Surry JCPC Mission
The Surry County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) is a community-based advisory body established under the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina, operating in fulfillment of its duties and responsibilities to identify, plan, and fund services that reduce and prevent juvenile delinquency in Surry County. The Council is appointed by the Surry County Board of Commissioners and brings together a broad cross-section of community stakeholders — including representatives from law enforcement, the courts, schools, mental health, social services, faith communities, the business sector, parks and recreation, nonprofit organizations, and youth under the age of 21 — to ensure that decisions about juvenile justice programming reflect the full range of community voices and expertise.
The JCPC's core mission is to assess the needs of juveniles in the community, evaluate the adequacy of existing resources, and develop strategies to address unmet needs. The Council is charged with evaluating the performance of juvenile services and programs as a condition of continued funding, increasing public awareness of the causes of delinquency, and planning for a permanent funding stream for delinquency prevention services. Each year, the JCPC conducts a comprehensive Risk and Needs Assessment — including data from the Youth Assessment Screening Inventory (YASI) — to identify the factors influencing vulnerable, at-risk, and delinquent youth and their families, and to determine which services are most likely to reduce or prevent delinquent behavior in Surry County.
Through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, the JCPC funds a range of evidence-based programs and services, including home-based family counseling, anger management, individual and group counseling, restitution and community service, Teen Court, substance abuse assessment and treatment, vocational skills programs, mentoring, temporary shelter care, and interpersonal and life skills classes. All funded programs are monitored annually by the JCPC Monitoring Committee to ensure full compliance with NC Department of Public Safety (DPS) JCPC policy, adherence to program budgets, and delivery of services as described in each program agreement. Monitoring results and program outcome evaluations are directly considered in making future funding allocation decisions.
Current JCPC-funded programs in Surry County include Parent Teen Solutions (The Parenting PATH), which provides home-based family counseling and intensive intervention services for at-risk and court-involved youth ages 7–18 and their families ; Surry Teen Court (Children's Center of Surry, Inc.), a peer sentencing program offering a meaningful alternative for first-time, non-violent misdemeanor offenders between the ages of 11 and 17 ; and programs through Surry Friends of Youth providing anger management, restitution/community service, counseling, and mediation/conflict resolution services for youth ages 6–18. The Why Try program teaches social and emotional principles to at-risk or court-involved youth ages 6–17 to increase academic success and reduce truancy and violence.
Local data continues to guide the JCPC's work. Risk and Needs Assessment data has shown that a significant proportion of Surry County youth involved in the juvenile justice system face challenges including school behavior problems, association with delinquent peers, limited parental supervision, and substance use concerns — underscoring the importance of coordinated, data-driven prevention and intervention programming. The JCPC meets regularly throughout the year, maintaining quorum and active participation from its diverse membership to ensure accountability, transparency, and continued progress toward safer outcomes for Surry County's youth and families.
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