Ohio Department of Youth Services

What Ohio Department of Youth Services does

The Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) is the statutorily mandated juvenile corrections agency for the State of Ohio, responsible for confining felony offenders ages 10-21 committed by Ohio's 88 county juvenile courts. Founded in 1993 with the launch of the RECLAIM Ohio initiative, DYS operates multiple juvenile correctional facilities including Circleville and Cuyahoga Hills, and runs the Buckeye United School District providing year-round education and vocational training. The agency also funds and supports over 625 community programs serving approximately 93,000 youth annually through prevention, diversion, residential treatment, and community-based alternatives.

DYS's core technology is the Ohio Youth Assessment System (OYAS), a validated risk/needs assessment tool used to evaluate youth throughout Ohio's juvenile justice system for diversion, probation transformation, and intervention decisions. The agency operates four key program areas: RECLAIM Ohio (funding initiative diverting youth from state custody), the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) in 19 counties, Community Corrections Facilities (10 facilities statewide), and the Best Practices Institute. DYS is funded entirely through Ohio state government budget appropriations from the General Revenue Fund, with no direct fees charged to youth or families. The agency is overseen by Director Amy L. Ast and is accountable to the Governor and Ohio General Assembly.

Name

Ohio Department of Youth Services

Legal name

Ohio Department of Youth Services

Website

https://dys.ohio.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Ohio Department of Youth Services is Ohio's state juvenile corrections agency, operating correctional facilities, the Buckeye United School District, and funding 625+ community programs serving 93,000+ youth annually. It confines felony offenders ages 10-21 and runs RECLAIM Ohio and JDAI diversion initiatives across all 88 Ohio counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Juvenile Corrections Services

NAICS

Correctional Institutions (922140), Parole Offices and Probation Offices (92215), Child and Youth Services (62411), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Juvenile Justice System (Courts & Detention) (BPAIAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Juvenile corrections services
• Youth rehabilitation programs
• Community-based alternatives
• Correctional education services
• Juvenile justice reform

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Government Funding: Funded through Ohio state government budget appropriations. Receives allocations from General Revenue Fund (GRF) for operations, RECLAIM programs, and community-based services. Revenue comes from state taxpayer funds allocated through legislative appropriations.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Ohio Department of Youth Services provides secure confinement, habilitation programming, education, behavioral health treatment, and parole/reentry supervision for felony offenders ages 10-21 committed by Ohio's 88 county juvenile courts. Through the RECLAIM Ohio and Youth Services Grant programs, DYS also funds 625+ community-based alternatives serving over 93,000 youth annually across prevention, diversion, and community treatment categories. Operating multiple state juvenile correctional facilities and partnering with county courts, DYS delivers year-round education via the Buckeye United School District, mental health and substance abuse treatment, vocational training, and reentry support.

Product overview

The Ohio Department of Youth Services operates as a juvenile corrections agency offering a portfolio of interconnected services including residential facilities, education through the Buckeye United School District, and community-based programming through initiatives like RECLAIM Ohio and JDAI. The agency funds and supports over 625 community programs statewide offering services to approximately 93,000 youth annually through prevention, diversion, residential treatment, and community treatment programs. Key offerings include the RECLAIM Ohio funding initiative, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, Community Corrections Facilities, and educational/vocational programming for incarcerated youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State-Operated Juvenile Correctional Facilities Secure residential facilities operated by DYS for felony juvenile offenders ages 10-21 committed by Ohio's 88 county juvenile courts, providing habilitation programming, education, behavioral health treatment, and vocational training during the youth's stay.
• Buckeye United School District A school district operated by DYS that provides year-round education to youth committed to DYS facilities, including general high school curriculum, vocational opportunities, and a Historic number of high school diploma graduates including Luther E. Ball High School at Cuyahoga Hills and Ralph C. Starkey High School at Circleville.
• RECLAIM Ohio A funding initiative that encourages juvenile courts to develop or purchase community-based options for juvenile offenders, diverting youth from DYS institutions through local treatment programs including Functional Family Therapy, Multi-Systemic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Opportunity Based Probation. Includes Targeted RECLAIM (six highest-commitment counties) and Competitive RECLAIM. Funds 625+ community programs serving 93,000+ youth annually.
• Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) A statewide initiative that eliminates unnecessary and inappropriate use of secure detention while maintaining public safety, utilizing eight core strategies including objective screening, data-driven decision making, and reducing disproportionate minority contact, while working to build a more equitable youth justice system.
• Community Corrections Facilities (CCFs) Ten community-based facilities established throughout Ohio to provide dispositional alternatives to juvenile and family court judges for youth adjudicated for felony offenses, delivering community-based residential treatment outside of state-operated facilities.
• Reentry Services and Reentry Fairs Parole supervision and reentry support services for youth transitioning out of DYS facilities, including reentry fairs that bring dozens of state agencies, service providers, and employers to engage with youth prior to community return, and a partnership with Uber to break transportation barriers for youth and families.

Quantifiable outcome

• DYS facility population reduced from over 2,600 in May 1992 to less than 375 in December 2020
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UberminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026DYS partnered with Uber to break transportation barriers for youth and families. Transportation access supports reentry services by helping youth attend appointments, maintain employment, and access services upon release from facilities.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010AECF is credited with the inception of JDAI in 1992. Ohio became a state-supported JDAI site in 2010 through partnership with AECF. The partnership supports Ohio's JDAI initiative to eliminate unnecessary detention, implement eight core strategies, and build equitable youth justice systems. AECF provides resources, training, and technical assistance.
• University of CincinnaticoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUniversity of Cincinnati's Corrections Institute provides third-party evaluation of Targeted RECLAIM programs. Conducts recidivism studies and outcome analysis. University also provides quality assurance and evaluation services for Competitive RECLAIM programs including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions.
• Case Western Reserve UniversitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides quality assurance and evaluation services for multiple RECLAIM programs across Ohio counties. Evaluates programs including Functional Family Therapy, Multi-Systemic Therapy, and other evidence-based interventions in Cuyahoga, Greene, Lorain, and other counties.
• 88 Ohio County Juvenile CourtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll 88 Ohio county juvenile courts are eligible to participate in JDAI and RECLAIM Ohio programs. Courts develop or purchase community-based options to meet needs of juvenile offenders. DYS provides funding through Subsidy Grant allocations based on felony adjudications and bed day usage.
• Bowling Green State UniversityminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides quality assurance and evaluation services for Lucas County's Opportunity Based Probation program and other Enhanced Probation Services. Conducts academic research on juvenile justice interventions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice: Georgia's state juvenile justice agency operating secure detention, residential, and community-based programs; closely mirrors Ohio DYS's combination of facility operations and county-level program funding.
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - Division of Juvenile Justice: California's state-level juvenile corrections division responsible for confining and rehabilitating committed youth; functionally parallel to Ohio DYS's mandate over felony-level juvenile offenders.
• Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice: State agency in Illinois operating juvenile correctional facilities and aftercare services; comparable to Ohio DYS in statutory role over committed juvenile offenders.
• Pennsylvania Department of Human Services - Office of Children, Youth and Families: State-level office overseeing juvenile justice and delinquency services in Pennsylvania, including residential placement and community-based programming for adjudicated youth.
• Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps: Private nonprofit operating juvenile justice residential, educational, and community-based programs in multiple states; comparable to Ohio DYS in serving justice-involved youth with a residential + community service mix.
• Florida Department of Juvenile Justice: Florida's state juvenile justice agency overseeing detention, residential commitment, and community-based prevention/diversion; directly comparable to Ohio DYS as a statewide juvenile corrections authority.
• Texas Juvenile Justice Department: State-level juvenile corrections agency operating secure facilities and community programs for felony-level juvenile offenders in Texas; structurally analogous to Ohio DYS in mandate and funding model.
• Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice: Virginia's state juvenile corrections agency managing residential facilities, parole, and community programs; directly comparable to Ohio DYS in mission and service mix.

Others

• Annie E. Casey Foundation: National foundation that created JDAI and partners with Ohio DYS since 2010; not a peer in service delivery, but a key shaper of the reform framework and evaluation standards Ohio DYS operates within.
• Casey Family Programs: National foundation focused on child welfare and juvenile justice reform; operates some direct services and influences policy, providing a comparable reform- and evidence-driven orientation to juvenile justice systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OhioDYS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OhioDYS
• Facebookfacebook.com/OhioDeptYouthServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohio-department-of-youth-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/ohiodys

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ohio Department of Youth Services