Ada County Juvenile Court Services (ACJCS) is one of the finest juvenile courts in the country. Its mission is to provide professional services that build, reinforce, and sustain skills to enhance the lives of youth and families. As mandated by the 1995 Juvenile Corrections Act, we practice the Balanced Approach to juvenile services. The Balanced Approach requires that court staff give equal consideration to methods for holding a juvenile accountable, assessing and implementing ways to ensure protection of the community, and assisting a young person to develop pro-social skills. Prevailing over this methodology is the Victim’s Rights Amendment to the Idaho Constitution, which requires the court to provide equal or greater services to victims’ needs for restorative justice than to offenders’ court-ordered services for accountability and rehabilitation.
