Judge James V. Riddel 
Boys Ranch

Program Completion & Recidivism Report
Calendar Years 2000 – 2002

The Ranch was established in 1961 under the direction of Juvenile Judge James V. Riddel, Jr., and was called the Lake Afton Boys Ranch. The Ranch replaced the Orville Wright School for Boys located in Wichita. The mission of the Ranch in 1961 was to provide a "home away from home" for boys six to sixteen. Many of those young men became involved with the Juvenile Court because of truancy or waywardness.

In 1978, under the direction of Juvenile Judge Robert L. Morrison, the Ranch developed a new format to meet the changing needs of the boys who were placed at the Ranch. In 1982, the Ranch was licensed by the State of Kansas as a residential facility and began accepting students from the seven counties immediately surrounding Sedgwick County. In April 1983, Sedgwick County Commissioners renamed the Ranch in honor of Judge James V. Riddel, Jr.;  It became known as the Judge James V. Riddel Boys Ranch.

The Ranch is located on 63 wooded acres just southwest of the Lake Afton Dam. It is 23 miles from downtown Wichita, and includes a main building, gymnasium, a Job Readiness Training Workshop, hay barns and stables. Also on the grounds are a garden, baseball field, nature trail, volleyball pit, swimming pool and pasture land for riding/exercising the horses. The land, buildings and equipment belong to Sedgwick County, and operation of the program is the responsibility of the Sedgwick County Department of Corrections, Youth Services.