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OHIO Department of Youth Services adopts the
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM
The State of Ohio has adopted a behavior management system to provide the structure in which treatment and sevices may
be more effectively delivered to its youth.
The state joins other jurisdictions such as Colorado, New York, Louisiana, to name but a few, that have elected to
use an alternative to the "traditional" behavior modification interventions. Under the leadership of Superintendent
Norman Hills at the Marion Juvenile Correctional Youth Center, the department has embarked on an ambitious plan of design,
development, implementation, monitoring, auditing and independent evaluation (conducted by the University of Cincinnati, Division
of Criminal Justice. More information will be forthcoming as progress is made. The following is a description of the Ohio
Youth Development System.
Theoretical Foundation:
The Youth Development System (YDS), which the Ohio Department of Youth Services--Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility
has adopted, is based upon adolescent theory, and leadership principles noted by Hersey and Blanchard. The YDS is neither
a level system nor a token economy system, both of which are based upon principles of Behavior Modification. Instead the
YDS is designed to provide juvenile offenders opportunities to learn, grow, and experience progress in their daily living
activities, even if some of their behaviors are negative or inappropriate. Since the YDS is firmly rooted in adolescent development,
it relies on those developmental tasks that juvenile offenders must acquire in four key areas of adolescence: the Physical,
Cognitive, Emotional, and Social. The YDS requires that juvenile offenders, by acquiring pro-social skills and appropriate
problem solving techniques, will develop responsible behavior based upon positive thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes.
It is this cognitive restructuring combined with skill development that produces responsible behavior and in turn warrants
privileges. As juvenile offenders advance their stages of development by demonstrating increased levels of responsible behavior,
they are given more opportunities to exercise their own control in behavior and decision making.
Staff is critical to the successful implementation of the Youth Development System. Staff differentiates their actions
and behavior with youth based upon the youth's stage of development. As such, staff learns to assess the situation in which
the youth behaves, accounts for the youth's developmental stage as defined by the YDS, and interacts accordingly. While
staff techniques are standardized and dictated by the YDS and Situational Leadership Theory, staff uses their own style and
preference to accomplish the appropriate behavior outcome for each youthful offender. As a result of learning and understanding
Adolescent Development, Situational Leadership, and the concepts of the YDS, staff will expand their own tools and methods,
which they will be able to transport with them, no matter where they work.
Situational Leadership: An Overview
Situational Leadership is an approach developed by Hersey and Blanchard (1981, 1985), to help manage individuals. It
originally was developed for supervisors in a work situation, and later applied to a variety of human services settings including
corrections. Situational Leadership combines the amount of direction and control (Directive Behavior) a leader gives to a
subordinate; the amount of support and encouragement (Supportive Behavior) a leader provides; and the competence and commitment
(developmental Level) that a follower exhibits in performing a specific task in any given situation.
1. Directive Behavior is the extent to which the leader engages in one-way communication; spells out the subordinates
role and specifically tells the followers what to do, where to do it, how to do it, when to do it, and closely monitors and
supervises the subordinate's performance.
2. Supportive Behavior is the extent to which a leader engages in two-way communication, listens, provides support and
encouragement, facilitates interaction, and involves the subordinate in decision making.
3. Developmental Level is comprised of competence (the follower's job knowledge and skills) and commitment (the follower's
motivation and/or confidence). The more competent and committed, the more responsibility the subordinate will take to direct
his or her own behavior.
Staff learns how to combine the two types of behaviors to interact with juvenile offenders. The combination and balance
between Directive and Supportive behavior is directly related to the stage at which the youth perform. By combining these
two types of behaviors, four leadership styles are available for staff to use. Once staff masters the four different leadership
styles, they are in a capable position to manage youth behavior and direct their growth.
These Leadership styles are:
1. Directing: High directive/low supportive behavior. Staff using this leadership style provides specific instructions
for youth and closely supervises task completion.
2. Coaching High directive/high supportive behavior. Staff explains the decisions they make and solicits suggestions
from juvenile offenders, but continues to direct task achievement.
3. Participating High supportive/low directive behavior. Staff makes decisions together with the youthful offender and
supports efforts toward their task accomplishment.
4. Delegating Low supportive/low directive behavior. Staff allows the youthful offender to implement and achieve the
assigned task independently, exercising responsibility and decision making as appropriate.
Thus, the YDS provides guidance to staff as to how they should approach juvenile offenders in any given situation. Based
upon the youth's developmental stage as defined by the YDS, staff choose the appropriate leadership style in order to best
manage the youth's behavior in any given situation. Staff are always the final authority and in control of any situation,
but exercise great latitude as they interact with the youth they manage. The YDS creates a learning environment in which
juvenile offenders are provided opportunities to grow and develop by exploring their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes.
Using developmental tasks they have already acquired and learning new ones, juvenile offenders are constantly challenged
to increase responsible behavior and advance their developmental stages through a variety of experiences and learning aids.
The Youth Development System
Juvenile offenders placed with the ODYS at Marion, will be assessed through Interdisciplinary Team Reviews and
placed in one of four Stages. Stages are determined by the youth's developmental level as defined by Situational Leadership
Theory (i.e.: competence and commitment). The YDS identifies a youthful offender's Developmental Stage (in general terms),
given any specific situation. The Developmental Stages ranges from low to high, identifying juvenile offenders from "in
the process of developing to having fully developed".
Each developmental stage has its own set of responsibilities that the youthful offender must acquire in order to move
onto higher stages. Once acquired, a stage may not be taken away, and so it is incumbent upon staff to insure that when
a youth is certified as reaching a certain stage of development, that the youth has indeed demonstrated the responsibilities
required of that stage. Each stage of the YDS has a set of responsibilities that a youth must demonstrate competency and
in turn a set of developmental tasks in which the youth must be proficient. Because the YDS is based upon adolescent development
principles, youth need not complete all stages of the YDS in order to be released from program or be successful in their habilitation.
Rather, staff must be able to accurately assess their developmental stage and insure that those significant others understand
the competencies and commitment the youthful offender has, given situations they encounter.
Documenting progress is reported during regular case conferences and youth records, as any staff log or note would be
recorded. The YDS also has certain tools to aid staff as they interact with youth at various stages. These include:
. Youthful Offender Progress Reports
. Youthful Offender Evaluation Forms
. Criteria for Stage Advancement
. Stage Review Process
. Youthful Offender Behavior Improvement Plans
. Mentor Weekly Progress Report
At each Stage, youth are provided with a color coded identifier (e.g.: tee-shirt; wristband; id-card) to signify the
Stage they have achieved. Staff are able to better identify YDS stages of youth, group youth accordingly and manage behavior,
both individual and group. Specifics of the YDS may be found in the YDS Rule Book for Juvenile offenders, The Youth YDS Handbook,
and The YDS Staff Manual.
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