Facility-BelmontHarrison

Belmont Harrison Juvenile District

Sargus Juvenile Center

The Sargus Juvenile Center, situated in St. Clairsville, Ohio, is one the state’s seven district juvenile detention facilities, and provides services to both Belmont and Harrison counties. The Center was established in 1973 and named after Judge Edmund A. Sargus, a former juvenile court judge for Belmont County.

The rated bed capacity of the Sargus Juvenile Center is 17, although twenty-four youth are detained on any given day. The average age of a detained juvenile is fifteen, the majority of youth detained are male, and highest percentage of youth come from Belmont County

Recently implemented and housed above the detention center is the Gender Specific Program. (GSP) The GSP recognizes, that in order to effectively rehabilitate girls in the juvenile justice system, we need to understand what motivates their behavior and provide programming that better meets their unique issues.

MISSION STATEMENT

As a Juvenile Detention Center, it is our purpose to provide a safe and secure environment for the youth detained in our facility, while holding them accountable for their actions in a dignified and respectful manner. It is our intention to help each individual that comes through our doors to accept responsibility for his or her behavior and to learn to make better decisions to successfully function in society.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Beth A. Oprisch

Beth became Executive Director of the Belmont Harrison Juvenile District in November of 1995. Prior to that, she was the coordinator of an alternative school for severe behaviorally handicapped youth and before that, a residential counselor at a group home for adjudicated youth. After college Beth spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Beth has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Social Work from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from West Virginia University.

EDUCATION ADMINISTRATOR

Dave Trouten

Dave became involved with the Belmont Harrison Juvenile Distict in December of 1995 as the Chief Detention Administrator. Before this, however, he was an educator for two years at Fox Run Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in St. Clairsville. He served eight years with the Belmont County Board of MR/DD as the Recreation Leisure Director and Community Work Experience Coordinator. For thirteen years, Dave worked as supervisor in the mining industry and spent eleven years teaching in Ohio’s public schools. From Ohio University, he obtained a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education, and then continued his education by receiving a Master’s degree in Administration of Education from West Virginia University.

2003 STATISTICS

Bed Days Percent by County

Average Daily Population

Belmont County

5759

67% 15.8

Harrison County

448

5% 1.2

Other Counties 2399

28%

6.6

Total

8606

100%

23.6

Admissions

Sargus

Gender Specific Program

Girls 230 21

Boys 554 0

Total 784 21

“Our job is to keep kids safe. We also try to be true to the mission of the juvenile justice system to rehabilitate youth. We feel this is best accomplished by holding them accountable for their behavior and treating them with respect and dignity.”

“While our task is to treat the residents with dignity and respect along with ensuring their safety, my mission is to teach them to participate in alternative activities that reduces the opportunity for poor decisions.”

A man was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see a young woman in the

distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the young girl kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it

out into the water. Time and again she kept hurling things out into the ocean. As the man approached even closer,

he noticed that the girl was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and one at a time, she was

throwing them back into the water.

The man was puzzled. He approached the girl and said, “Good evening , I was wondering what you are doing?”

“I’m throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, its low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed

up onto the shore. If I don’t throw them back into the sea, they’ll die up here for lack of oxygen.”.

I understand,” the man replied, “but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly get to all of

them. There are simply too many. And don’t you realize that this probably happening on hundreds of beaches all

up and down this coast. Can’t you see that you can’t possible make a difference?’’

The young girl smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as she threw it back into the sea, she replied,

“Made a difference to that one!”

Daily Schedule

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

7:00 Wake -Up

Wake -Up