Blog: Juvenile Justice Reform

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) will host a webinar on November 14 to address how judges can more effectively bring together family members, attorneys and advocates, and service providers to improve outcomes for non-delinquent youth in their communities.

Targeted to judicial leaders and juvenile justice practitioners, the webinar will offer actionable steps on how to convene stakeholders involved in the youth’s life, and will expand on the recently released CJJ tool relevant to judges in this area: “Exercising Judicial Leadership to Reform the Care of Non-Delinquent Youth: A Convenor's Action Guide for Developing a Multi-Stakeholder Process.”

The report explains,

“Juvenile judges and courts face complex challenges as a result of laws that allow youth, by virtue of their minor status, to be charged in juvenile court with ‘status offenses.’ Status offenses are actions that are not illegal after a person reaches the age of 18. They include curfew violations, possession of alcohol and tobacco, running away and truancy. All too often the court’s involvement in the lives of these youth and families does not yield the intended positive outcomes, particularly when youth charged with status offenses have their liberty restricted and lives disrupted by being placed in confinement, and are separated from their family, school and community.”

Register for this webinar to hear directly from two judges who have seen success and made a difference in the lives of status offending youths and families.

Webinar: Exercising Judicial Leadership on the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders
When: November 14 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters: Hon. Chandlee Johnson Kuhn, Chief Judge, Family Court of Delaware; Hon. Karen Ashby, Judge, Denver Juvenile Court
Register here.

In recognition of National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, I had the honor to contribute to the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s blog. Citing our Reclaiming Futures site in Snohomish County, Washington, I shared why we at Reclaiming Futures believe community involvement is critical to improve mental health and substance abuse treatment, and ultimately build stronger communities around prevention.

Read the full blog post here and contribute your thoughts below.

In Juvenile Justice, Community Involvement is Key to Substance Abuse Prevention

Local artists in Snohomish County, Washington, are contributing their time, tools, and studio space to mentor teens recently involved in their community’s juvenile justice system. For eight weeks, the youth will learn art and photography skills, then produce artwork documenting their lives, families, and communities. Some of their efforts will be featured in local art venues or the local newspaper.

The teens are participants in Promising Arts in Recovery (PAIR), part of Snohomish County’s local Reclaiming Futures program. The goal of PAIR is to establish social and job skills by connecting local artists with at-risk teens who are involved in the juvenile justice system and may be undergoing treatment for substance use or mental health issues. Through programs like PAIR that offer workshops, internships, or job-shadowing opportunities, local professionals are not only helping these young people develop skills necessary to be active citizens, they are helping to rebuild a community around prevention.

Read the full story.

Why is a family voice significant in the juvenile justice system? I’m addressing this question in a September 19 webinar, along with Sandra Spencer of the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health.

We’ll discuss why family voice is crucial to the success of and support of youth involved in the juvenile justice system. As an advocate for substance abuse and mental health treatment for teens, Reclaiming Futures helps families connect to the community support resources needed for adolescents to stay clean and sober, and become a productive member of society.

Here are three takeaways you’ll gain from attending this webinar:

• Understand and discuss why family and youth voice is critical
• How to incorporate family voice into practice in the juvenile justice system
• Learn how Reclaiming Futures sites have successfully integrated family voice

Details:

• What: Webinar—Increasing Family Voice in the Juvenile Justice System
• When: Friday, September 19, 3-4 p.m. EDT
• Presenters: Sandra Spencer, Executive Director, National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health; Susan Richardson, National Executive Director, Reclaiming Futures;
• Register: Register here
• Cost: Free
• Contact: If you are unable to listen from your computer and need to call in, please email theinstitute@ssw.umaryland.edu

A recent study conducted by Florida’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the University of Florida revealed that juvenile offenders in Florida have significantly higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) than the population as a whole.

This conclusion from the study—The Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in the Lives of Juvenile Offenders—is compared to the previous study by the CDC, which discovered a link between childhood adversity and the adult onset of chronic disease, mental illness, violence and becoming a victim of violence.

The 10 adverse childhood experiences measured in the Florida research and the CDC’s ACE Study were the same:

• Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse
• Emotional and physical neglect
• Witnessing a mother being abused
• Household substance abuse
• Household mental illness
• Losing a parent to separation or divorce
• Having an incarcerated household member

Half of the Florida juveniles reported four or more ACEs, compared with 13 percent of those in the CDC’s ACE Study. Young people with four ACEs are twice as likely to be smokers, 12 times more likely to attempt suicide, seven times more likely to be alcoholic, and 10 times more likely to inject street drugs.

The Department of Juvenile Justice incorporates trauma-informed practices into many of its programs due to the higher rates of certain individual types of trauma among juvenile justice-involved youth.

This study provides further evidence to support these practices that create safe environments for young people to avoid re-traumatizing them and to facilitate participation of trauma survivors in the planning of services and programs.

Last week, we highlighted two new white papers that provide strategic recommendations for instigating systemic change to reduce recidivism among youth in the juvenile justice system. Next month, the National Reentry Resource Center, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, will host a two-part webinar series sharing highlights from these white papers.

Aimed at juvenile corrections leaders, probation officers, judicial staff, policymakers and other key stakeholders in the juvenile justice space, these webinars will provide quick summaries of what is working, along with tangible, actionable recommendations.

Webinar #1: Core Principles for Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice Systems

• September 4, 2014 at 2-3:30 p.m. ET
• Register here
• “This webinar will highlight key recommendations from the white paper, "Core Principles for Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System." Participants will learn about the four principles that must undergird any strategy to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system. Participants will also learn how to implement the principles effectively, and hear about how some state and local juvenile justice systems have operationalized the principles in practice.”

Webinar #2: Measuring and Using Juvenile Recidivism Data to Inform Policy, Practice, and Resource Allocation

• September 11, 2014 at 2-3:30 p.m. ET
• Register here
• “The second webinar summarizes the issue brief, "Measuring and Using Juvenile Recidivism Data to Inform Policy, Practice, and Resource Allocation," and its five recommendations for improving juvenile justice systems’ approaches to the measurement, analysis, collection, reporting, and use of recidivism data. Participants will learn the essentials on measuring recidivism in an accurate and comprehensive way, and how to use such data to guide system decisions and hold agencies and providers accountable for results.”

A new PBS Documentary “15 to Life” takes a close look at one man’s story to combat his life sentence after being convicted at age 15. Though Kenneth Young was convicted more than a decade ago for armed robbery, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled four years ago that a life in prison sentence without parole for a juvenile offender in a non-homicide case was unconstitutional.

The documentary follows Young’s journey to secure a resentencing under the Supreme Court ruling, addressing along the way his developments in maturity and education gained in prison.

"I'm not sure if Kenneth Young knew the consequences, quite frankly, at that time. At that age, they really don't," explains interviewee and chief of the Pinellas County sheriff's office.

Not only does the story bring to light current issues around juvenile courts and impact on life sentences, it reinforces the need to provide treatment services and community support to at-risk youths early on to prevent more stories like Young’s.

Watch the documentary and share your thoughts below.

This past Sunday, we recognized the inspiring work of the Montgomery County Ohio Reclaiming Futures site and the leadership of Judge Anthony Capizzi. Their tireless work to reclaim our youth serves as an example to communities across the country. This is truly a group effort, supported by community leaders, treatment providers, court staff, faith community, parents' advisory board and the youth.
Over the past two months, the team has recruited 30 new natural helpers, with another 22 currently in the application process. Sunday's event was a huge success, bringing together local pastors and churches, and helped spark even more interest! Roma Stephens, Reclaiming Futures community fellow, said of the event, "The interesting thing about this type of event is that the total effect is actually immeasurable and ongoing beyond the day of the event. I believe the pastors who were there will cause a tsunami effect."
The proclamation below serves as a reminder of how important our natural helpers and supporters are in this effort.
Proclamation
June 29, 2014
Whereas, Judge Anthony Capizzi has led the Montgomery County Ohio Reclaiming Futures team for over a decade, an exemplary and leading site among the Reclaiming Futures initiative,
Whereas, Judge Capizzi serves as the Judicial Faculty and Trainer for Reclaiming Futures across the country,
Whereas, Judge Capizzi serves tirelessly on a national level with several organizations including the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the United States Department of Justice’s Global Justice Information Sharing Committee, and on the state level with the Ohio Judicial College, as the chair of the Ohio Juvenile Judges Curriculum Committee, and as the former President of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio Juvenile Court Judges Association,
Whereas, Judge Capizzi has held leadership positions in various government, civic, and professional organizations that focus on family and children’s issues over the past 35 years,
Whereas, Judge Capizzi has empowered his team to share their expertise with other courts and communities across the country to reclaim the lives of youth,
Whereas, the entire Reclaiming Futures Montgomery County Ohio team has significantly contributed to the development and spread of Reclaiming Futures across the country as a model for the nation,
Whereas, we believe we can reclaim youth in Montgomery County, Ohio, with your help, in any way large or small, as natural helpers or supporters,
We therefore declare June 29, 2014 as Judge Anthony Capizzi and Montgomery County Ohio Reclaiming Futures Day in recognition of their outstanding and dedicated work to children and to the outstanding county-wide community that supports their efforts.
Duly adopted this 25th day of June 2014
- Susan J. Richardson, National Executive Director

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) at Georgetown University‘s McCourt School of Public Policy has announced that applicants will now be accepted for the 2014 Multi-System Integration Program through July 25, 2014.
The Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Multi-System Integration Certificate Program is a weeklong program of intensive study designed for those who want to improve outcomes for crossover youth—defined as children and youth who are known to multiple systems of care, particularly juvenile justice and child welfare.
The Multi-System Integration Certificate Program was created to achieve the following goals:
•Bring together current and future leaders to increase knowledge about multi-system reform efforts related to crossover youth
•Improve the operation of organizations in serving this population
•Provide an opportunity for the development of collaborative leadership skills
•Create a mutually supportive network of individuals across the country committed to systems reform
The Crossover Youth Practice Model, developed by the CJJR in response to the growth in knowledge of crossover youth, will be used throughout the program to illustrate specific values, standards, evidence-based practices, policies, procedures and quality assurance processes that must be in place within a jurisdiction in order to implement or improve practices that directly affect the outcomes for crossover youth.

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency recently released the brief “Supervision Strategies for Justice-Involved Youth [PDF],” which reports on improved supervision strategies for young people on probation or parole by juvenile departments to help keep them out of facilities.
The brief is based on a field survey of more than 140 juvenile justice system leaders around the country, and found that the following three supervision strategies are working effectively:

• Systems Are Improving Practice by Reducing Supervision for Youth Who Do Not Need It: The overall approach to supervision relies on risk assessments, screening instruments, and other tools to help systems shift youth to the lowest form of supervision needed to meet their needs and, in some cases, to divert youth from the system entirely;
• Justice Systems Are Working to Reduce Revocations: Juvenile departments are engaging in training with line staff to encourage different responses to behaviors to avoid revocation, clarifying which rules may no longer result in revocation, and problem solving with the youth and families around the right response;
• Systems Are Working to Build Stronger Supervision Partnerships With Families and Service Providers: Strategies include clearly articulating roles for each member of the supervision team in the work and their relationships to each other, shared access to information systems, joint trainings, reliance on models that seek to place families at the center of the process, hiring people to work with families in the system, and developing family orientation programs.