Blog

"If Not Now, When?" Survey Finds Scant Police Training in Juvenile Justice

By Gabrielle Nygaard, March 04 2013

A recent survey of the state of training about juveniles in police academies reveals deficits in quantity and quality, with most state police academies devoting less than 1% of total curriculum time to teaching about juvenile justice. The nationwide survey conducted by Strategies for Youth (SFY) reports that the limited training that does exist emphasizes legal issues rather than skills and best practices for working with youth.
This is problematic, considering the growing body of research establishing the developmental and psychological differences between youth and adults. At the same time, police presence in the lives of youth has increased in recent years, with officers deployed in public schools and responding to disputes involving juveniles. A wealth of scientific information has informed best practice and effective strategies for interactions with youth, but goes neglected in police training at this juncture.
Highlights of the survey’s results include:

  • Only 9 states provide new officers any training on adolescent mental health issues, and only 2 training on adolescent development and psychology.
  • Only 8 states provide information on the federally required obligation to reduce disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in their juvenile justice curriculum.
  • 5 states require no juvenile justice training in the academy at all.
  • 40 states’ juvenile justice curricula focus primarily on the juvenile code and legal issues and provide no communication or psychological skills for officers working with youth.

Of the 2.1 million juvenile arrests each year, only 12% are for serious or violent felonies. According to SFY this number shows the consequences of this training gap, as lacking other strategies, police quickly resort to arrests in youth interactions. Beyond being costly, arrests negatively impact youth, their communities, and officers alike. Said SFY Executive Director Lisa Thurau in a press release,

“There’s a big disconnect in the American juvenile justice system. While reformers and system stakeholders are working to reduce reliance on the arrest, detention and incarceration of juveniles, police are being ignored as an integral part of these efforts. We’ve got to share this information with them and make them partners in reform.”

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, News, No bio box

Florida’s School-to-Prison Pipeline Is Largest in the Nation; News Roundup

By David Backes, March 01 2013

Juvenile Justice Reform

Topics: Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Juvenile Justice Reform, News, No bio box

Supporting Father Involvement in Santa Cruz

By Susan Richardson, February 28 2013

According to Papas, funded by the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention, it is estimated that one in three children in the United States lives without their biological father. Children who live in homes with absent biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems and to be victims of child abuse.
Reclaiming Futures Santa Cruz County is taking preventative action through Hands on Fatherhood, a program designed for fathers and father-figures to encourage each other and increase meaningful father-child relationships. In the video below, Community Fellow, Jaime Molina, describes the wonderful work they are doing to connect fathers and children.  
 

 

Topics: fatherhood, No bio box, prosocial activities, Reclaiming Futures, Stories

Study Reveals Substance Abuse Among Teens with Mental Health Issues

By Gabrielle Nygaard, February 27 2013

A new study from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute shows striking levels of substance use among teens seeking mental health care, with one in 10 mentally ill teens reporting frequent use of alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana. This pattern of substance use becomes more common as teens age, and likely heightens risk of poor physical and mental health outcomes, the study reports.
In a University of Sydney news release, lead researcher Dr. Daniel Hermens said,

“Traditionally there have been mental health services, and substance abuse services, but both have been quite separate. Our study shows that we need to integrate mental health interventions with substance use interventions in order to help at-risk young people.
“There is a lot of evidence for the co-morbidity of mental health problems and substance misuse. More people have both mental health and substance use problems than either alone—in other words, it's the rule rather than the exception."

Published in BMJ Open, the study used self-reported data from more than 2,000 people aged 12-30 years seeking mental health care. Overall, substance use rates increased with age across groups, broken into age bands of 12-17, 18-19, and 20-30 year-olds.

Topics: Adolescent Mental Health, Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, No bio box

Kansas: Justice-Involved Teens can now Train for Career in "Environmental Water Technology"

By Todd Fertig, February 26 2013

Youth in a Topeka juvenile correctional facility will soon begin training in a field that could net them attractive career options in the future.
Thanks to instruction from Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) and a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, students at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex (KJCC) now have the opportunity to gain skills in “Environmental Water Technology,” a field in which the median annual income in Kansas is $41,000.
The Department of Labor has identified that a shortage of technicians in the field is looming, as the mean age of those in the industry is in the mid-50s. The agency’s grant is targeting trainees in the 18-21 age range, and FSCC is bringing the opportunity to those in the Kansas juvenile justice system.
KJCC held an open house on Friday, Feb. 8, to introduce its new Environmental Water Technology course of study and encourage the youth at the facility to enroll in the program.
Classes in Environmental Water Technology, which are offered to residents of KJCC who have received a high school diploma or a GED, will begin in March. Enrollees in the program will typically study in a classroom setting during the morning, then engage in hands-on lab work in the afternoon, said Megan Milner, deputy superintendent of KJCC.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, Kansas, No bio box

Connecticut Towns Cut Student Arrests Without Compromising Safety

By Abby Anderson, February 25 2013

In Manchester High School, students were being arrested “practically for breathing,” according to Superintendent Ana Ortiz. That’s no longer the case. Last year, the school’s arrest rate fell 78 percent.
Manchester was one of three towns that the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance worked with to dramatically reduce arrests in their schools without compromising safety. We share their stories in our new report, Adult Decisions: Connecticut Rethinks Student Arrests. Manchester, Windham and Stamford, Connecticut deserve heaps of praise for their work to end the flow of kids into the juvenile justice system, while also making their schools safer and more welcoming places for all students.
We started with a simple proposition: Kids shouldn’t be arrested in school for things we wouldn’t consider a crime outside of school – for example, for possession of tobacco. Minor misbehavior should be looked at as an opportunity to teach, not a reason to send a kid away in handcuffs. These districts found ways to support students and teach good behavior. That makes school a better environment for every student.

Topics: Connecticut, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, School-to-Prison Pipeline

The National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition Puts Forward Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Reform Recommendations to the Obama Administration

By Liz Ryan, February 22 2013

Last week, the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) -- a coalition comprising more than 300 national, state and local organizations working together to ensure healthy families, build strong communities and improve community safety released "Promoting Safe Communities: Report and Recommendations to the Obama Administration" to urge the President to restore a more effective system of juvenile justice for youth by focusing on five priority areas.
The NJJDPC recommends that the Administration restore federal leadership in juvenile justice policy such as increasing funding for juvenile justice reforms, supporting the reauthorization and state implementation of the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), strengthening the partnership between the federal government and the states, ensuring that program policies and practices involve families, implementing recommendations from the Attorney General's Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence (which he co-chaired) as well as improving data collection.
In addition, the NJJDPC urges the Administration to support prevention, early intervention and diversion strategies by advocating for the elimination of the Valid Court Order (VCO) exception to the JJDPA, supporting community-based alternatives to incarceration, improving school safety and reducing exclusionary school disciplinary practices, improving access to and quality of mental health and behavior health services, addressing the specific needs of girls, and promoting cultural competence on LGBTQI youth.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box

Which Onset Behaviors Best Predict Juvenile Delinquency; News Roundup

By David Backes, February 22 2013

Juvenile Justice Reform

Topics: No bio box

Florida: Wansley Walters Video on Juvenile Justice Reform

By Susan Richardson, February 21 2013

While we need to hold teens accountable for their actions, simply locking them up isn’t effective. Young people in the juvenile justice system need more treatment, better treatment, and support beyond treatment.
I encourage you to watch this brief interview with Wansley Walters, secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. In the video, Secretary Walters shares her views on the importance of early assessments and prescriptive measures in juvenile justice reform. We need to continue this investment to stay on track and reduce crime. "As the resources pull away, the problem starts to creep back in," Walters says.  

 

Topics: Adolescent Mental Health, Florida, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Recidivism, Reclaiming Futures, Wansley Walters

Raise DC Baseline Report Card

By David Backes, February 21 2013

Raise DC, a “cradle-to-career partnership” recently released a baseline report (PDF download) identifying metrics used to evaluate the success of children moving through the education system. Additionally, the the report,

[...] also establishes a baseline so that the entire community knows precisely where we are and where we want to go as we work together to continuously improve how we support success for young people in the District, from cradle to career. Most importantly, it articulates our public commitment to you, to our children, and to our city.

Raise DC’s five overarching goals are to ensure that every child can:

  1. Enter kindergarten meeting expected academic and developmental benchmarks,
  2. Graduate from high school within 4 years,
  3. Attain a post-secondary educational credential,
  4. Reconnect to education/training if they have already dropped out of school, and
  5. Engage in job experiences that will prepare them for a career.

Topics: early education, No bio box

Applications Available for CJJR's 2013 Juvenile Justice Certificate Programs

By Shay Bilchik, February 20 2013

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University‘s Public Policy Institute is proud to announce its 2013 Certificate Programs. In addition to the weeklong certificate programs in multi-systems integration, CJJR now offers shorter certificate programs of intensive study in information sharing, youth in custody, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile justice.
CJJR programs target public and private sector leaders working in the juvenile justice, child welfare, judiciary, behavioral health, education and other systems that serve youth in, or at-risk of becoming involved in, the juvenile justice system. 
Certificate programs at CJJR take a multi-systems and multi-disciplinary approach to policies, programs, and practices that improve outcomes for this population -- including a focus on "crossover youth"--i.e. youth known to both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

Topics: Community Engagement, No bio box

Share Your Recovery Experience with Faces & Voices of Recovery

By Liz Wu, February 19 2013


Are you a young person in recovery? Share your opinions to help other young people get the help they need !
What issues are particularly important to young people in recovery? You are invited to participate in a telephone focus group, to be held on February 28, that will try to identify what specific issues matter most to you, as a young person in recovery. How are your experiences as a teenager or young adult different than the experiences of adults in recovery?

How we tell our stories matters. Faces & Voices of Recovery, a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to making it posible for more people to get the help they need to recover, is developing a set of webinars to help young people in recovery learn how to tell their stories publicly so that they have the greatest impact. Faces & Voices will use your ideas to tailor its message training specifically to young people in recovery, helping them become as effective as possible as recovery communicators – bringing a message of hope to other young people seeking long-term recovery and to the public and policymakers.

Please share what you think. There will be two focus groups on February 28, each only an hour long. They are scheduled for 2:00 and 6:00, Eastern time. To join, please email Harriet Ullman at harrietullman@yahoo.com to let her know you're interested. 

Topics: No bio box, recovery

Washington State Assesses Disproportionate Minority Contact

By Gabrielle Nygaard, February 19 2013

A recent assessment of disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in Washington state reveals key areas to address as well as standout practices in the pursuit of a more fair and equal juvenile justice system.
For more than a decade, states have been required to regularly assess DMC, unequal rates of minority contact with the justice system relative to the population. The goal is to identify problem areas so that youth in the juvenile justice system are provided with treatment not based on race and ethnicity.
The 2013 report highlights a number of promising practices, first and foremost two programs: the Annie E. Casey Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative and the MacArthur Foundation Models for Change Initiative. These identification and reduction efforts are credited with changes to policies and practices that likely reduce disproportionality. To realize such success, the report stresses the importance of a multi-pronged strategy that considers practice and policy change, community engagement, data analysis and interpretation, program implementation and trainings.
Other promising practices for DMC identification and reduction noted include efforts to increase awareness of and action about DMC; programs to provide alternatives to arrest by providing youth with culturally-relevant and community-based services; and evidence-based behavioral health programs for youth in juvenile justice.
The assessment also emphasizes the following findings regarding DMC in-state, which may prove applicable in other communities:

Topics: Disproportionate Minority Contact, No bio box, Washington

Q&A: Trauma, Young Men of Color and Transformational Healing

By Liz Wu, February 18 2013

2/26/13 Editor's Update: The webinar recording and slides are now available for download.

Ahead of the Reclaiming Futures webinar with the National Compadres Network (NCN), I had the pleasure of chatting with Jerry Tello and Juan Gomez about trauma, young men of color and transformational healing.
Jerry Tello is co-founder of the NCN and the present director of the National Latino Fatherhood and Family Institute (NLFFI). He is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of men and boys of color, fatherhood, family strengthening, community peace and mobilization, and culturally based violence prevention/intervention issues. For 30 years Mr. Tello has dedicated his efforts to “La Cultura Cura”, allowing people to overcome internalized oppression and improve life outcomes.
Juan Gomez is a senior consultant with the NCN and specializes in strategic planning and resource development. Previously he served as a fellow for The California Endowment (TCE) with a focus on statewide policy, grant, and change-making strategies for TCE’s Healthy Happens Here (HHH) campaign. Mr. Gomez was raised in Watsonville, California where he grew up with his grandma Amelia and grandpa Ampelio.
Read the interview below and join us on February 26 to learn more and connect with Jerry and Juan.
LIZ WU (LW): What are the overlooked factors that put Latino men and boys at risk for poor health outcomes, specifically gang violence, substance abuse, incarceration and school failure? How does this affect the Latino community?

Topics: No bio box, Trauma, young men of color

Recognizing the Symptoms of Trauma in Justice-Involved Youth

By Selena Teji J.D., February 15 2013

Justice-involved youth have complex histories that not only contributed to their delinquency but present challenges for rehabilitation. They often experience poverty, violence, familial instability, exposure to drug use and gangs, and serial relocations. These compound factors exacerbate a lack of self-confidence, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, and mental health issues.

In the field of public health, these experiences are identified as traumatic: including a loss of safety, powerlessness, fear, hopelessness, and a constant state of alertness. In the video above, Christa Collins notes that exposure to trauma severely diminishes decision-making skills and the ability to cope with stress.

Topics: California, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Trauma

Feds to Audit Solitary Confinement Policy; News Roundup

By David Backes, February 15 2013

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Feds to Audit Solitary Confinement Policy (JJIE.org)
    The Federal Bureau of Prisons will hire an independent auditor to review the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons, according to a statement released by the bureau. The move could impact thousands of juveniles in adult facilities who are frequently isolated from adult inmates, sometimes on the pretext of protecting their personal safety.
  • Thousands of Student Arrests Alarm Florida Justice Leaders (Orlando Sentinel)
    Thousands of Florida students are arrested in school each year and taken to jail for behavior that once warranted a trip to the principal's office — a trend that troubles juvenile-justice and civil-rights leaders who say children are being traumatized for noncriminal acts.
  • Report Calls for Increased Funding for Juvenile Justice Efforts (NOLA.com)
    To sustain and ramp up changes to Louisiana's juvenile justice system there needs to be adequate funding at both the state and local levels, experts recommended in a report released Thursday. At a day-long conference in Baton Rouge, two members of the Louisiana Juvenile Justice Implementation Commission underscored this concern, saying a lack of money could hinder future progress across the state.

Topics: Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Juvenile Justice Reform, News, No bio box

Happy Valentine's Day

By Susan Richardson, February 14 2013

According the the Campaign for Youth Justice, over 10,000 kids will spend this Valentine’s Day in an adult jail or prison, without the support of loved ones.
Reclaiming Futures is building networks of caring adults with whom teens in the justice system can be connected—and an array of activities where young people can learn social skills, job skills, and new behaviors that will help them stay drug-free and crime-free long after they complete treatment and probation.
This Valentine's Day, Reclaiming Futures encourages you to mentor and volunteer in your community and support young people. Together, we can work to break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.
Learn more about bringing Reclaiming Futures to your community to:

  • Change the way your community treats kids in the justice system with substance abuse problems.
  • Help young people stay out of trouble with the law.
  • Improve public safety and save money.
  • Give young people the support they need—more treatment, better treatment and beyond treatment—to turn their lives around.

Topics: Mentoring, No bio box, Reclaiming Futures

A Family Guide to Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System

By David Backes, February 14 2013

Models for Change continues to take a proactive approach to juvenile justice, making sure that families know what to expect if somebody close to them ends up involved in the juvenile justice system. Their publication, “A Family Guide to Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System,” (also available as a PDF download) was developed by the Family Involvement Committee of the Pa Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers--a committee of family advocates and juvenile justice practitioners--to help families understand Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system and be better prepared to work closely with juvenile justice staff to promote positive outcomes for justice involved youth.
Pennsylvania’s approach to juvenile justice is itself a model for change--focusing on three main goals aimed at balance and restoration:

Community Protection – The public has the right to safe and secure homes and communities. The juvenile justice system must help the child while keeping the community, including the child and family, safe.

Accountability – When a crime is committed, the child is responsible for the harm caused and should take action to repair the harm and restore the victim and community.

Competency Development – Children should leave the juvenile justice system more capable of living responsibly and productively in the community. Since children are not as developmentally mature as adults, they are given the opportunity to learn to be responsible and competent.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Pennsylvania

Lucas County, Ohio, Using $1.32 Million Grant to Help System-Involved Teens

By Liz Wu, February 13 2013

Since receiving a $1.32 million grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Lucas County, Ohio, has moved quickly to implement the Reclaiming Futures model. Per the model, teens will be screened for substance abuse and mental health issues directly after arrest and receive treatment as needed.
The Toledo Free Press reports:

Reclaiming Futures will be used as a model with 25 teenagers in the Lucas County Juvenile Treatment Court. There is a goal set to increase the capacity to 30 teenagers who will receive treatment each year. This would mean 120 teenagers will be helped by the grant during the four years.
“It’s great for our county,” [Lucas County Juvenile Treatment Court Coordinator LaTonya] Harris said. “This is going to allow us to serve as a model for other counties and other sites when we get our results.”
Harris said there is no end for Reclaiming Futures in sight, even if the funding from the grant runs out. Once it is implemented and the staff is fully trained, the program will stay intact for as long as the community wants it to be.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Ohio, Reclaiming Futures

Pages