January 2019

JANUARY 2019 | ISSUE 1 THE #KYDJJ DIGEST BI-MONTHLY NEWS, UPDATES, AND INFORMATION NEW YEAR, Website Update - 2 NEW LEADERSHIP Session 2019 - 3 Facility Events - 3 Say hello to some new faces! Social Media - 4 Birthdays - 4 - The Department of Juvenile Justice started 2019 Anniversaries - 4 with a new Commissioner, Ray DeBolt. DeBolt has Thank You - 5 been with the department a number of years and brings a breadth of knowledge to the position. Prior to being appointed as Commissioner, DeBolt served as the Special Assistant to the previous Commissioner. Stay tuned for more from the Commissioner in the next newsletter! - After the retirement of Deputy Commissioner Board, Stacy Woodrum from the Cabinet was named the new Deputy Commissioner of Support Services. Stacy has served in multiple positions throughout her time in state government and has already proven to be a great asset to the team.

DJJ LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE After months of working with Kentucky Interactive, DJJ recently launched a redesigned website featuring a new modern look and feel as well as enhanced features for users. This website has been designed to provide users the best experience possible, and it was built with members of the community in mind. The new features on the website allow users to search for policies, get directions to facilities, and easily find the visiting times. The new site will also have an area for job postings, open meeting notices, and important information. The website was redesigned to reflect and expand the DJJ mission to be a premier team of professionals committed to providing life-changing services resulting in the positive transformation of children, families, and communities. Click here to head to the newly designed website!

LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2019 January 8 marked the start of the 2019 legislative session. This is a short session year, meaning that it consists of 30 legislative days. Thus far, there are two bills of interest to the agency. First, the legislative body has made school safety a priority and that is reflected with the filing of Senate Bill (SB) 1. SB 1 includes reforms to procedures relating to school safety; training requirements for school employees and the establishment of a school resource officer at every school. Also noteworthy is SB 20, which is a juvenile justice reform bill. SB 20 includes a data collection piece for certain agencies that involve juvenile justice, as well as, the inclusion of a minimum age of criminality, a competency element for youth in the court process, and the establishment of a 10-day court review for youth in detention.  Click here to see the bills in full. FACILITY EVENTS Green River held their Christmas Invitational at the end of December and the event was a great success. There were no behavioral issues and all of the youth displayed great sportsman ship. This was a fun opportunity for the guys to get together and practice team work skills. CONGRATULATIONS to Lake Cumberland on their big tournament win. Thank you to the staff who made this event possible! Your hard work is appreciated. Did you have an event? Send pictures and a short blurb to [email protected] to be featured in the next newsletter!

#WHATSHAPPENINGWEDNESDAY Birthdays & - CELEBRATING OUR TEAM - Anniversaries The newest social media initiative is Sonja Cox - Feb 2 #WhatsHappeningWednesday. The purpose of this is to get more engagement with the community, highlight employees Amy Welch - 17 years with DJJ who are not honored as much, and to applaud members of the #KYDJJ team who are doing great things for the Did you have a birthday? Know Commonwealth. The best way to show your team that you someone who has a work appreciate them is to celebrate them! This initiative has been anniversary or birthday coming doing extremely well, and so many community members are up? Send their name and getting involved with sharing, commenting, and liking the birthdate/anniversary date to posts. [email protected] Know someone who should be highlighted? Email the following to [email protected]: - Send a picture - Title - Their day-to-day duties - Why they love their job Follow Us: @KYDJJ Twitter + Facebook

THANK YOU, THANK YOU \"For these are all our children. We As we end the first month of the new year, the #KYDJJ executive will all profit by, staff wants to thank each and every person who is a part of DJJ. or pay for, Without you, this work would not be possible. Your devotion, whatever they passion, and tireless efforts do not go unnoticed. This past year, become.\" - James we had basketball tournaments, cook offs, visits to the Capitol, Baldwin. craft fairs, graduations (for humans and doggies), and so much more! To the Superintendents, thank you for your leadership and diligence. You not only take care of youth, but you take care of the staff as well. The #KYDJJ team knows the amount of energy and effort that goes into your job; we want to assure you that it is all significantly appreciated. To the teachers, youth workers, nurses, maintenance teams - Thank You. This year, let's work harder, press on, and relentlessly pursue a better Kentucky for the youth that we serve. Let't go, #KYDJJ team!