The NC Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) partners with Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils (JCPC) in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties to gather community leaders, locally and statewide, to help reduce and prevent juvenile crime.
Alexander County JCPC board members consist of individuals from the courts, county and school leadership, health, social services, substance abuse prevention, and others as appointed by the Alexander County Board of Commissioners. The JCPC meets at least six times each fiscal year.
DJJDP allocates approximately $28 million to these councils annually across the state. Funding is used to subsidize local programs and services. The Alexander County JCPC 2022-2023 budget allocation from NCDPS is $140,199, plus county/local cash match and local in-kind, for a total of $191,988.
Alexander County JCPC members for the 2023-2024 fiscal year include Carrie Nitzu – Chairperson, Dan Wanta – Vice Chairperson, Alisha Cloer, Kim Cowart, Corina Fletcher, Kaitlyn Graves, Christy Harrington, Roger Hayley, Krista Hiatt, Keri Jerrell, Mike Millsaps, David Moose, Chad Pennell, Jon Presnell, Ronnie Reese, and Zack Shepherd. Gary Herman serves as the Administrative Assistant for the local JCPC.
Each county JCPC has the responsibility to:
• Review the needs of juveniles in the county who are at risk of delinquency or who have been adjudicated undisciplined or delinquent
• Review the resources available to address those needs
• Prioritize community risk factors
• Determine the services needed to address those problems areas
• Develop a request for proposal for services in need
• Submit a written funding plan to the county commissioners for approval
• Evaluate program performance
• Increase public awareness of the causes of delinquency and strategies to reduce the problem
• Develop strategies to intervene, respond to, and treat the needs of juveniles at risk of delinquency
• Provide funds for treatment, counseling, or rehabilitation services.
JCPC powers and duties are:
• To ensure that appropriate intermediate dispositional options are available.
• To provide funds for the treatment of juveniles.
• To increase public awareness of the causes of delinquency and strategies to reduce the problem.
• To assess the needs of juveniles in the local community.
• To develop strategies for delinquency prevention through risk assessment.
• To assess resources to meet the identified needs.
• To develop or propose ways to meet those needs.
• To plan for a permanent funding stream for delinquency prevention programs.
• To evaluate program performance.
JCPC members work to fund the following types of services and programs in their local communities, depending on the need:
Assessment Programs
Clinical Evaluation and Psychological Assessment Programs
Clinical Treatment Programs
Sex Offender Assessment and Counseling
Home-Based Family Counseling
Counseling Programs
Community Day Programs
Juvenile Structured Day
Residential Programs
Residential Services Programs
Restorative Programs
Mediation/Conflict Resolution
Restitution
Teen Court
Structured Activities Programs
Skill Building
Mentoring Programs (Mentoring)
These are the JCPC programs that are funded for Alexander County in fiscal year 2023-2024:
Alexander Strengthening Families
Dobson, NC
(336) 386-9144
Parenting Education, Social Skills Training
Alexander Youth Tribunal
Dobson, NC
(336) 386-9144
Teen Court
Alexander Community Service & Restitution
Dobson, NC
(336) 386-9144
Aspire Kids at Work!
Balsam, NC
(828) 226-5533
Interpersonal Skill Building, Social Skills Training
For more information or if you would like to volunteer as a member, contact Gary Herman at glherman@alexandercountync.gov or (828) 352-7756.