What Merrimac Center does

Merrimac Center is a 48-bed secure juvenile detention facility located at 9300 Merrimac Trail, Williamsburg, Virginia, operated by the Middle Peninsula Juvenile Detention Commission (MPJDC), a governmental commission. The facility serves juveniles who are either awaiting court hearings or have been sentenced to serve time in detention, referred exclusively through court orders from the 9th and 15th District Court Service Units in Virginia. Residents are housed in one of four housing units configured by gender and age group, and the facility is co-ed with a 10-placement post-dispositional D.A.Y. (Developing Alternatives for Youth) program for juveniles 14 years and older sentenced to 31 days to six months.

The core therapeutic and operational technology is built on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and behavior modification frameworks. The Point Card Behavior Modification System evaluates residents seven times daily across five skill areas (Ignore, Talk, Area, Cooperate/Participate, Gestures), with weekly levels determining privileges. Group programming includes Rational Behavior Training (RBT) using "My RBT Handbook," Social Skills Training built on the Boys Town Press curriculum (174+ skills), Anger Management ("My Anger is My Friend"), Addiction education, Girls Growth Group, Restorative Justice, Moral Decision Making, and Risk Management. Mental health services are delivered onsite by a clinician from Colonial Behavioral Health, and educational services are provided by WJCC School System staff including seven certified teachers, a guidance counselor, a principal, and an administrative assistant, with the facility operating as a certified GED testing site. Handle with Care restraint techniques are used for safety when necessary.

The business model is government-funded managed services: the facility is operated by a public commission, revenue originates from public funding sources, and services are delivered at no direct cost to residents or families. There is no commercial sales motion, no pricing variability, and no private-pay channel. The facility has been PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) certified since 2016 with successful re-audits in 2019, 2022, and 2025. Management includes an Executive Director (Gina Mingee), Deputy Director (Sharla Armistead), QA/Operations Manager and PREA Coordinator (Bill Orris), Training Manager (Kerline Antoine), Treatment Manager (Sara Jones, Ph.D.), Education Principal (John Whalen), Clinic Manager (Cheryl Pierce, RN), and Technology Manager (Pamela Kimmel), with approximately 70 total staff.

Name

Merrimac Center

Legal name

Merrimac Center

Website

https://merrimac-center.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Merrimac Center is a 48-bed government-operated secure juvenile detention facility in Williamsburg, Virginia, serving court-referred youth from the 9th and 15th District Court Service Units with cognitive behavioral therapy, education, mental health, and post-dispositional treatment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Juvenile Detention Services

NAICS

Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Juvenile Detention & Youth Custody Services (BPAKANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH), Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB), Forensic & Correctional Behavioral Health Services (HLAFACAM), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE)

Keywords

• Juvenile detention services
• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Behavior modification programs
• Juvenile rehabilitation services
• Secure detention facility

Headquarters

HQ city

Williamsburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Operated by the Middle Peninsula Juvenile Detention Commission, a governmental commission. Revenue comes from public funding sources for juvenile detention services. Facility provides services to court-referred juveniles at no direct cost to residents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Merrimac Center operates a 48-bed secure juvenile detention facility in Williamsburg, Virginia, providing housing and rehabilitation services for juveniles awaiting court hearings or serving sentences. The center delivers behavior modification through social skills training and cognitive behavioral interventions, including a post-dispositional D.A.Y. program, mental health services, education programming, and group therapy. It is operated by the Middle Peninsula Juvenile Detention Commission and serves the 9th and 15th District Court Service Units in Virginia.

Product overview

Merrimac Center operates as a 48-bed secure juvenile detention facility providing a unified suite of rehabilitation and treatment services. The core offering is secure detention for juveniles awaiting court hearings or serving sentences, supplemented by cognitive behavioral therapy programs, a post-dispositional D.A.Y. treatment program, mental health services, and education programming. A behavior modification system using point cards and levels incentivizes positive behavior, while various group therapy programs address social skills, anger management, addiction, and moral decision making. All services are coordinated through the facility's housing units and delivered by specialized staff including teachers, mental health clinicians, and direct-care specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• D.A.Y. Program: Developing Alternatives for Youth - Post-dispositional treatment program for juveniles 14 years or older, offering alternative coping skills, educational and treatment services in a controlled setting.

Products and services

• Secure Juvenile Detention
• Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT)
• D.A.Y. Program (Developing Alternatives for Youth)
• Mental Health Services
• Education Program
• Behavior Modification System
• Group Therapy Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 48-bed capacity serving juvenile detention needs of 9th and 15th judicial districts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Colonial Behavioral HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColonial Behavioral Health provides emergency mental health assessments for residents at admission. Ongoing therapy and case management is provided onsite by their mental health clinician who assesses residents with potential mental health or substance abuse issues, admissions identified as needing mental health services in the community, and residents referred by staff.
• Williamsburg James City County (WJCC) School SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWJCC provides education staff including seven certified teachers, one guidance counselor, one principal and one administrative assistant. Staff evaluates and assigns appropriate grade-level courses to students upon intake, focuses on SOLs and critical thinking skills, and meets IEP and remediation needs.
• William & Mary Student VolunteersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWilliam & Mary students provide volunteer tutoring services for individual resident academic support in addition to regular education programming.
• Middle Peninsula Juvenile Detention Commission (MPJDC)flagshipOthersMPJDC is the governing commission that operates the Merrimac Center facility. The commission oversees governance, financial management, staffing, and policy direction for the 48-bed juvenile detention facility serving 9th and 15th District Court Service Units.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Beaumont Juvenile Correctional Center: State-operated juvenile correctional facility serving higher-risk committed youth in Virginia — directly comparable to Merrimac in providing secure juvenile detention with rehabilitation services.
• Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center: Virginia's flagship state-run juvenile correctional facility providing secure custody and treatment for adjudicated youth — comparable in mission, population, and rehabilitative programming to Merrimac Center.

Broad incumbents

• Eckerd Connects: National nonprofit operating juvenile justice, workforce development, and family services, including residential programs for court-involved youth — comparable to Merrimac in mission and rehabilitative youth programming.
• Cornell Companies (now GEO Care): Formerly operated youth residential and correctional treatment facilities under government contracts — comparable to Merrimac as a contracted juvenile justice service provider with behavior modification programming.
• Sequel Youth and Family Services: Private operator of residential treatment, behavioral health, and juvenile justice programs across multiple states — comparable to Merrimac in delivering court-referred youth programming including CBT-based interventions.
• Youth Services International: Private provider of secure residential and non-residential programs for at-risk and court-involved youth — comparable to Merrimac in delivering residential juvenile rehabilitation and behavior-modification programming.
• Rite of Passage: Private provider of residential and community-based youth services, including secure juvenile facilities, treatment programs, and education — comparable to Merrimac in operating juvenile residential rehabilitation at scale.
• Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice: Virginia's state juvenile justice agency that oversees Merrimac Center and operates state-level juvenile correctional facilities (e.g., Bon Air, Beaumont) — directly comparable as a juvenile detention/rehabilitation operator in the same state system.

Others

• Boys Town: National provider of at-risk youth services and the publisher of the Social Skills Training curriculum that Merrimac Center uses — comparable as a content/curriculum source for the social-skills training Merrimac delivers.
• Colonial Behavioral Health: Community mental health provider that embeds clinicians inside Merrimac Center — comparable as a partner organization delivering behavioral health services to the same juvenile justice population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mpjdc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merrimac Center