Engage Families in Juvenile Justice System Reform and Advocacy - More Ideas

A couple days ago, we posted six tips on engaging family members in your efforts to reform the juvenile justice system and how it works with teens with drug and alcohol problems. Grace Bauer, who authored the tips, wrote to say that some excellent additional resources are coming:

• In the next few months, Grace's employer, the Campaign for Youth Justice, will begin to post guides specifically designed for families and youth on their website. Topics include, among others:
  • "Organizing 101"
  • "Engaging Families in System Reform"
  • "Parent’s Guide to SAG Boards"
  • "Networking and Coalition Building"
  • "Advocacy Guide for Families"
  • "Building Successful Campaigns" 

• In the mean time, you may find "Making Your Voice Heard: Family Advocacy Handbook" useful. Published in 1999 by the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, it contains information for parents on what to do when their child is arrested, how to work with their child's attorney, definitions of basic legal terms, and so on. While some of the information may be dated -- and some of it specific to Louisiana -- it's a great model for creating a how-to guide of your own.   

Got other ideas or resources? Post a comment for in the comment box below!