By Benjamin Chambers, January 28 2011
Juvenile Justice System-Related News and Events
- New Reclaiming Futures Site Featured in Local Paper
Reclaiming Futures Hardin County, OH announced its plans to enhance its juvenile drug court by implementing the Reclaiming Futures model. - 2011 National Mentoring Summit
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) partnered with the Corporation for National and Community Service, MENTOR, and the Harvard School for Public Health to host the first annual national mentoring summit in Washington, D.C., on January 25, 2011. Follow the link for more information. You can also get more information by emailing summit@mentoring.org. For information about mentoring, check out OJJDP's mentoring resource page.
Research and Tools
- Process Evaluation Shows How D.C. Reformed its Juvenile Justice System
According to a year-long process evaluation conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice, the Washington D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) made significant progress changing its juvenile justice system from a violent and punitive system to a therapeutic and effective one. Vera also made recommendations for next steps - follow the link to see the report. - The Impact of Prosecuting Youth as Adults - a 2010 Literature Review
The UCLA School of Law Juvenile Justice Project compiled a literature review last year on transferring juveniles to the adult criminal justice system and found that, "Transfer policies have demonstrated no proven deterrent effect and have caused sharp increases in recidivism across several jurisdictions." Something I didn't see cited in the review's bibiliography were last year's findings from the landmark Pathways to Desistance research, which found that transferring youth to the adult criminal justice system actually lowered recidivism for youth who had committed person crimes, and raised it for youth who had committed property crimes. - National Youth Summit on Education: Feb. 26, 2011
Young people from all across the country are attending an all-day event in Washington, D.C. on February 26 on school reform. Want to send youth representatives? (I hope so -- alternative schools and juvenile justice should be included in any discussion of school reform.) Email Robert Gomez at the Department of Education for more information. - Home Visits: Build a Culture of Quality
This recorded presentation doesn't focus on probation home visits, but the principles of focusing on improving their quality should apply. - "What Works to Keep Young Men from Returning to Jail?"
A short, 10-minute video produced by Vera Institute of Justice on a "reentry program that uses education, treatment, and a strength-based approach designed to reduce drug use, risky sexual behavior, and criminal activity among 16- to 18-year-old males leaving New York City jails." - "Most Exciting Evaluation Results in 30 Years" for Job Training Program for Disadvantaged Youth
An editorial in The New York Times describes the "Year Up" training program and how it gives students both hard skills and trains them in "professional culture" so they're truly job-ready. Its evaluation results are described as "the most exciting evaluation results we’ve seen in youth employment in 20 or 30 years — and the first to show a really substantial earnings gain." (Hat tip to Laura Nissen.)
Upcoming Events
- Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) Annual Spring Conference
CJJ's 2011 Annual Spring Conference, Council of State Advisory Groups’ (SAGs) Meeting and Hill Day will be held in Washington, D.C. on May 20-24, 2011. The conference theme is "Fair and Equal Justice: Alternative Sentences and Sanctions for Youth," and the event will feature "speakers, panels and workshops addressing current themes and trends in juvenile justice sentencing reform, such as the needs of status offenders, juvenile life without parole, and more." Registration will open on the week of February 21. For more information or to get involved in planning, email Mark Ferrante, CJJ Director of Leadership and Training Programs, or phone him at 202-467-0864, ext. 102. - Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare: Multi-System Integration Certificate Program for Public Sector Leaders
The Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) is offering this certificate program again this year, in Washington, D.C. on July 15-21, 2011. This week-long program seeks to improve outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. "In order to enhance the possibility of implementing cross systems change after returning from the program, CJJR is encouraging applicants from the same jurisdiction to apply as 'mini-teams.'" Application deadline is March 31, 2011. Follow the link to learn more and apply.
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Updated: January 28 2011