Blog

 Note: this post originally appeared on JJIE.org and is reprinted with their permission.
One of the most effective and long-running efforts to change both policies and practices in juvenile justice is Reclaiming Futures, housed at the Regional Research Institute for Human Services of the School of Social Work at Portland State University in Oregon. The organization began in 2001 with a $21 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and initially went to work in 10 communities.
Now they are active in 39 communities in 18 states. Their six-step model tracks various phases of youth involvement with the justice system and brings together “judges, probation officers, substance abuse treatment professionals and community members” to provide the services that kids need to address their needs and make the community safer.
The main focus of the approach is treating substance abuse, a behavior strongly linked to youth crime and delinquency. The six steps seek to identify drug and alcohol use early on in the youth’s encounter with the justice system, then ensure quality treatment, support and transition back to everyday life.
Since its beginning, Reclaiming Futures has been dedicated to data collection and evaluation, and independent analysis of the founding communities has shown improvement in quality of service, improved efficiency of service delivery, improved outcomes for kids and an overall savings when compared to more traditional approaches.
The current director, Susan Richardson, wrote a post last week entitled “How to Help More Kids in 2014.” She writes: “Did you know that 343,000 teens are arrested each year in the United States for drug and alcohol related crimes, yet only one in 16 teens who need treatment receive it?” Problems like this are at the heart of what Reclaiming Futures seek to change. All too often the facts have little to do with how youth crime and delinquency are addressed.
With a commitment to processes and interventions that work, and that are both trackable and repeatable, Reclaiming Futures has made a deep and sustainable impact on the communities where their approach has been implemented. Let’s hope their work is spread further around the country in the coming year.

In 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) convened the Commission to Build a Healthier America to find better ways to improve the health of our nation.
In their search for solutions, the Commissioners found that where we live, learn, work, and play profoundly influences our health.
The new recommendations, released January 13, are aimed at improving health now and for generations to come, and specifically highlight the need to:

• Prioritize investments in America's youngest children.
• Encourage leaders in different sectors to work together to create communities where healthy decisions are possible, with a particular emphasis on community development.
• Challenge health professionals and health care institutions to expand their focus from treating illness to helping people live healthy lives.

Reclaiming Futures supports RWJF's effort and continues to unite juvenile courts, probation, mental health treatment, adolescent substance abuse treatment, and the community to reclaim youth.
We'd love to hear from you. How can the Commission's recommendations change the way communities invest in young people? Please share your suggestions in the comments section below. 

Below you'll find a selection of the latest grants, jobs, webinars and events posted to our Opportunity Board. Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It's free to browse and post!
Jobs

• Senior Staff Attorney | Florida

Webinars

• The Westside Association for Community Action (WACA) Youth Program (WYP): Jan. 17
• Effective Youth Diversion Strategies for Law Enforcement: Jan. 23
• Drilling Down: An Analytical Look at Evidence-Based Practice Resources: Feb. 6

Events

• 2014 National Mentoring Summit: Jan. 30-31
• Juvenile In Justice Artist Talk with Richard Ross: Feb. 6
• Juvenile In Justice: Photographs by Richard Ross on Display: Jan. 25-March 13
• 2014 Coalition for Juvenile Justice: June 18-21

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Op-Ed: Trauma and Triumph in Family Court (JJIE.org)
  "Shortly before Christmas, I returned a phone call from a woman whose 12-year-old stepgrandson wanted to end court-ordered visitation with his non-custodial mother. As I was about to tell her that I no longer practice law and am retired from the bench, she mentioned the mother’s name – let’s call her Amanda – and a flood of memories came to me. Hang with me, please. This is a story of complex family relations and problems and one that exemplifies the challenges, as well as the benefits, of engaging families in changing juvenile behaviors."
• Activists Push for Juvenile Justice System Reforms (Al Jazeera America)
  Critics argue detention centers wrongly focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation for young people.
• New Law Keeps Some Juveniles Out of Detention Centers (WRBL.com)
  Changes in Georgia’s Juvenile justice laws could save taxpayers money in the new year. Currently, it costs $90,000 a year per child who is placed in a juvenile detention center. With this new program, kids who commit non-violent crimes may not have to go there, but instead serve their sentence at home, saving tax payers millions.

The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) recently created a new resource center, Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change, to continue to advance the juvenile justice reforms initiated by the states participating in Models for Change. Via the announcement:

The Collaborative for Change promotes the mental health reforms that came from Models for Change by supporting their adaptation, replication, and expansion in the field. Its primary areas of focus include critical topics such as: mental health screening, diversion models, mental health training for juvenile justice staff and police, evidence-based practices, family involvement, and juvenile competency. We offer a 24/7 online Resource Center, a Help Desk, and are available to provide consultation and technical assistance.  

Watch the video below to learn more about how mental health treatment can help teens:

On December 4, 2013 two Montgomery County organizations were recognized for their dedication to serving Court-involved youth in their community: K12 Art Gallery (pictured left below) and Union Savings Bank (pictured right below). Judge Nick Kuntz and Judge Anthony Capizzi joined staff from Montgomery County Juvenile Court’s Probation Department, Reclaiming Futures, and Nicholas Residential Treatment Center at the Department of Youth Services Community Recognition Awards Luncheon. Montgomery County was the only County to have two programs recognized in their community.
 
K12 Gallery has provided arts exposure to the young people we serve through the HAALO Program. The HAALO (Helping Adolescents Achieve Long-term Objectives) Program was created by the staff at K12/TEJAS Art Gallery, in partnership with the staff at Montgomery County Juvenile Court, to expose Court-involved youth to different mediums of art while also teaching them life skills that will assist them in being successful members of our community. Arts exposure can be an integral asset building tool for our young people; from critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills to creativity, motivation, and patience-the therapeutic process of the HAALO Program has endless benefits for the young people involved.
The staff and artists at K12 have the ability to see something special in our young people, even when they are completely shut down. They are persistent in helping these youth realize their full potential. Because of K12’s commitment to our youth, the HAALO program continues to motivate all the youth involved by giving them a chance to follow their dreams and develop their strengths while instilling a sense of responsibility for one’s community. K12 is changing the lives of many youth who would have otherwise gone uninspired.
Union Savings goes above and beyond to support Juvenile Court programming by funding once in a life time opportunities for the boys at Nicholas Residential Treatment Center. In a typical year, Union Savings Bank will easily sponsor over a half dozen events. In just the past year these activities include: hosting a softball tournament (with door prizes for the kids) for the entire Court and surrounding governmental agencies, taking the youth to a Cincinnati Reds game, attending Dayton Dragons baseball games, having a pumpkin carving contest, going to a corn maze, sponsoring 5K runs, touring the Ohio Caverns, Zip Lining, admission to Scene 75, and Kings Island tickets.
On top of all this, they also always feed the large group of hungry boys. What’s more important is that the staff at Union Savings Bank attends all these activities with the boys. This is an excellent opportunity for these young men to build relationships with professional adults who can serve as positive role models as they are making better choices to transition back to their community.

A new policy brief from The Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice, A Generation Later: What We’ve Learned about Zero Tolerance in Schools, reveals that zero tolerance discipline policies do not make schools more orderly or safe.
In addition Vera outlines a brief history of juvenile crime, which helps explain the policy climate:

Although the juvenile crime rate peaked in 1994 and declined steadily over the next decade, the idea that young people should be feared stuck. In 1996, political scientist John DiIulio predicted a coming wave of young “super-predators.” Following the massacre in 1999 at Columbine High School, people across the country worried that the next devastating school shooting would occur in their town. This is the climate in which zero tolerance policies proliferated and also expanded to encompass a wide range of misconduct much less harmful than bringing a weapon to school.

Learn about the negative effects of pushing students out of school and read about alternatives to zero tolerance in the full report.

"What Do Teens in Prison Need to Be Successful?"
Here it is! Our most popular video of 2013. Although this video was created back in 2011, it saw a surge of popularity with the new Netflix show, Orange is the New Black. See some of Piper Kerman's recommendations here, or watch the video in full below. 
Piper Kerman, author of "Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison," shares her perspective on what incarcerated teens need to be successful, based on her own experiences in a federal prison.

Thank you for supporting Reclaiming Futures this year. By improving drug and alcohol treatment and connecting teens to positive activities and caring adults, we have:

• Helped many young people stay out of trouble with the law,
• Improved public safety, and
• Cut the cost of crime to communities.

Whether you are a Reclaiming Futures fellow in one of our 37 sites, or a member of our online community, we appreciate you.
Did you know that 343,000 teens are arrested each year in the United States for drug and alcohol related crimes, yet only one in 16 teens who need treatment receive it?
Please spread the word about Reclaiming Futures' proven six-step model by connecting us to leaders interested in improving outcomes for young people in juvenile detention.  
Improve the way more communities treat kids in the justice system with substance abuse problems by sharing our online resources or by contacting me via email at susan@reclaimingfutures.org or by phone at 503-725-8914. 
We look forward to working with you in 2014 to break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime!