Treatment Courts
Treatment Courts are specialized community courts designed to help stop the abuse of drugs, alcohol and related criminal activity. There are currently three treatment courts in La Crosse County: OWI Treatment Court, Drug Treatment Court, and Veterans Court. See below for additional information.
Juvenile Detention Facility
Western Regional Adolescent Services
We serve children lawfully detained in Wisconsin that are at least 10 years old but less than
18 years old.
Our facilities are located at: Health and Human Services Building
300 4th Street North, 4th Floor
La Crosse, WI 54601
Maps and Directions
Instructions on paperwork needed to detain children in Secure and Shelter Units
CORE Academy is a court ordered program for male youth aged 10-17, used as a secure placement option. Youth can only be referred to the program through a court order at the recommendation of their county social worker. The maximum length of stay allowed can be up to 365 days (per Wisconsin Statue Section 938.34(3)(f)). The program focuses on four key areas of intervention/treatment: orientation, exploration, integration, and reentry.
CORE Academy is a family based, therapeutic treatment program that includes individual and family counseling. Parental involvement is a key component to the program and parents are expected to participate. There are several groups offered in the CORE Academy program. These topics include, but are not limited to: ART, Life Skills, AODA, Change Journals, DBT, and MRT. Group participation is a required component of the program. CORE Academy also provides year round school and summer school through the School District of La Crosse.
CORE Academy has a social worker that coordinates each resident’s treatment plan with the placing county social worker and monitors the youths progress in the program. This includes monthly team meetings, service coordination, case plan development and management, as well as assess progress throughout the program.
For additional information on the CORE Academy, click on the links below:
Secure Unit
(608) 785-6407
Names and Phone Numbers to Remember:
Facility Interim Superintendent
Tracy Puent
Phone: (608) 792-5507
FAX: (608) 789-7820Facility Supervisors
Lila Barlow
Justin Weisbecker
Jail Inspector
Brad Hoover
770 Technology Way
2nd Floor
Chippewa Falls, WI 54729
Phone: (715) 738-3009
Fax: (715) 738-3029
Email: [email protected]
Visiting and Phone Calls
Secure Unit Protocols
DAILY SCHEDULE (Monday - Friday) | ||
6:00 - 7:45 a.m. | Wake up, shower, dress, clean cells, blocks & living area, fold & store issued bedding, eat breakfast, have quiet time in cellblocks | |
7:45 a.m. - 12 noon | School and/or group time | |
12:00 - 12:20 p.m. | Lunch | |
12:20 - 1:00 p.m. | Group | |
1:00 - 3:15 p.m. | School and/or group time includes visiting time (until 4 p.m.) | |
3:15 - 3:45 p.m. | Study time outside cellblocks | |
3:45 - 4:15 p.m. | Quiet time in cellblocks | |
4:15 - 5:00 p.m. | Free time | |
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. | Supper | |
5:30 - 9:00 p.m. | Recreation in the gym, free time, phone calls, group | |
6:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Visiting Time | |
8:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Snack served | |
9:00 - 9:30 p.m. | Preparation for bedtime | |
9:30 p.m. | Lockdown for the night | |
WEEKEND/HOLIDAY SCHEDULE (Saturday/Sunday) | ||
6:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Breakfast, Wake up, shower, dress, clean cells, blocks and living area, fold and store issued bedding, medications(s) given as needed, then quiet time in cellblocks | |
10:00 - 12:00 noon | Deep Cleaning of the facility (if needed) and/or free time | |
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch followed by quiet time outside of cellblocks | |
1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | Free time, recreation in the gym, visiting time | |
3:45 - 4:15 p.m. | Quiet time in cellblocks | |
5:00 - 5:30 p.m. | Supper followed by quiet time in cellblocks | |
5:30 - 9:00 p.m. | Recreation in the gym, free time, phone call | |
6:00 - 8:00 p.m | Visiting time | |
8:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Snack served | |
(608) 785-6435
Names and Phone Numbers to Remember:
Facility Interim Superintendent
Tracy Puent
Phone: (608) 792-5507
FAX: (608) 793-6546Facility Supervisors
Lila Barlow
Justin Weisbecker
Licensor
Dana Sadlemyer
1681 2nd Ave S
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
Phone: (715) 997-6630
Email: [email protected]
Visiting and Phone Calls
Shelter Unit Protocols
DAILY SCHEDULE (Monday - Friday) | ||
6:00 a.m. | Wake up, showers, and chores | |
7:00 a.m. | Breakfast, clean up | |
8:30 a.m. | SCHOOL | |
12:00 noon | LUNCH, clean up | |
1:00 p.m. | School resumes | |
3:00 p.m. | School over, Quiet time | |
4:00 p.m. | Study Hour | |
5:00 p.m. | SUPPER and clean up | |
6:00 p.m. | Free Time | |
8:00 p.m. | Recreation Time | |
9:00 p.m. | Snack | |
9:30 p.m. | Bedtime | |
10:00 p.m. | Lights Out | |
WEEKEND SCHEDULE (Saturday/Sunday) | ||
6:00 a.m. | Wake up, breakfast, and chores | |
9:00 a.m. | Saturday: Chores | |
Sunday: Free Time | ||
12:00 noon | LUNCH and clean up | |
1:00 p.m. | Free Time | |
2:00 p.m. | RECREATION | |
4:00 p.m. | Quiet time | |
5:00 p.m. | SUPPER and clean up | |
6:00 p.m. | Free Time | |
8:00 p.m. | Recreation Time | |
9:00 p.m. | Snack | |
10:00p.m. | Late night on Friday and Saturday | |
12:00p.m. | BEDTIME | |
Adult Community Services (GPS monitoring, drug and alcohol testing, cognitive-behavioral groups, Ophelia's House)
The following services are provided to adults pending court or convicted of crimes in La Crosse County and are court ordered to the service. If you need more information, contact La Crosse County Justice Support Services at 789-4895.
GPS Monitoring:
If you live outside of La Crosse County, please ask your social worker for permission to submit your GPS monitoring schedule by mail or fax. The forms are below, but if you mail or fax them without prior permission they will not be accepted. If you do have permission then print the appropriate form below and after completion send it to Justice Support Services, 333 Vine Street, Room 740, La Crosse, WI 54601. You can also fax your completed form to 608-785-5715.
Intoxicated Driver Program:
Cognitive-Behavioral Groups:
Thinking for a Change (T4C) and Moving On – These are 2 separate 25 session cognitive-behavioral programs, T4C is for men and Moving On is for women. Both groups are facilitated in jail and in the community for men and women to develop social and problem solving skills to reduce involvement in the criminal justice system.
Moral Reconation Therapy - MRT seeks to decrease recidivism among offenders by increasing moral reasoning. MRT implements a cognitive-behavioral approach, and uses 12-16 objectively defined steps which focus on seven basic treatment issues, including: Confrontation of beliefs, attitudes and behaviors; Assessment of current relationships; Reinforcement of positive behavior and habits; Positive identity formation; Enhancement of self-concept; Development of frustration tolerance; and Development of higher stages of moral reasoning. Justice Support Services offers gender-based groups of MRT.
Carey Guide Groups – Carey Guides are a set of evidence-based tools developed to work with clients on identified need areas through a cognitive-behavioral approach. With 33 topic areas to choose from, groups are tailored to the needs of the group participants.
Ophelia's House:
Ophelia’s House is gender-specific programming designed to provide wraparound services for the women participating in the program. They may include housing, and services such as Thinking for a Change, substance abuse services, trauma groups,
employment assistance. To visit the YWCA website for more information on Ophelia’s House, click on the following link:
https://www.ywcalax.org/what-were-doing/supportive-housing/
Current Initiatives in Justice Support Services:
WI Pretrial Pilot Site
Second Chance Re-Entry Act for Co-Occurring Disorders grant recipient 2017
Youth Justice Supervision
If a youth’s behavior leads to being charged with a crime they may enter the Youth Justice System either through Juvenile Detention if the charge warrants detention for the protection of the community or through a Youth Justice Referral Process from the police department. Either way the youth will meet with a Social Worker from La Crosse County’s Youth Justice Unit to recommend the proper course of action to the District Attorney’s Office (closure of case, deferred prosecution agreement, or further court involvement).
A Deferred Prosecution Agreement is a written agreement entered into by the youth, their parent(s)/guardian(s), and the social worker outlining the conditions and obligations to be met in order to defer the filing of a petition to the court. Such conditions and obligations can include but are not limited to: community service hours, restitution, mental health or Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) counseling, or other services determined necessary to meet the needs of the youth. Should these conditions not be met, this agreement may be revoked and the court petitioned for further supervision.
Should it be recommended that the youth’s case go through court they may be placed on formal supervision. Based on Wisconsin State Statutes the intent of the legislature is to promote a youth justice system capable of dealing with the problem of juvenile delinquency, a system that will protect the community, impose accountability for violations of law and equip youthful offenders with competencies to live responsibly and productively. Youth supervision is managed by social workers through the Department of Human Services- Youth Justice Unit. It involves the protection of citizens from crime, holding youth accountable for their behavior and provision of treatment/services to build competencies. Social Workers oversee the behavior of youth in their home, school and community environments. There are a wide range of services and accountability options available to youth on formal delinquency supervision which vary anywhere from partnering with parents/caregivers to establish rewards and consequences in their home(s), teaching parents/caregivers new skills to address challenging behavior with an emphasis on the parent-child relationship, counseling services or cognitive behavioral group participation to tracking and monitoring programs to out-of-home placements if this becomes necessary for the protection of the community. Out-of-home placements can range from a local foster home to CORE Academy or the Department of Corrections with several options between.
For further information on La Crosse County’s Youth Justice System and Process, please see the following links:
Additional Statewide information can be found at:
In 2008 La Crosse County Human Services called upon the Carey Group to complete a thorough examination of La Crosse County Youth Justice. The recommendations included the following:
Given the recommendations in the Carey Group Executive Summary on Youth Justice from November 2008, several system reform efforts have formed, with some funding assistance by the Department of Justice. These efforts include:
Participant in the Wisconsin State Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (DRAI) Committee
The primary task of this state committee is to develop and implement an objective detention risk assessment process for Wisconsin and ensure its effectiveness in distinguishing between youth who pose a pre-adjudicative public safety risk or a risk of not appearing at their hearings, from youth who do not pose such risks. Once developed, it is the expectation that those counties participating in this committee will actively implement the DRAI tool within their practice. La Crosse County along with the other participating counties have been using this tool as a pilot test as of January 1, 2015.
Revision and Implementation of a Risk Assessment and Case Management Tool
In March 2013 La Crosse County Youth Justice purchased the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) which is a validated risk assessment and case management tool. Changes to policy and procedure have now been put into place to ensure all youth entering the Youth Justice System are being assessed using this risk assessment tool.Juvenile Arrest & Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force
Juvenile Justice Best Practice Committee
Creation of Inter-Agency Memorandum of Understanding
Frequently Asked Questions in Youth Justice