Juvenile Sex Offender Program

The Marsh Hall intensive treatment program is specifically designed for young male clients, ages 10 to 17, who have been adjudicated and have a history of sexual offending. The program, established in 1997, utilizes Teaching Family Model strategies in conjunction with a cognitive/behavioral therapeutic approach. It is housed in an 8,000 square-foot group home where each youth has his own bedroom. There is an approximate one to three, staff to youth ratio which allows staff members to effectively implement behavior plans and monitor the youth at all times. Staff members routinely receive on-going specialized training and professional consultation. Clients are involved in multiple counseling groups as well as individual therapy on a weekly basis. Treatment plans emphasize relapse prevention, understanding the cycle of abuse, sincere victim empathy, accepting full responsibility, emotional development and improving social skills. This program was recently one of the first in the state to be certified by Ohio’s Department of Youth Services.

Program Goals

  • To provide a positive and challenging milieu in which young offenders can deal effectively with the problems indigenous to sexual offending.
  • To offer an intensive program of behavioral intervention therapy to young offenders for the purpose of decreasing the risk of re-offending.
  • To increase the probability of a successful family reunification by requiring family involvement.
  • To provide an effective program that is cost effective for referral agents by providing step down variations in treatment intensity and cost.
  • To provide timely, comprehensive documentation of client progress.The Marsh Foundation’s Intensive Treatment Program for juvenile sexual offenders is dependent on the offender’s progress.

The typical length of stay for a client in the program is 6 – 12 months, depending on what support services are in place in the client’s home county. Progress is made by completing the levels of treatment. A level must be completed to the satisfaction of the treatment team before the treatment intensity is stepped down. The family/ legal custodian and probation office representative will be involved in all major treatment decisions such as placement level and duration of stay in the program.