step for youth referred for misdemeanor or status offenses. In lieu of formal court proceedings, the youth and their parent/guardian meet with a probation officer, take responsibility, and agree to complete specific requirements to be completed within 90 days or less. Successful completion results in case closure without formal charges.
If a youth fails to comply with Diversion or if a less restrictive measure has been exhausted, a petition request for formal charges may be submitted to the County Attorney.
The Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department operates additional diversion programs, including Juvenile Community Offender Restitution and Public Service (JCORPS), Court Unified Truancy Suppression (CUTS), Citation Diversion, and Teen Court. These programs are supported through a combination of state and local funds, which support skill development, accountability, and behavior change.
The Juvenile Community Offender Restitution and Public Service (JCORPS) program is a Juvenile Probation sponsored community service work program managed and supervised by Juvenile Probation personnel for youth to participate in. JCORPS provides supervised community service and/or victim restitution projects in collaboration with community partners.
The CUTS program is a citation or referral-based diversion program designed to address first and second truancy complaints by providing individualized support to juveniles and their families. CUTS is the mechanism in which school districts can refer youth to the juvenile court for excessive absenteeism.
By collaborating with the juvenile's school, their parent/guardian, and a school representative, the program aims to hold the juvenile accountable, empower parents, and improve communication to support the youth's educational success.
The CUTS program assists youth by providing services which educate and address the individual needs of the youth and their families. To foster and promote long-term changes, consequences are specifically designed to educate and reintegrate the youth back into school with the support of school officials.
To participate in the CUTS program, the youth must admit to being truant and be willing to take responsibility for missing school. Consequences can include but are not limited to community service, truancy educational classes, tutoring hours, and counseling if necessary. The youth’s driver's license may be suspended until their 18th birthday if they fail to appear to the CUTS hearing or if they fail to complete a consequence.
The Citation Diversion program provides youth a way to avoid court involvement if they have minor offenses like truancy, curfew infractions, minor consumption of alcohol, tobacco violations, city park violations and some traffic offenses.
How Citation Diversion Works
Teen Court actively educates youth and the community about the law and provides a practical response to delinquency problems. Youth participate in peer trials to better understand the legal process, but the Tean Court trials do not determine the guilt of the offender.
How Teen Court Works
When ordered by the court, the Electronic Monitoring Unit team provides an additional level of supervision and structure with electronic monitoring (GPS) and training as an alternative to secure care detention (JETS).
JIPS provides highly structured supervision for youth who are at an increased risk of reoffending or are in the court system for felony charges.
Youth who are involved in both the juvenile justice system and the Department of Child Safety's child welfare system are considered Dually Involved Youth. This supervision program is provided by the Crossover Unit, a specialized unit that handles Dually Involved Youth cases.
This unit provides youth who have committed, or are accused of committing sexual offenses, with supervision and case management.
This unit provides supervision and case management for juveniles placed in out-of-home substance abuse treatment facilities.
