Roundup: Update on the JJDPA; Treatment Agencies Improve Services & Bottom Line; Two Innovative Crime-Reduction Practices; and More

Juvenile Justice Reform News

• The Coalition for Juvenile Justice has an update on the Congressional reauthorization of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), one of the key engines of juvenile justice reform. (Thanks to the Coalition for Juvenile Justice for sharing its slide deck.)
• Big news from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the juvenile "kids for cash" case. The state Supreme Court overturned thousands of juvenile adjudications made by former Judge Mark A. Ciavarella, Jr., because he consistently failed to inform juveniles of their right to representation. Only the cases of youth still under court supervision would be eligible for retrial. (Hat tip to Youth Today.)

• What would happen if community members confronted the non-violent individuals committing crime in their neighborhoods? High Point, North Carolina found out a few years ago -- and has reaped the rewards of lower crime rates ever since. The strategy was focused on adults -- anyone know if it's ever been tried on juveniles? (The link is to a great post on the Criminal Justice blog of Change.org that also covers another innovative approach to crime -- short but immediate sanctions -- that Jeff Butts wrote about for us back in July.)
  

 
Lives of Youth

• Don't miss these powerful photographs of youth in juvenile detention, taken by Steve Liss for his 2005 book, No Place for Children: Voices from Juvenile Detention (cover image at right).
• And if you want a great window into the lives of girls, check out "Boyfriends," a thought-provoking video about teen girls and their relationships with the boys and young men in their lives. It's an hour long, but well worth the time. (Hat tip to the Policy for Results Twitter feed.) 
• Chances are, you saw the news this week that by age 18, 50% of U.S. children will have been on food stamps -- a chilling statistic.

 
Addiction Treatment News

• Adolescent substance abuse treatment agencies wondering if the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) can really help them reduce costs, improve services, and improve their bottom lines should check out the success stories on the NIATx blog . Not all of the agencies cited serve kids, but they all show dramatic (but achievable) changes in reducing wait time, no-shows, and costs, while increasing revenues.
• The federal government is investing in research to create addiction "vaccines," according to Join Together.

 
Resources & Events

• Two great resources from the Council of State Government: (1) a federal action plan with recommendations for addressing the needs of children of incarcerated parents; and (2) a guide for state officials on making use of research in public health policymaking.  (Hat tip to Policy for Results for the latter.)
• Always pull up short when you're writing the "Evaluation" section of a grant application? Here's some tips from a former federal employee experienced in reviewing grants.  (Hat tip to Spark Action [formerly Connect for Kids] from the Forum for Youth Investment).
• On November 10th, The Finance Project will host an online workshop to teach community coalitions, task forces, and State and local government how to assess their current resources and create a strategy to improve budgeting and sustainability. Follow the link to learn more and to register.
• Chapin Hall will be hosting a 90-minute webcast on November 19th at 10am EST called, "Improving Urban Service Systems for Children and Families; they'll be focusing on the challenges of systems reform in urban areas, lessons for suburban and rural areas, and more.