SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Hamilton County wants to re-open the youth correctional facility Hillcrest Academy under a new service provider.
The minimum security location in Springfield Township closed earlier this year, when a representative for the current operator, Rite of Passage, said it didn't make sense to continue operations at the site.
That was preceded by a Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge removing a dozen teenage boys following accusations of sexual abuse against a former employee.
RELATED | Former Hillcrest Academy employee indicted for unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
Now, the county has released a 69-page request for proposal to re-open the facility.
“It’s different than it’s ever been before,” said Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom.
“We don’t want it to be that we contract with the person who can … provide the cheapest bid,” Bloom said. “We want it to be that we are contracting with the people who are efficiently providing care and services.”
The new operational model splits services into five key areas:
- Residential Service Area
- Programmatic & Behavioral Health Service Area
- Educational Service Area
- Food Service Operations Area
- Medical/Dental Health Service Area
Program operators can submit bids together or individually.
“It's my preference to really just find out what's out there,” Bloom said. “And once we find them, put them all together and do the best we can”
To reach this point, HCJC hosted listening sessions in July. Community members shared what they’d like to see from the facility, one of which was more collaboration of services.
Bloom said a common misconception about a treatment facility like Hillcrest is that it doesn’t look like traditional correctional facilities for adults.
“It’s not jail,” she said. “The law requires Juvenile Court Judges to look first at the kid. ‘How do we give them the most opportunity to rehabilitate in the least restrictive setting?’”
The request for proposal calls for a 144-bed facility. The expectation is that it will open in Fall 2024.
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