Pierce County Juvenile Court has won a highly competitive grant aimed at reducing criminal behavior by elevating the voice of families in the Juvenile Justice system, improving the services and support to youth on probation and connecting youth with their community.

“This is really exciting for our community. It was a very competitive grant,” said TJ Bohl, Pierce County Juvenile Court Administrator. “We’re extremely proud that the great work in our county is being recognized and a major national foundation like Annie E. Casey is eager to support our efforts to keep improving.”

The court is one of two jurisdictions to win the prestigious Probation Innovation Grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Pierce County beat out nearly 300 other Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative sites to claim a $200,000 award.

“Pierce County has proven to be a great partner and we are excited to deepen our partnership by supporting Pierce County Juvenile Court’s probation transformation efforts,” said Nate Balis, Director of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. “We are especially encouraged by Juvenile Court’s ambition to elevate the voice of families and improve the lives of the young people who come before the court.”

“Juvenile Court’s decade-long commitment to the people of Pierce County deserves the recognition and resources provided by this grant,” said Presiding Judge Kathryn Nelson. “The funders are assured of meaningful results that can ultimately benefit jurisdictions throughout the United States.”

Pierce County Juvenile Court is committed to treating all youth and families with dignity and respect, maintaining effective communication and collaboration, and striving to reduce racial and ethnic disparities. By recognizing family engagement as an area to improve upon, Bohl says this grant will bring together meaningful partnerships to better engage youth and families.