Multi-disciplinary Alternative Reception Center

The OJJDP FY 09 Earmarks Programs further the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Explanatory Statement Regarding H.R. 1105 (Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009), 155 Cong. Rec. H1653 (daily ed. Feb. 23, 2009) (statement by Rep. Obey, Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations of the House).

The philosophy of the County of Santa Clara and the City of San Jose is that juvenile offenders are best served in the least restrictive setting that does not compromise the safety of the community. Moreover, juvenile offenders who are better served in a non-institutional setting may still require immediate intervention for their actions. The Multi-disciplinary Alternate Reception Center (MARC) is a joint project between the City and the County. It is a pilot intended to demonstrate that an infusion of immediacy into an area can achieve its goal:to reduce the rapid escalation of youth cited in San Jose into the juvenile justice system. The objective of the MARC is to provide immediate intervention and referrals for needed services to the juvenile offender who does not meet the criteria for the Police Chiefs' Booking Protocol. The MARC will accept juvenile offenders who are not a continued threat to community safety but require immediate intervention. Minors who are best served by being released to parents, released with a written promise to appear, released to a diversion program, or released to alternative community resources will not be served by the MARC. The MARC will operate during peak hours in the evenings and be conveniently located centrally in San Jose. The County of Santa Clara will use the manually collected data as well as data retrieved from the automated systems to meet federal reporting requirements during the funding period and to analyze the effectiveness of the program. NCA/NCF