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Good Afternoon,
As an agency, our objective to "Thrive in '25" has been a continued success through the month of March. We featured Women's History Month and Social Work Month to share what our professionals have learned from their experiences and what they are trying to pass to the next generation. You can see more about those efforts below.
We also showed the amount of good that can happen when groups sharing a mission to serve young people come together to collect over 5,000 pairs of socks for children in need throughout southwest Ohio.
Finally, if you want more perspective on our agency, please review our "Fact Sheets" located on our website. The link is available at the bottom of this newsletter.
Thank you for subscribing to "DYS Updates!" If you have any immediate questions about our agency, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at (614) 466-4314.
Sincerely,
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Each March as part of Women's History Month, DYS gets the chance to celebrate the incredible women of the agency – past, present, and future. DYS is proud of their dedication and inspired by their resilience. And we are committed to empowering their voices.
DYS’s team of women exude strength, determination, and knowledge that shines brightly. We appreciate the impactful work of our Women in Corrections committees at our facilities and all the female staff for their commitment and talent they bring to the agency. They all make our state and world a better place.
 Several women across the agency shared what they learned from the influential women in their lives that will be passed on to their loved ones and to the next generation of women at DYS.
In the video above, hear from staff in all three facilities. The video below features photos of countless faces across DYS who are helping us reshape juvenile justice in Ohio and nationwide.
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 March is also National Social Work Month, which allows DYS to recognize our remarkable social work professionals who believe in the value and potential of our young people. Their dedication to helping youth make positive changes through trust and advocacy is vital in DYS’s mission to transform and save lives.
Our behavioral health and social work teams also do an amazing job of educating the rest of the agency to better understand the trauma and challenges our youth have endured while equipping us with the tools to help our young people in their journeys.
 Each of our beloved social work members have their reason why they chose to serve others. Some of them shared why they did so in the video above, while others provided their insight in writing with an animated video below.
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 DYS sees firsthand the difference our staff makes. We thank them for their dedication to the youth as they build trust, foster hope, and empower young people to thrive.
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 Donation Drive Collects More Than 5,000 Socks
For the second straight year, DYS held a friendly competition with the Hamilton County Juvenile Court to benefit needy children in southwest Ohio.
The two entities took part in a sock drive, the Socks Showdown, to benefit Shoes 4 the Shoeless (S4TS), a nonprofit that provides new shoes and socks to children in need in the greater Cincinnati and Dayton regions. DYS gathered 2,744 pairs of socks while the juvenile court collected 2,350 more for a total of 5,094!
Community Engagement Liaison Carmen Dorman and Parole Southern Region Supervisor Victoria Doss along with the help of staff recently dropped off the donations at the S4TS warehouse in Dayton.
Thank you to Hamilton County Juvenile Court and Shoes 4 the Shoeless for this phenomenal partnership and all that you do to serve young people in our communities.
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DYS Podcast: The Future in Focus
Episode three of The Future in Focus podcast has been released. In the latest installment, Public Information Officer Csaba Sukosd sat down with members of the Behavioral Health team to discuss the work they do as part of National Social Work Month.
Chief of Behavioral Health Services Ryan Smith, Behavioral Health Administrator Abby Baumann, and Behavioral Health Provider Hannah Durica shed light on the types of disorders and trauma they encounter while on the job. They then elaborated on the methods the behavioral health team uses to empower young men trying to change and leave behind their troubled pasts.
You can also listen to the series by following us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio. You can also watch each episode on the DYS YouTube channel.
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 Click the image above to watch the video!
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Learning About the Juvenile Justice Landscape
Our DYS team had an inspiring time at this year’s American Correctional Association Winter Conference. Among the attendees was Indian River Youth Specialist Bonnie Silsbe.
As the 2023 Youth Specialist of the Year for DYS, she was invited to attend on behalf of the agency to get a larger understanding of the work being done to advance juvenile justice in Ohio and nationwide. While at the event, Silsbe learned about the staffing and retention challenges across the country and how different agencies are trying to address this major issue. During the conference, she learned from successes elsewhere to help produce better youth outcomes in Ohio.
She also attended sessions that highlighted:
- Growth of women leadership in the justice system;
- Need for situational awareness with young people given more diagnoses of mental health issues; and
- Successful transitions from larger to smaller correctional facilities.
DYS thanks Ms. Silsbe for all her work to help transform our youth and her willingness to grow with the agency these past 10 years!
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DYS Fact Sheets
Are you looking for updates on our facility numbers or other important areas in our agency such as education or staffing?
Click the image or here to review our most recently updated DYS Fact Sheets that include overviews of certain topics and also offers perspective on where DYS is heading in the future.
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