Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility Selected as Finalist for the 2022 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award

The Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF), a co-ed facility with an average daily population of 22 residents aged 12-19, was selected as a finalist in the corrections category for the 2022 PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award for their outstanding work in improving health outcomes, specifically the intake screening process.

Based on results from their first PbS data collection review meeting with PbS Coach Akin Fadeyi, the HYCF team recognized improvements were necessary. Although their Youth Record data reflected 100% of incoming residents were receiving mental health, suicide prevention and health intake screenings upon arrival at HYCF, a very low percentage of these screenings were completed within the first hour of admission, a time frame shown to be vital in assessing a young person’s physical and mental condition to ensure their immediate safety.

The HYCF team unanimously agreed the one-hour time frame for all screening intakes would be the primary focus for the Facility Improvement Plan (FIP), and this effort between all departments became a top priority. Through a series of staff meetings, the HCYF team identified ways to simplify the intake process while adhering to the highest expectations of collecting correct and thorough data.

First, the HYCF team researched protocols and procedures from other facilities across the nation and used this data to create a new intake screening form at HYCF with more appropriate and sensitive language. The goal was to eliminate harsh language that might deter a young person from being truthful and create a more comfortable intake experience in what the team recognized was most likely an inherently difficult and overwhelming situation for the young person.

Additionally, the team identified staff members who would be trained in screening tool applications, as well as how to review every resident’s intake to make sure the one-hour time frame was consistently applied. To be successful in the overall endeavor, the HYCF team knew they needed to create a buy in with all pertinent staff members, which required discussions at monthly department meetings. Through these meetings, a dialogue was created to allow staff to gather and share information, as well as pinpoint specific concerns.

The HYCF team soon recognized that taking a proactive approach to a new resident’s arrival was crucial for success—the sooner staff knew a young person would be coming to HYCF, the more prepared every department could be in enforcing the new procedures and guidelines for the screening intake process.
With the new intake screening form implemented, along with ongoing training and meetings to review the process, the team at HYCF not only met the FIP goal of ensuring all intake screenings were completed within one-hour—they surpassed it!

Our most sincere thanks to the team at HYCF for their dedication and commitment to treating each young person as one of their own. We celebrate and congratulate your impressive success.

The PbS Barbara Allen-Hagen Award was established in 2007 to honor Barbara Allen-Hagen and her retirement from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Her dedication to improving the quality of life in facilities has helped drive PbS to its current success. The award is given to a correction, detention/assessment and community program who best exemplify PbS’ commitment to treating every young person as one of our own by developing and implementing strategic plans aimed at creating positive outcomes for young people, staff and families.