Program Management is comprised of the Commissioner's Office which provides management and policy direction for DJJ. There are four Offices reporting to the Commissioner's Office: Office of Program Operations, Office of Detention, Office of Community and Mental Health Services, and Office of Support Services. The Office of the Commissioner provides staff support for the Commissioner, which includes public information services and the Division of Compliance.

Program Operations consists of the direct services provided to both “public” and “youthful” offenders, through Day Treatment Services, Group Homes, Residential Facilities, Community Supervision, Private Child Care Facilities, and Alternatives to Secure Detention. The programs are administered on a regional basis, divided into two separate regions.

Day Treatment Services is comprised of five state-owned and 18 contract programs. These programs are the least restrictive where the youth remain in a home setting during the evening and attend a day treatment program during the day. Priority is given to youth transitioning from juvenile justice programs and/or facilities, youth at risk of out-of-home placement and youth with serious behavior issues in the school or community. A court or school system typically refers a youth to serve in these programs, and both males and females are eligible. Program participants are required to participate in individual, group and family counseling. Youth are also provided with a normal, six-hour school day along with highly individualized instruction. Day Treatment facility programs utilize an effective balance of treatment, education and graduated sanctions to redirect troubled youth. The 23 Day Treatment centers admitted approximately 1,259 youth during FY 2025.

Group Homes are community-based residential treatment facilities that generally serve eight youths per home; DJJ operates six facilities throughout the state. These programs accept youths who have been committed to DJJ as public or youthful offenders. Group home care serves as an alternative to institutionalization and aims to transition a youth from institutional placement to the community. Group Homes utilize either Day Treatment facilities or local public schools to meet the educational criteria of their programs. Additionally, Group Homes provide individual and group counseling, substance abuse treatment, and community service components as a part of their comprehensive programming. Overall, Group Homes serve younger and/or less serious offenders; as such, some Group Homes also function as a step-down program for youth leaving a residential center that could benefit from a less restrictive level of care before they return home. The average daily population of Group Homes was 36 for FY 2025, with a total capacity of approximately 48 beds across 6 Group Homes.

The six state-operated Residential Facilities (Youth Development Centers) provide 24-hour care and custody of juveniles who have been committed to DJJ as public offenders or sentenced as youthful offenders. These facilities serve youths who need treatment that cannot be provided in their community or who require placement in a secure setting because they represent a threat to the community. Youth Development Centers provide an on-grounds, six-hour school day in coordination with local school districts. This includes educational alternatives such as graduation track and GED track, as well as vocational opportunities. Some youths committed are eligible to receive college credit through virtual university programs. Youth Development Centers also provide individual, group and family counseling. Programming offered at Youth Development Centers include substance abuse; anger management; recreation; parenting classes; and independent living classes. Additionally, community-based education, service learning, and community service options are integral components of Youth Development Centers. Youth Development Centers housed an average of 106 juveniles per day during FY 2025, and the current capacity of the residential care program is approximately 210 youths.

Currently, the Office of Detention operates seven centers in Adair, Breathitt, McCracken, Campbell, Warren, Fayette, and Boyd. The Jefferson County detention center is currently under construction and projected to open during the spring of 2027, while the Lyndon facility is scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2026. The Commonwealth's juvenile detention system provides pre-adjudication and pre-trial detention of all alleged delinquent juveniles and alleged youthful offenders determined to be a safety risk to themselves or the community. Detention centers can also serve as post-adjudication holding centers, and some juveniles are ordered to serve days in a detention center as punishment for their crime. The juvenile detention system ensures state-operated detention centers are available for all counties. If a youth is ordered detained in a detention facility, DJJ staff screen the youth using a risk assessment evaluation tool. Detention centers provide programs with a wide range of services including education; counseling; medical and mental health screening; behavior management; observation; assessment; and continuous supervision. On average 255 youth were housed in secure detention facilities per day in FY2025, with a total capacity of approximately 284.

DJJ offers placements in less restrictive than detention facilities through two state-owned residential Alternatives to Secure Detention or through contracts with pre-adjudication group homes, emergency shelters and foster care providers, electronic monitoring, and tracking services. DJJ Detention Alternatives Coordinators work with the court to determine the least restrictive placement for the juveniles and if an alternative to secure detention is appropriate. During FY 2025, the state-owned pre-adjudication Alternatives to Secure Detention residential facilities admitted 219 youths.

Private childcare facilities and therapeutic foster care programs are utilized to alleviate facility capacity problems and to provide specialized treatment for youths. Approximately one juvenile is in these programs on any given day.

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