Mr. Dodson was the Administrator of Brookside Childrens’ Home in Charleston, then spent thirteen years with Shawnee Hills Community Mental Health Center working with adult chronically mentally ill clients and became the Director of the PEERS Day Treatment Program, as well as serving as the Regional Youth Specialist dealing with Adolescent Substance Abuse issues prior to joining the West Virginia Division of Juvenile Services in 2000. He started with DJS as the Superintendent of the Donald R. Kuhn Diagnostic and Detention Center, then became the Assistant Director of Field Services and Operations, and was appointed the Division’s Deputy Director in 2007.

Mr. Dodson has his BA degree in Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Humanities and a Masters degree in Divinity with an emphasis on clinical counseling.

Telephone: (304) 558-9800
Email: ddodson@djs.state.wv.us

The office of the Deputy Director directly oversees a variety of functions throughout the Division including Hardware Secure Detention Centers, Community Residential facilities, Youth Reporting Centers, Programs & Treatment, Operations/Quality Control, Investigations, Information Technologies, Training, and Community Based Services.

This year has been a busy year for all of these departments. The buzz word has been innovation and quality of services in all areas. We have formulated a treatment advisory committee consisting of respected professional experts in various treatment modalities, established a more consistent four week training academy at Glenville State College, revised policies and procedures throughout the Division, enhanced our investigative unit with additional staff and training, and established the concept of Youth Reporting Centers as a trend for better-more timely treatment for the youth as well as a significant cost savings to the State of West Virginia.

We look forward to the new fiscal year with additional challenges and expectations for more creative approaches in providing optimum, state-of-the-art programs for delinquent youth in the West Virginia Juvenile Justice System.