DJJDP, New Hope Treatment Centers Open New Behavioral Health Unit at C.A. Dillon
Today, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and New Hope Treatment Centers hosted a grand opening ceremony for PIVOT (Pathways to Independent Value Opportunity Transformations), a new enhanced behavioral health unit on the campus of C.A. Dillon Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Butner.
Funded as a two-year pilot program via a $3.5 million investment from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, this new unit will serve youth who are referred from other juvenile detention and youth development centers, providing robust crisis intervention and stabilization services to help move youth towards restoration and rehabilitation.
“Complex behavioral health needs are abundant for youth in the juvenile justice system, especially for youth residing in juvenile detention and youth development centers,” said DJJDP Deputy Secretary William Lassiter. “Oftentimes, due to their involvement with juvenile justice, it is more difficult for these young people to access the appropriate community-based mental health services to help address their needs. PIVOT is a step in the right direction to ensuring that youth can access enhanced therapeutic services, while also addressing their criminogenic needs in a secure custody setting.”
To provide those mental health services, DJJDP has partnered with NCDHHS, Alliance Health and New Hope Treatment Centers, a nationally recognized behavioral healthcare provider that offers comprehensive residential treatment to children and their families. In collaboration with DJJDP direct care and behavioral health staff, clinicians from New Hope will provide crisis intervention and support for youth, conduct assessments, provide clinical interventions and provide whole-person care, engaging with each youth’s service planning team and family partners.
“New Hope is honored to be partnering with NCDPS and NCDHHS on this innovative project that is perfectly aligned with our mission, vision and values,” said New Hope Treatment Centers Chief Operating Officer Matt Simon, LMFT. “We know that trauma is at the root of so many adolescent behavioral challenges; therefore robust trauma-informed treatment must be at the root of effective juvenile rehabilitation programs. We hope this is just the beginning of a turning point with how our system supports and invests in the intersection of juvenile justice and mental health.”
This new partnership comes as a significant proportion of youth are entering the juvenile justice system with complex behavioral health needs. A 2025 point-in-time count indicated that 99.4% of youth in North Carolina’s youth development centers carry at least one mental health diagnosis. Youth committed to YDCs had an average of 4.7 distinct mental health and/or substance use disorder diagnoses, and in some cases as many as 12. More than half of the juvenile detention population is also assessed as having mental health needs.
“Most youth in North Carolina’s justice system face complex mental health challenges, and providing them with proper care has the power to change their trajectory so they can lead safe, meaningful lives when they return to their communities,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “I am grateful for this partnership that directly aligns with the department’s priority to strengthen behavioral health crisis care and its coordination with the justice system as we work to support a healthy and safe North Carolina for all.”
Involvement in the juvenile justice system can create barriers for youth who might be better served through a residential mental health placement. JJ-involved youth may be rejected from such placements for a variety of reasons, ranging from aggressive or sexualized behavior to gang involvement or a history of running away. In some cases, the label of being JJ-involved is enough to keep youth out of a residential mental health setting and in juvenile detention or a youth development center.
“Every young person deserves to feel safe, supported and hopeful about their future, including young people involved in the juvenile justice system,” said Kelly Crosbie, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Use Services. “Too many of these kids have experienced significant trauma or gone without the mental health care and community supports they needed long before entering the juvenile justice system. They deserve our very best. The PIVOT unit is an important step toward making sure young people receive compassionate, trauma-informed treatment that meets their needs, helps them heal and gives them a better chance to succeed when they return home. Our responsibility is not just to keep these young people safe while they are in our care, but to help them build a better future.”
The establishment of this new unit aligns with Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order 33, which prioritizes increasing access to mental health care for people involved in the justice system in North Carolina. Bringing intensive crisis intervention services to the campus of C.A. Dillon, PIVOT will serve as a roadmap for the seamless integration of mental health, trauma-informed care and secure custody.
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