District of Columbia Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

WHO WE ARE

The District of Columbia’s Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is the District’s cabinet level juvenile justice agency. It administers detention, commitment and aftercare services for youth held under its care in its facilities or residing in the DC community. The agency is actively involved in several innovative programming models, partnering with locally and nationally recognized juvenile justice centers in the following types of programs; juvenile justice, continuum of care, alternative sentencing, supervised citation release and supportive living.

Mission

In partnership with its families and the public, the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services aims to empower court-involved young people and foster accountability to their communities. 

Vision 

The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services aspires to provide the nation’s best continuum of care for court-involved young people and their families through a wide range of programs emphasizing individual strengths, skill development, personal accountability, family empowerment, community engagement and public safety. 

Guiding Principles

We Believe:

• Youth prefer the joy of accomplishment to failure and each youth is unique and can learn, re-learn and unlearn.
• All youth should be connected to caring adults, services, supports, and opportunities that enable them to contribute to the community and successfully transition into adulthood.
• In honoring diversity.
• All youth, families, staff and community should be valued, respected and have opportunities for growth and change.
• Youth, families and staff at all levels must be at the table and involved in decision-making; from youth/family team meetings to agency policies.
• In a robust continuum of care that is flexible, strengths based, family focused and results in youth being safely served in the least restrictive environment consistent with public safety.
• In creating environments that are safe, structured, stable and supportive for youth and staff.
• Staff at all levels should be responsive, respectful and work collaboratively with internal and external customers.
• Decisions should be informed by valid and reliable data.
• Everyone’s job is to help youth develop to their fullest potential.