Found 171 matches.
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2021 NJJN Policy Platform - Keep Children with Mental Health Challenges out of the Youth Legal System
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Advocacy | NJJN Publications
NJJN's 2021 Policy Platform provides recommendations to keep children with mental health challenges out of the youth legal system.
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Improving Outcomes for Justice-Involved Youth Through Structured Decision-Making and Diversion
Tags: Federal | Virginia | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Risk Assessment and Screening | Restorative Justice | Evidence-Based Practices | Advocacy | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This issue brief by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University reviews research on the structured decision-making process and diversion, including the use of risk and needs assessment tools and dispositional matrices. It also has a focus on how these tools can improve the effectiveness of juvenile diversion programming. Moving from research to practice, this brief further highlights some of the recent reform efforts in Fairfax County, Virginia.
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White Paper : Youth Justice in Maine : Imagine a New Future Summit
Tags: Maine | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Reports
Maine's juvenile justice system should shift away from reliance on large facilities like Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland towards a continuum of care utilizing community-based in-home services and evidence-based out-of-home services for youth, according to a new white paper from the Justice Policy Program at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service and the Maine Center for Juvenile Policy and Law at the University of Maine School of Law.
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ADDRESSING THE INTERSECTIONS OF JUVENILE JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT AND YOUTH HOMELESSNESS: PRINCIPLES FOR CHANGE
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports | Research | Partner Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Coalition for Juvenile Justice reports ways to ensure young people do not experience homelessness as a result of involvement with the juvenile justice system, and likewise do not become involved with the justice system because of a lack of housing.
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Seattle and King County leaders oppose youth detention center
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Public Opinion and Messaging | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Media | Reports
The proposal to build Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC) in Seattle’s Central District must be redesigned to achieve ending the school-to-prison pipeline and ensure children and families in crisis are served with a model justice system.
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California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice---Three Years of Legislative Victories: 2014 - 2016
Tags: California | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | General System Reform | Girls | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Capsule summary of youth justice reform legislation NJJN member CAYCJ worked to pass 2014-2016.
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The governor has used his executive powers to help some New Yorkers who committed crimes in their youth
Tags: New York | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Advocacy | Media | Reports
Efforts in Justice Reform: Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pardoned more than 100 New Yorkers who turned their lives around after criminal convictions at that young age.
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A stolen cellphone, then an odyssey through Maryland's juvenile justice system
Tags: Maryland | Aftercare/Reentry | Brain and Adolescent Development | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Victims | Restorative Justice | Correctional Education | Media | Reports
A thirteen year old boy was with a group of boys who had stolen a cell phone. The counsellors and attorney argued that restorative action be administered as a best outcome. The Judge disagreed and ordered a 90 day term in a juvenile detention.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (full report)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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Bring Our Children Home: Ain't I A Child? (policy brief)
Tags: New Jersey | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Youth in the Adult System | Member Publications
Extreme racial inequalities persist within New Jersey's juvenile justice system, according to a report from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Includes policy solutions.
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Our Opinion: Maine should lead on closing youth prisons
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Public Opinion and Messaging | Advocacy | Reports
Troubled youth should be treated in community-based settings that stress accountability and a sense of belonging. Maine, with its relatively small number of youth prisoners and strong sense of community, can and should be a leader in this effort of decarceration.
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Walk in Our Shoes- Youth Share their Ideas for Changing Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Evidence-Based Practices | Member Publications
Approximately 40 youth participated in listening sessions that became, Walk in Our Shoes: Youth Share their Ideas for Changing Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, issued by the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and the Youth First Initiative. The report breaks down the young people's comments into a series of recommendations.
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LESS CRIME FOR LESS MONEY
Tags: Massachusetts | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Reports | Partner Publications
Police, district attorneys, and court personnel offer a discretionary and disparate array of programs and practices, with no statutory mandate or other support, It is critical to assess whether the programs we pay for are offered fairly or are effective.
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People Are More Important Than Buildings
Tags: Connecticut | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Member Publications | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This article addresses the issues of incarceration of youth in facilities that are very expensive and ineffective in dealing with youth who break the law. "People Are More Important Than Buildings", discusses steps Connecticut could and should take to hold our youth accountable while still treating them with dignity and respect.
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Stemming the Rising Tide: Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Youth Incarceration and Strategies for Change (Burns Institute)
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Youth in the Adult System | Restorative Justice | Reports | Partner Publications
Report from Burns Institute documenting racial disparities trends in the juvenile justice system and recommending strategies to address the roots of racial inequities and allow youth of color a chance at restorative justice and greater well being.
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For One Memphis Baker, Juvenile Justice Is Part of the Recipe
Tags: Tennessee | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Media
Profile of Lauren Wilson Young, recipient of the 2016 Award for Leadership in Juvenile Justice Reform from NJJN and JustCity.
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ISE for Youth: What Stakeholders Can Do to Transform Virginia' s Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Virginia | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Partner Publications
The report makes recommendations for how the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Task Force on Juvenile Correctional Centers, and the community can re-invest in supportive environments for youth.
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Detained: Nebraska’s Problem with Juvenile Incarceration (Voices for NE Children)
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Reports | Member Publications
A fact sheet reviewing Nebraska's over-use of detention for youth, with recommendations to address the problem.
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Infographic: It Takes a Village - Diversion Resources for Police and Families
Tags: Connecticut | Illinois | Michigan | Nebraska | Nevada | Oregon | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
Summary of brief from Vera Institute of Justice explores the community-focused work being done in Nevada, Connecticut, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon to find productive responses to youth "acting out."
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It Takes a Village: Diversion Resources for Police and Families
Tags: Connecticut | Illinois | Michigan | Nebraska | Nevada | Oregon | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
This brief from Vera Institute of Justice explores the community-focused work being done in Nevada, Connecticut, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, and Oregon to find productive responses to youth "acting out."
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NJJN - Addressing the Intersection of Gender and Racial Disparities: a Snapshot from the Juvenile Justice Resource Hub
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Girls | Risk Assessment and Screening | Status Offenses | NJJN Publications
Girls of color suffer the effects of gender and racial bias in the youth justice system. This snapshot from the National Juvenile Justice Network contains recommendations for addressing this.
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Support Not Punish: Participatory Action Research Report
Tags: New York | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Reports | Research
A team of Bronx youth who are actively engaged with community-led efforts to keep youth free from incarceration have just released the results of their 18-month inquiry into what their peers experience in the juvenile justice system. The team of researchers are Bronx youth, under the age of 24, who have either experienced the juvenile justice system personally, or have family members and close friends who have been locked up. The young people used a form of inquiry called Participatory Action Research (PAR), which mobilizes individuals who are directly impacted by a problem to study the issue, and to generate solutions using collective inquiry with their peers.
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YTFG Blueprint for Youth Justice Reform - 2016
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
The Youth Justice Work Group (YJWG) of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) envisions a youth justice system that fosters the healthy development and well-being of all children and youth by building upon their strengths, cultivating their relationships with caring adults, supporting their families and communities, and offering them age-appropriate opportunities for future success. We are committed to partnering with the broader community to promote restorative justice, safety, opportunity and positive outcomes for all young people. In order to achieve our vision, and in alignment with YTFG’s Youth Well-Being Framework, we recommend the following 10 Tenets for Youth Justice Reform.
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Bring Youth Home: Building on Ohio's Deincarceration Leadership
Tags: Ohio | National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Member Publications
Since 1992, Ohio’s youth prison population topped 2,500 and was projected to rise to 4,000. In 1994, Ohio began implementing programs to incentivize local courts to keep youth closer to home. Today admissions to Ohio juvenile correctional facilities are lower than 500 youth and Ohio makes significant investments in redirecting youth to community-based alternatives that are less expensive and more effective than locked facilities. The report is designed to give other jurisdictions insights into lessons learned in Ohio as they create new or reevaluate existing deincarceration programs as well as to continue to encourage innovate within Ohio.
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Executive Summary | Bring Youth Home: Building on Ohio's Deincarceration Leadership
Tags: Ohio | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | Member Publications
Since 1992, Ohio’s youth prison population topped 2,500 and was projected to rise to 4,000. In 1994, Ohio began implementing programs to incentivize local courts to keep youth closer to home. Today admissions to Ohio juvenile correctional facilities are lower than 500 youth and Ohio makes significant investments in redirecting youth to community-based alternatives that are less expensive and more effective than locked facilities. The report is designed to give other jurisdictions insights into lessons learned in Ohio as they create new or reevaluate existing deincarceration programs as well as to continue to encourage innovate within Ohio.
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Principles for Kansas Youth Justice Reform
Tags: Kansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Girls | Reports | Member Publications
This report lays out the central principles with which the Kansans United for Youth Justice campaign approaches youth justice reform.
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Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation 2011-2015
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Deinstitutionalization | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
National Conference of State Legislatures tracks trends in state legislation of youth justice reform for 2011-2015. Specific trends have emerged to: Restore jurisdiction to the juvenile court, divert youth from the system, reform detention, shift resources from incarceration to community-based alternatives, provide strong public defense for youth, address racial and ethnic disparities in justice systems, respond more effectively to the mental health needs of young offenders, and improve re-entry and aftercare programs for youth.
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Juvenile Prisons: National Consensus and Alternatives
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports | Research | Member Publications
This report by NJJN member the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance makes the case for the closure of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School and the Pueblo Unit, based on national research citing the failure of youth prisons nationwide to rehabilitate young people. The report makes recommendations based on successful state-level models.
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Baltimore City Graduated Responses Grid - Maryland Dept of Juvenile Svcs
Tags: Maryland | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
A graduated sanctions grid used for supervising youth on probation by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
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Graduated Responses for Youth Under DJS Supervision - Maryland Dept of Juvenile Services
Tags: Maryland | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Presentations
A PowerPoint presentation re: a graduated response system for youth on probation developed by the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services.
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Implementing an Effective Graduated Responses System
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Brief overview of the rationale for graduated responses, along with resources and steps to design and implement one.
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Public Opinion on Juvenile Justice in America
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Reports
This poll conducted by PEW Charitable Trusts explores voters' opinions on salient topics in juvenile justice policy. Key findings: 1) Voters believe that young people are different from adults, and the courts should invest in preventative programs; 2) Voters support diverting low-level youth offenders from confinement facilities; 3) Voters cross-demographically support juvenile justice reform.
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Community-Based Supervision: Increased Public Safety, Decreased Expenditures - Tip Sheet
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | NJJN Publications
This tip sheet, jointly issued by NJJN's Fiscal Policy Center and the Safely Home Campaign of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc., summarizes the social and cost benefits of community-based supervision compared to incarceration.
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Highlights from Pathways to Desistance: A Longitudinal Study of Serious Adolescent Offenders
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports | Research
The Pathways to Desistance Study is a large collaborative multidisciplinary project that is following 1,354 serious juvenile offenders age 14-18 for 7 years after their conviction. The primary findings of the study to date deal with the decrease in self-reported offending over time by most serious adolescent offenders, the relative inefficacy of longer juvenile incarcerations in decreasing recidivism, the effectiveness of community-based supervision, and the effectiveness of substance abuse treatment in reducing both substance use and offending.
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California Ensures Reenrollment Rights for Youth Returning from Juvenile Justice Facilities
Tags: California | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Assembly Bill 2276 requires a pupil who has had contact with the juvenile justice system to be immediately enrolled in a public school. The legislation also has several mechanisms to facilitate the successful transition of these youth into the public schools. It requires the county office of education and county probation department to develop joint transition planning policies on issues such as improving communication regarding the release dates and educational needs of juvenile justice involved youth, coordinating the immediate school placement and enrollment of these youth, and ensuring probation officers have the information that they need to support the youths’ return to public school. Additionally, subject to funding, it requires the convening of a statewide group to study successful county programs and develop model policies relating to the prompt transfer of education records and credits and the immediate enrollment of students transferred from juvenile justice schools. Assembly Bill 2276 was authored by Assembly Member Raul Bocanegra and signed into law on September 30, 2014.
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Kentucky S.B. 200, 2014 (Juvenile Justice System Reform)
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Legislation
The full text of Kentucky's 2014 S.B. 200, an omnibus bill that requires sweeping changes to the state's juvenile justice system.
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Close to Home: Strategies to Place Young People in Their Communities
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
This report from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency details ways in which juvenile justice advocates and practitioners can promote policies to keep youth in their communities and out of confinement facilities.
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Innovation Brief: Avoiding and Mitigating the Collateral Consequences of a Juvenile Adjudication
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports | Partner Publications
This Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange talks about the impact of the stigma that follows youths after entering the juvenile justice system, even if it's their first and only time.
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Innovation Brief: Early Appointment of Counsel
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
In this Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange, the importance of having counsel present in the earliest stages of the court process for youths is stressed.
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Innovation Brief: Facilitating Health Care Coverage for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
This Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange explains that when youths are placed into the juvenile justice system, and placed into a facility, they still have health and behavioral needs that must be met.
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Innovation Brief: Illinois’ JWatch Probation Data & Case Management System
Tags: Illinois | National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
This Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange, introduces a tool called JWatch, which allows for the exchanging and collecting of mass amounts of information concerning youth in conflict with the law.
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Innovation Brief: Judicial Colloquies: Communicating with Kids in Court
Tags: Washington | National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
MacArthur ModelsforChange Innovation Brief poses the issue of effectively communicating and getting through to youths who go enter the juvenile justice system, especially during the court process.
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Innovation Brief: Ogle County’s Juvenile Justice Council
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
This Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange sheds light on Illinois's Juvenile Justice Council; its purpose to provide resources to youth and surrounding communities.
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Innovation Brief: The Cultural Enhancement Model for Evidence-Based Practice
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Partner Publications
MacArthur ModelsforChange presents an Innovation Brief that has ways to improve on evidence-based strategies to improve involvement of the community and clients.
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Innovation Brief: Using Community Truancy Boards to Tackle Truancy
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports | Partner Publications
This Innovation Brief by MacArthur ModelsforChange suggests how to confront the problem of truant youths through a school-oriented intervention.
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Safely Home
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) published this report detailing the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to incarceration.
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Unlocking Potential: Addressing the Overuse of Juvenile Detention in Massachusetts
Tags: Massachusetts | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Partner Publications
This report from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (an NJJN partner) discusses the high rate of incarceration of youth in Massachusetts. It details the number of youth incarcerated for minor and nonviolent offenses, as well as the broad racial and ethnic disparities observable in the state's youth incarceration rates.
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The State of America's Children - 2014 Report
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Reports | Partner Publications
The Children's Defense Fund's annual report detailing the current status of multiple issues that affect children, including juvenile justice and youth incarceration.
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Better Solutions for Youth with Mental Health Needs in the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Risk Assessment and Screening | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports
This paper, from the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice and the MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change Initiative, discusses evidence-based practices for identifying and treating youth with mental health issues before they reach the youth justice system.
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DC, Fiscal Year 2014 Support Act of 2013, B20-0199, 2013
Tags: District of Columbia | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crime Data and Statistics | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Legislation
Outlines the fiscal year 2014 DC budget including a section on a working group dedicated to alternatives to juvenile arrests and secured detention.
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Legislative Task Force Recommends Increased Community-Based Programming, S.C.R. 35 Task Force Report
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation | Reports
Building on the work of a task force created in 2012 to study the Unified Juvenile Code (H.C.R. 129/Act No. 37), a 2013 task force in Kentucky studied issues related to youth who commit status offenses, alternatives to detention, reinvestment of savings from reduced use of facilities to create community-based treatment programs, and the feasibility of establishing an age of criminal responsibility, among other issues. The task force’s report, released December 19, 2013, found that Kentucky spends over half of its budget on secure and non-secure residential facilities; significant resources are spent on out-of-home placements for youth who commit status offenses; there is a lack of funding for community-based services and alternatives; and the majority of cases in the juvenile justice system are for lower-level offenses. The task force recommended expanding community-based services; focusing out-of-home placements on youth who commit more serious offenses, and reinvesting resulting savings in prevention and early intervention efforts; increasing the effectiveness of juvenile justice programs and services and improving oversight of reform implementation; and tracking performance measures. S.C.R. 35, signed into law March 14, 2013.
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Juvenile Justice Reform Project Recommends Reducing Incarceration of Youth
Tags: Hawaii | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Reports
In August 2013, Hawaii created the Hawaii Juvenile Justice Reform Project, a new bi-partisan inter-branch working group to analyze the juvenile justice system and use data and research findings to develop specific policy recommendations for the 2014 legislative session. The group’s final report was released December 13, 2013 and recommends reducing the population at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility by 60 percent by 2019, confining only youth who have committed the most serious offenses. The report recommends that the resulting savings—estimated to be $11 million over five years—be reinvested in local jurisdictions to fund community-based alternatives, such as mental health, substance abuse, and social services. The report also calls for strengthening of reentry, parole, diversion, informal adjustment, and monitoring practices.
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From Courts to Communities: The Right Response to Truancy, Running Away, and Other Status Offenses
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | Status Offenses | Reports
This report from the Vera Institute of Justice makes policy recommendations regarding truancy and other status offenses that emphasize family-supported and community-based solutions in place of court referrals.
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National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
This publication from NJJN partner the Coalition for Juvenile Justice sets out principles and standards for responding to status offenses in the U.S.
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Nebraska Establishes Commission to Study Juvenile Justice Facilities and Services, Juvenile Services (OJS) Committee Phase I Strategic Recommendations
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation | Reports
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Children’s Commission as a permanent forum for collaboration among state, local, community, public, and private stakeholders in child welfare and juvenile justice programs and services. The Juvenile Services (OJS) Committee was also established as a subcommittee of the Nebraska Children’s Commission, with the mandate to review the role and effectiveness of Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers (YRTCs), including what populations should be served, what treatment services should be provided at YRTCs, how mental and behavioral health services are provided to youth in secure residential placements, and the need for such services in Nebraska’s juvenile justice system. The committee’s December 2013 report includes recommendations related to foundational system principles and a core framework for the system, legal system changes, YRTC facilities and services, and behavioral and mental health systems of care. L.B. 821, signed into law April 11, 2012; effective April 12, 2012 and L.B. 561 signed into law May 29, 2013; effective September 6, 2013.
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Broward County School District Agrees to Curb the Role of Police in Schools
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | School-to-Prison Pipeline
Florida’s second-largest school district signed a memorandum of understanding with juvenile justice stakeholders to limit law enforcement’s role in school discipline. The parties agreed to virtually eliminate arrests for school-based incidents involving misdemeanor offenses committed by students. Prior to this agreement, Broward County led the state, with 1,062 arrests from its schools in 2011-12, 71 percent of which were for misdemeanor offenses. The agreement ensures that schools limit the involvement of law enforcement officers only to behavior that threatens the physical safety of students and staff. The agreement is embedded in the student code of conduct and a discipline matrix that guides school officials’ responses to student misbehavior. In addition, the agreement establishes a new program that provides a school-based alternative to arrest and suspension, mandates training, and requires the collection and assessment of discipline data. Memorandum of understanding signed November 5, 2013.
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Illinois Supreme Court Prohibits Incarceration of Youth for Underage Drinking, In re Shelby R., 2013 IL 114994
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Status Offenses | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed a lower court decision prohibiting the incarceration of a youth for underage drinking. The Supreme Court’s opinion clarifies that the Juvenile Court Act’s prohibition of commitment of a youth to the Department of Juvenile Justice for a status offense encompasses underage drinking. The opinion reinforces the “statutory policy of promoting the development and implementation of community-based programs to prevent delinquent behavior.” In re Shelby R., 2013 IL 114994, filed September 19, 2013.
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D.C. Working Group Aims to Reduce Arrests and Detention, B20-0199/A20-0157
Tags: District of Columbia | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
The Washington, D.C. City Council passed a law to establish the “Alternatives to Juvenile Arrest and Secured Detention Working Group.” The city-wide working group is charged with studying all youth arrests starting with 2011, including data on the number and type of school-based arrests. The legislation mandates that the working group include representatives from community-based non-profit organizations, as well as educational institutions that represent court-involved youth or conduct research on local juvenile justice issues. The group is required to submit a report to the Mayor that “develops and proposes a differential response policy, program, and budget for juvenile arrests with the goal of diverting more youth from arrest, prosecution, overnight detention, or pre-trial detention.” After the formation of the working group was delayed, a privately convened group of advocates addressed the issues raised in the legislation and submitted a report to the City Council that calls for a comprehensive diversion pilot program in the city and a centralized mayoral strategy to reduce formal youth system involvement. B20-0199/A20-0157, passed September 6, 2013; effective December 24, 2013.
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We're In It for the Long Haul: Alternatives to Incarceration for Youth in Trouble with the Law
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Restorative Justice | Reports
This article, written by Project NIA, describes and assesses numerous alternative programs in operation in Chicago that seek to divert youth from the juvenile justice system.
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Illinois Creates Violence Prevention Task Force, H.B. 2879
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Prevention
The Illinois General Assembly established a task force to assist with violence prevention initiatives. Specifically, the task force is to assist with providing jobs, resources and opportunities for at-risk youth in order to prevent crime; create, develop, and implement recreation, social, and educational initiatives for at-risk youth; provide state resources to public schools to assist with behavioral health; organize community mental health providers in at-risk communities; increase awareness of violence prevention resources in the state; and assist violence prevention groups. The task force must report annually to the governor and General Assembly. H.B. 2879/Act No. 98-0194, signed into law and effective August 7, 2013.
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Connecticut Encourages Use of Community-Based Programs to Prevent Justice System Involvement, S.B. 1163/Act No. 13-268
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Prevention | Legislation
The Connecticut General Assembly passed a law establishing a pilot program in Hartford aimed at preventing youth delinquency and violence. The program requires the Court Support Services Division to collaborate with community-based services aimed at promoting positive youth development and reducing contact with the juvenile justice system. The law also establishes a bond program to provide grants to subsidize youth employment through the newly established Connecticut Young Adult Conservation Corps. S.B. 1163/Act No. 13-268, signed into law July 11, 2013; Hartford pilot program effective July 11, 2013, bond program effective July 1, 2013, and Connecticut Young Adult Conservation Corps effective January 1, 2014.
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Alternatives to Incarceration Increase in Cook County, H.B. 2401
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Illinois passed legislation to allow for targeted implementation of Redeploy Illinois in Cook County (Chicago). Redeploy Illinois offers counties fiscal incentives to provide alternatives to incarceration for youth. In the 2011 fiscal year, 40 percent of the youth committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice were from Cook County; the majority of these youth could have been eligible for the alternatives provided through Redeploy Illinois. H.B. 2401/Public Act No. 98-0060, signed into law July 8, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
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Illinois Increases Options for Youth to Be Served in the Community, H.B. 3172
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Illinois passed legislation that gives juvenile court judges discretion to “continue a case under supervision” following a finding of delinquency. A continuance under supervision allows a youth to be served in the community and have his or her record expunged after successful completion of the continuance. Such a continuance was previously only allowed if the youth admitted to the charges against him or her prior to a finding of delinquency. Now, after considering the nature of the offense and the youth’s history, character, and condition, the judge may enter an order of continuance under supervision if he or she believes the youth is not likely to commit future crimes, the youth and the public would be better served if the youth did not have a criminal record, and continuance under supervision is more appropriate than a harsher sentence. Certain serious crimes are ineligible for continuance under supervision. H.B. 3172/ Act No. 98-0062, signed into law July 8, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
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Louisiana Children & Youth Planning Board Toolkit: Creating & Optimizing Children & Youth Planning Boards
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Reports
This Models for Change toolkit offers 11 tools for the development and operation of "children and youth planning boards."
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Measuring Success: A Guide to Becoming an Evidence-Based Practice
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports
This Vera Institute guide provides a map of how juvenile justice reform programs--especially community-based alternatives to incarceration--become "evidence-based practices." The guide maps the basic steps creating and effectively utilizing process and outcome evaluations.
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Ohio’s Budget Directs Funding to Youth in the Juvenile Justice System, H.B. 59
Tags: Ohio | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
Ohio’s FY 2014-15 budget bill contained provisions benefiting youth in the justice system. First, the law establishes that the Ohio Office of the Public Defender is to provide legal assistance to youth in Department of Youth Services (DYS) facilities. In addition, the budget provides that DYS can use up to 45 percent of the savings stemming from facility closures to expand evidence-based community programs, including those funded through the Targeted RECLAIM and Behavioral Health and Juvenile Justice initiatives. H.B. 59, signed into law and effective June 30, 2013.
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Delaware Eliminates Fee for Electronic Monitoring of Youth Convicted of Certain Sex Offenses, H.B. 80/Act No. 58
Tags: Delaware | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Delaware passed legislation that removes a requirement that youth registered for more serious sex offenses pay the $240 per month cost of their electronic monitoring system. The law also forgives any outstanding balances for youth who were required to pay for their electronic monitoring system before the passage of this bill. Electronic monitoring of these youth had been the only case where youth on juvenile probation (or their families) were required to pay for treatment or support interventions. H.B. 80/Act No. 58, signed into law June 27, 2013; effective August 1, 2013.
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King County, WA - Juvenile Domestic Violence Diversion Protocol
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision
King County, WA protocol for diverting youth charged with domestic violence in the home. (Uploaded for JJ Resource Hub.)
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Michigan Legislature Creates Community-Based Juvenile Justice Grants for Rural Counties
Tags: Michigan | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
The Michigan Legislature provided funding within the Department of Human Services to implement the In-Home Community Care Grant, a $1 million grant fund to help rural counties create or enhance existing community-based juvenile programming. In its first year, six rural counties were awarded funding to create evidence-based services, including trauma-informed evaluations and assessments, regional Multi-Systemic Therapy units, and wraparound and intensive probation staff. H.B 4328/Act No. 59, signed into law and effective June 13, 2013.
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King County Resource Guide for Information Sharing - 2nd Edition
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crossover and Dual Jurisdiction Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
This resource guide provides information on how to safely and legally share information between staff in the following agencies: probation, detention, child welfare, juvenile rehabilitation, law enforcement, schools, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, and court-appointed special advocates.
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Louisiana Children & Youth Planning Board (Act 555): Planning Tools and Resources
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
This toolkit compiles resources that the Models for Change Project uses to create and strengthen Children and Youth Planning Boards (CYPBs). Topics include: writing a mission statement, developing organizational structure, covering issues and action items, and much more.
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Oklahoma Emphasizes Individualized Treatment for Youth, S.B. 679
Tags: Oklahoma | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
The Oklahoma State Legislature passed a law emphasizing individualized treatment and best practices for youth rehabilitation and reentry. The law also expands the definition of community-based facilities to cover 24-hour emergency living accommodations for youth in crisis (including those involved with law enforcement or the courts). These accommodations may provide care, education, mental health services, and other services to address trauma and aid in the transition to permanent placement. S.B. 679/Act No. 404, signed into law May 31, 2013; effective November 1, 2013.
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Nebraska Expands Use of Community-Based Programs and Limits Secure Confinement, L.B. 561
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
The Nebraska Legislature passed a broad juvenile justice reform bill that emphasizes treatment rather than punishment through expansion of local, community-based alternatives to incarceration and research-based prevention programs, and limitations on the use of secure confinement. The law prohibits commitment of youth to the state Office of Juvenile Services for status offenses; requires exhaustion of all available community-based services before a youth is committed; limits confinement of youth only to cases where it is immediately necessary for protection of the youth or public safety, or if a youth is at high risk for fleeing the jurisdiction of the court; requires therapeutic services and reentry planning for committed youth; and establishes a grant program for funding of community-based services. The law also converts the Nebraska Juvenile Service Delivery Project of 2012 (L.B. 985, see above) from a pilot program into a permanent statewide initiative, giving the Office of Probation Administration more funding to provide services to youth, and leaving the Office of Juvenile Services responsible only for managing two state facilities for youth. L.B. 561, signed into law May 29, 2013; effective September 6, 2013.
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Loitering and Curfew Violations May No Longer Be Treated as Delinquency Offenses in Nevada
Tags: Nevada | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Status Offenses | Legislation
Nevada youth who violate curfew or loitering ordinances may no longer be adjudicated as delinquent, but must instead be treated as children in need of supervision. The law also reduces the number of days that youth may be held in detention or shelter care pending the filing of a petition alleging delinquency or need of supervision, decreasing the term from eight days to four. S.B. 108/Act No. 191, signed into law May 27, 2013; effective October 1, 2013.
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Funding Community Based Supervision: Legislative Levers to Lock in Local Funding
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports | NJJN Publications
When your state proposes to close youth prisons and have counties serve youth in trouble with the law in the community, how do you keep counties at the table? The Fiscal Policy Center's new tip sheet provides four examples of funding legislation that can help.
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Oregon Authorizes Work Release Program for Youth with Criminal Convictions Who Are Confined in Youth Facilities, S.B. 188
Tags: Oregon | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
New legislation authorizes the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) to establish a work release program for youth who are committed to the Department of Corrections, but in the physical custody of OYA. The legislation allows youth to leave facilities for employment, additional education, substance abuse programs, mental health programs, or programs to help develop independent living skills. Youth who have been convicted of more serious offenses are excluded from the program. S.B. 188/Act No. 229, signed into law and effective May 23, 2013.
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Maryland Limits Offenses Eligible for Out-of-Home Placement
Tags: Maryland | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Maryland passed legislation that prohibits out-of-home placement for youth adjudicated for certain minor offenses, including possession of marijuana, possession or purchase of a non-controlled substance, disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct, malicious destruction of property, or an offense involving inhalants, prostitution, theft, or trespassing. Judges may continue to order treatment for youth in the community or may place youth with another agency. The law provides exceptions for youth who have been previously adjudicated for three or more separate and independent offenses or upon a written finding from the court that out-of-home placement is deemed necessary for public safety or the child’s welfare. H.B. 916/Act No. 651, signed into law May 16, 2013; effective October 1, 2013.
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Oklahoma's Governor Establishes Committee to Study Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Oklahoma | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Through an executive order, Oklahoma's governor established the Juvenile Justice Reform Committee to study the state's juvenile justice system and recommend improvements. The committee is to consider the most efficient and effective programs, recidivism rates, diversion programs, and national best practices concerning housing and treatment of youth. Executive Order 18, signed May 16, 2013.
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Washington Encourages Diversion and Treatment for Youth with Mental Health Issues, H.B. 1524
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
Acknowledging the high number of youth entering the juvenile justice system with mental health problems and the importance of diverting such youth into mental health treatment, the Washington State Legislature increased diversion opportunities for youth suspected of suffering from mental disorders. The law authorizes police to take youth who have committed non-serious offenses and are suspected of having mental disorders to an evaluation and treatment facility. Youth must be examined within three hours of arrival at these facilities and may be held for up to 12 hours. The legislation also specifically authorizes courts to assess diverted youth or youth who are granted deferred dispositions for substance abuse and mental health problems, and to order outpatient treatment if such assessments indicate it is warranted, but has not been identified as net-widening. H.B. 1524/Act No. 179, signed into law May 8, 2013; effective July 28, 2013.
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Family Comes First: A Workbook to Transform the Justice System by Partnering with Families
Tags: National | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | Reports | Partner Publications
This report, released by the Campaign for Youth Justice, is the first comprehensive analysis of current family engagement and family partnership practices in juvenile justice systems across the country and provides practical tools and resources for juvenile justice system practitioners invested in undertaking a family-driven approach to juvenile justice.
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Georgia Passes Sweeping Juvenile Justice Reform Bill, H.B. 242
Tags: Georgia | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Status Offenses | Legislation
Georgia passed a comprehensive reform of the state’s juvenile code, aimed at reducing the number of youth in confinement and ensuring the juvenile justice system is focused on rehabilitation. The 248-page law prohibits detention of youth who commit status offenses, and instead designates them as “children in need of services.” The new code increases use of alternatives to detention for youth who are classified as low-to-medium risk and includes an increased emphasis on risk and behavioral health assessments. Additionally, the code ensures representation for youth at every stage of the legal process. In FY 2014, the law invested five million new dollars ($4 million state/$1 million federal) in community-based programs and in the second year, FY 2015, the law invested $8.85 million ($7.85 million state/$1 million federal) into such services. The changes stemming from the law are expected to save the state $88 billion over five years. H.B. 242/Act No. 127, signed into law May 2, 2013; effective January 1, 2014.
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Legislative Task Force Recommends Increased Community-Based Programming, S.C.R. 35
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Building on the work of a task force created in 2012 to study the Unified Juvenile Code (H.C.R. 129/Act No. 37), a 2013 task force in Kentucky studied issues related to youth who commit status offenses, alternatives to detention, reinvestment of savings from reduced use of facilities to create community-based treatment programs, and the feasibility of establishing an age of criminal responsibility, among other issues. The task force’s report, released December 19, 2013, found that Kentucky spends over half of its budget on secure and non-secure residential facilities; significant resources are spent on out-of-home placements for youth who commit status offenses; there is a lack of funding for community-based services and alternatives; and the majority of cases in the juvenile justice system are for lower-level offenses. The task force recommended expanding community-based services; focusing out-of-home placements on youth who commit more serious offenses, and reinvesting resulting savings in prevention and early intervention efforts; increasing the effectiveness of juvenile justice programs and services and improving oversight of reform implementation; and tracking performance measures. S.C.R. 35, signed into law March 14, 2013.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Reports | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Improved Outcomes for Youth Justice Policy Institute [Exec. Summ]
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | General System Reform | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Status Offenses | Partner Publications
A look at Connecticut’s juvenile justice system reforms shows how a culture change and major investments in evidence-based services turned a wasteful, punitive, ineffective, and abusive juvenile justice system into a national model, at no additional cost to taxpayers.
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Diverting Youth from the Justice System: Why and How
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Research | NJJN Publications | Partner Publications
This policy update from NJJN briefly summarizes the research on the effectiveness of juvenile diversion programs and summarizes the contents of *The Juvenile Diversion Guidebook,* a resource from Models for Change that offers users practical insight, advice, and direction in developing and improving diversion programs.
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Defending Childhood: [Executive Summary] Report of the Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence
Tags: Federal | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Girls | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | LGBTQ Youth | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Risk Assessment and Screening | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Victims | Reports
This document summarizes key recommendations from the Attorney General to prevent children from exposure to crime, abuse, and violence; and assist those who have been exposed. Includes recommendations to improve the juvenile justice system. [Executive Summary]
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Shifting Away From Incarceration: Fiscal Realignment Strategies to End the Mass Incarceration of Youth in the United States
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Presentations | Member Publications
An overview of realignment trends in the U.S. that are reducing the number of youth who are incarcerated. Special focus on Redeploy Illinois, as well as the Pathways to Desistance research showing better outcomes for youth kept in their homes.
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Pennsylvania Establishes Justice Reinvestment Fund, H.B. 135
Tags: Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Legislation
The Pennsylvania General Assembly established the Justice Reinvestment Fund, funded by savings accrued to the Department of Corrections from reductions in the state’s prison population, increased diversion of adults convicted of low-level offenses, and improved efficiencies in the parole system. For the 2013-14 fiscal year, 75 percent of the total calculated savings from the prior fiscal year were allocated to the fund. A portion of the fund must be spent on programs for youth in the justice system. The legislation authorizes continued funding, at a lower percentage, through fiscal year 2017-18. H.B. 135, signed into law October 25, 2012; effective December 24, 2012.
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Community Solutions for Youth in Trouble
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
This report by NJJN member Texas Criminal Justice Coalition identifies juvenile justice programs that have proven successful despite real-world challenges and restraints.
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Cost-Saving & Public Safety-Driven Strategies for Texas’ Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition Educational Primer
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Reports | Member Publications
The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition created an educational primer that outlines six criminal and juvenile justice areas in need of improvement, with realistic reform solutions in each area.
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Emerging Findings and Policy Implications from the Pathways to Desistance Study
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Institutional Conditions | NJJN Publications
New research suggests providing the appropriate services can significantly change the life trajectory of youth in the juvenile justice system.
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Issues Rule Mandating Least Restrictive Disposition for Youth, Rules 512, 1240, 1242, and 1512
Tags: Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Court Decisions and Related Documents
When out-of-home placement is deemed to be necessary for a youth, juvenile courts in Pennsylvania must now explain why they are placing the youth outside of the home and why the placement is the least restrictive type of placement that is consistent with the protection of the public and the rehabilitation needs of the child.
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Vermont Revises Delinquency Proceedings to Expand Options for Youth, H.B. 751
Tags: Vermont | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Vermont revised its laws governing delinquency proceedings in order to create more consistency in proceedings and to expand options available through the family court to help reduce the number of older youth who are processed in adult court. The legislation extends the maximum age that a youth can remain under juvenile probation to 18-and-a-half. Additionally, the law mandates that all youth referred to the delinquency docket have the opportunity to participate in a standard screening/assessment. The identified risk level must then be provided to the prosecutor, who may use it to help decide whether to send the youth to court or to a diversion program. Lastly, the law allows the court to refer youth who plead guilty to delinquency offenses directly to a community-based alternative—bypassing several hearings and probation—where victim restoration and the youth’s skills and needs are addressed. H.B. 751/Act No. 159, signed into law May 17, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
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Legislature Mandates Examination of Detention Practices in Maryland
Tags: Maryland | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Maryland passed legislation requiring the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to report on how it will work to ensure that youth charged as adults can be detained within juvenile facilities and how it will reduce the overall number of youth held in detention. DJS’ report, submitted in December 2012, discussed its work with the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative to reduce reliance on detention, use of prevention and diversion services, use of an objective risk assessment instrument to guide detention decisions, and efforts to reduce the numbers of youth held in detention while pending placement. H.B. 1122/Act No. 416, signed into law May 2, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
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SHIFTING AWAY FROM INCARCERATION: Fiscal Realignment Strategies to End the Mass Incarceration of Youth in the United States, Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Member Publications
This paper documents the national shift from away from juvenile incarceration to community alternatives to confinement. Focuses on Redeploy Illinois but documents similar reforms across the U.S. Also highlights U.S. longitudinal research documenting better outcomes for youth treated in community alternatives rather than removed from their homes.
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Florida Continues to Eliminate Prison Beds and Increase Community-Based Alternatives, H.B. 5001/Act No. 2012-118
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Privatization | Legislation
The final FY 2012-13 Florida budget passed by the legislature and signed by the governor eliminated over 300 juvenile beds and reinvested over $6 million in community-based alternatives. The state continued its move toward privatization, however; the budget included proviso language assuring 100 percent privatization of Florida’s juvenile prison system (excluding detention) by the end of the fiscal year. H.B. 5001/Act No. 2012-118, signed into law April 17, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
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Kentucky - Concurrent Resolution to study Juvenile Code, HCR 129
Tags: Kentucky | Brain and Adolescent Development | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Status Offenses | Legislation
Establish a task force to study the Unified Juvenile Code; establish membership of task force; provide that the task force is to study issues related to status offenders, the use of community resources, alternatives to detention, reinvestment of savings to create community based treatment programs, feasibility of establishing an age of criminal responsibility, issues related to domestic violence and its impact on children exposed to domestic violence, issues related to special needs children, and use of validated risk and needs assessments; require the task force to submit a report to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2012.
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Nebraska Expands Community-Based Services for Youth on Probation, L.B. 985
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
Through the Nebraska Juvenile Service Delivery Project, Nebraska expanded a pilot program to provide community-based services for youth on probation. Legislation expanded the program to three sites and allocated over $8 million for it from the state’s general fund. The legislation’s stated goals include preventing unnecessary commitment of youth, eliminating barriers to services, preventing unnecessary penetration of youth deeper into the juvenile justice system, using the least intrusive and restrictive means of meeting youth’s needs and maintaining public safety, and improving outcomes for youth by using evidence-based practices and responsive case management. L.B. 985 and L.B. 985A, signed into law and effective April 5, 2012.
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Nebraska Expands Community-Based Services for Youth on Probation, L.B. 985A
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Evidence-Based Practices | Legislation
Through the Nebraska Juvenile Service Delivery Project, Nebraska expanded a pilot program to provide community-based services for youth on probation. Legislation expanded the program to three sites and allocated over $8 million for it from the state’s general fund. The legislation’s stated goals include preventing unnecessary commitment of youth, eliminating barriers to services, preventing unnecessary penetration of youth deeper into the juvenile justice system, using the least intrusive and restrictive means of meeting youth’s needs and maintaining public safety, and improving outcomes for youth by using evidence-based practices and responsive case management. L.B. 985 and L.B. 985A, signed into law and effective April 5, 2012.
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New York Approves Close to Home Initiative
Tags: New York | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
New York State lawmakers approved a package of major juvenile justice reforms called the “Juvenile Justice Services Close to Home” initiative for inclusion in Governor Cuomo’s 2012 budget. Close to Home aims to place most New York City youth who are adjudicated delinquent in residential facilities near their home communities, reserving secure state confinement facilities for youth who have committed the most serious offenses. Under the law, New York City is to develop a comprehensive system that ensures the least restrictive and most appropriate level of care for all youth. The initiative’s stated goals are to: create a continuum of diversion, supervision, treatment, and confinement; minimize the dislocation of youth from their families and community supports; promote family and community involvement; ensure system accountability; be data-driven and based on “evidence-informed” practices; and provide effective reintegration services, especially with regard to education and treatment services. A. 9057/Act No. 57, signed into law March 30, 2012; effective September 1, 2012.
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Youth Experiences at Giddings State School Survey Findings
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Family and Youth Involvement | Reports
Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, an NJJN member, conducted a study of 115 youth at the Giddings State School, a youth prison, and found that youth benefit from contact with family and mentors.
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Youth with Deferred Dispositions May Be Given Conditional Release
Tags: Maine | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Legislation
Maine law now allows conditional release under the supervision of a community corrections officer as an option for youth with deferred dispositions. The law was enacted in an effort to help youth who are charged in the delinquency system keep their records clean/sealed. H.P. 1206/Act No. 480, signed into law and effective March 1, 2012.
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The Truth About Consequences: Studies Point toward Sparing Use of Formal Juvenile Justice System Processing and Incarceration
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | General System Reform | NJJN Publications
Recent research shows that incarcerating young people and formally processing them through the juvenile justice system is harmful and counter-productive in most cases.
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Innovation Brief: Using Diversion Fairly, Consistently, and Effectively
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
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Little Rock, Arkansas One-Cent Sales Tax Provides an Additional $3 Million for Community-Based Youth Programming
Tags: Arkansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Prevention | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
On September 6, 2011, the city of Little Rock passed a one-cent sales tax increase that included, in the public safety section of the proposal, $3 million in additional revenue for prevention, intervention and treatment (PIT) programs to reduce juvenile crime.
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Illinois Limits Use of Secure Confinement, Illinois, H.B. 83
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Limits judges' ability to commit youth to secure confinement and the Department of Juvenile Justice until they have determined it is necessary, based on "a review of the youth's age, criminal history, mental health assessment and other factors." The bill also requires judges to verify that commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice is the least restrictive alternative, and that all reasonable efforts to serve youth in their homes have been made.
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Illinois Requires Consideration of Community Alternatives to Incarceration in All Juvenile Cases, H.B. 83
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Legislation now requires juvenile court judges in Illinois to review additional factors before sentencing youth, with the goal of ensuring incarceration is the last resort. The law states that the court may commit a youth to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) only if such commitment is the least restrictive alternative appropriate for the youth.
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Connecticut Restricts Use of Detention, H.B. 6634
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Legislation
Connecticut law restricts placement of youth in detention unless there is probable cause to believe the youth has committed the acts alleged and there is no less restrictive alternative available. The law also carves out six additional factors that allow for detention, including a strong probability that a youth will run away and a judicial finding of a violation of a suspended detention order. No youth may be held in any detention center without a judicial order to detain.
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Florida Expands Juvenile Civil Citation Program, H.B. 997
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Based on the success of Miami-Dade’s civil citation program for youth, the Florida Legislature required that other jurisdictions in the state create juvenile civil citation programs or similar diversion programs. Miami-Dade’s model civil citation program offers diversion services for hundreds of youth each year who have committed nonviolent misdemeanors.
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Bringing Youth Home: A National Movement to Increase Public Safety, Rehabilitate Youth and Save Money, National Juvenile Justice Network
Tags: Alabama | California | District of Columbia | Florida | Kansas | New York | Ohio | Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Crime Data and Statistics | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports | NJJN Publications
Report highlighting positive news stemming from and of interest to budget conscious and public safety-minded states. The publication includes examples of states that reduced their juvenile facility populations and are now not only reaping the rewards of newfound funds that can be directed into more effective community-based services for youth, but are also seeing a better return on their investment in terms of juvenile rehabilitation and public safety.
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Maine Juvenile Courts Gain Option of Deferred Disposition, S.P. 402
Tags: Maine | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Juvenile courts in Maine may now impose a deferred disposition in juvenile cases where a youth admits to committing a delinquent act.
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Florida Restricts Incarceration of Youth with Low-Level Convictions, S.B. 2114
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
With some exceptions, Florida courts may no longer commit youth without felony convictions to residential facilities. Exceptions include youth with three or more prior misdemeanor adjudications and youth adjudicated of offenses highly correlated with risk to re-offend. In its reasoning for the law, the legislature cites the high cost of incarceration, the ineffectiveness of incarceration, and the benefits of keeping youth connected with their families and communities.
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Nebraska Funds Diversion Programming, L.B. 463
Tags: Nebraska | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
The Nebraska Legislature ordered the transfer of $100,000 to the Supreme Court Education Fund to assist the juvenile justice system in providing pre-filing and diversion programming designed to reduce excessive absenteeism from school and unnecessary involvement with the juvenile justice system. L.B. 463, signed into law and effective May 11, 2011.
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Colorado Reduces Juvenile Detention Bed Cap by 57 Beds, S.B. 217
Tags: Colorado | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Legislation
The cap on the number of juvenile detention beds in Colorado was reduced by law from 479 to 422 beds. Bed caps on detention originated from S.B. 94 in 1991; the state periodically revises the caps as the utilization rate declines. When the cap is exceeded, the state must do an emergency release. The bed reduction also allows the legislature to reduce corresponding costs.
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New York Funds Detention Alternatives and Requires Use of Pre-Trial Risk Assessment Instrument Through SFY 11-12 Budget
Tags: New York | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Risk Assessment and Screening | Legislation
Through the 2011-12 adopted state budget, New York lawmakers agreed to allow local jurisdictions the option to use state detention funds for detention alternatives, such as community-based supervision and treatment programs. In the past, the state has not reimbursed for such programs, although it reimbursed counties for detention use; now the state will reimburse the community-based supervision programs at a higher rate than for detention. The budget also requires all local jurisdictions to begin using a pre-trial detention risk assessment instrument to make better decisions about whom to detain pre-trial, and to report to the state on who is being detained.
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Order Mandating Least Restrictive Disposition for Youth, Rules 512, 1240, 1242, and 1512
Tags: Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Court Decisions and Related Documents
When out-of-home placement is deemed to be necessary for a youth, juvenile courts in Pennsylvania must now explain why they are placing the youth outside of the home and why the placement is the least restrictive type of placement that is consistent with the protection of the public and the rehabilitation needs of the child.
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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Rules Mandating Least Restrictive Disposition for Youth, Rules 512, 1240, 1242, and 1512, Explanatory Report
Tags: Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Court Decisions and Related Documents
When out-of-home placement is deemed to be necessary for a youth, juvenile courts in Pennsylvania must now explain why they are placing the youth outside of the home and why the placement is the least restrictive type of placement that is consistent with the protection of the public and the rehabilitation needs of the child.
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Mississippi Creates Intensive Supervision Program as Alternative to Incarceration, H.B. 420
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Mississippi's new intensive supervision program creates community-based alternatives to imprisonment for youth throughout the state. The legislation creates slots for 75 youth in each county to participate in the program.
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Models for Change Juvenile Diversion Guidebook
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
To guide local policymakers, Models for Change has compiled a detailed guidebook to help jurisdictions plan, implement, or improve a juvenile diversion program.
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Programs that Work for Everyone, Truth of Youth Toolkit
Tags: Arkansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Fact sheet from Arkansas on benefits of community-based programs.
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Reducing the Use of Incarceration for Status Offenders in Kentucky, Kentucky Youth Advocates
Tags: Kentucky | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Status Offenses | Reports | Member Publications
Updated issue brief including statistics on youth charged with status offenses in Kentucky and criticizing the use of incarceration for youth who commit status offenses because of its ineffectiveness and expense. The brief also includes examples of effective approaches being used in Kentucky.
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Indiana Department of Corrections Announces Closure of Northeast Juvenile Correctional Facility, Press Release, May 29, 2010
Tags: Indiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
The Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) shut down the Northeast Indiana Juvenile Correctional Facility on May 29, 2010 due to dramatic reductions in commitments to the facility—from a peak of over 100 youth in 2008/2009 to approximately 45 youth in May 2010. IDOC has worked closely with the juvenile courts to establish appropriate community-based diversion programs aimed at reducing commitments to secure confinement. Through these efforts, the overall juvenile population in IDOC facilities has been reduced from over 1,400 youth in July 2004 to approximately 750 youth in May 2010. IDOC estimates that it will realize approximately $4 million in annual savings from the closure of the Northeast Indiana Juvenile Correctional Facility.
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Santa Clara County, California Limits Detention of Young Children, May 11, 2010
Tags: California | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
On May 11, 2010, the Board of Supervisors in Santa Clara County, California unanimously approved a new policy discouraging the detention of children under the age of 13. The Board hopes that the policy will encourage judges to send children to alternative settings, such as home-based supervision, intensive foster care, and community-based treatment centers.
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Santa Clara County, California Probation Report on Detention of Young Children, May 11, 2010
Tags: California | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Reports
On May 11, 2010, the Board of Supervisors in Santa Clara County, California unanimously approved a new policy discouraging the detention of children under the age of 13. The Board hopes that the policy will encourage judges to send children to alternative settings, such as home-based supervision, intensive foster care, and community-based treatment centers.
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Santa Clara County, California Juvenile Justice Commission Report on Detention of Young Children, April 8, 2010
Tags: California | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Reports
On May 11, 2010, the Board of Supervisors in Santa Clara County, California unanimously approved a new policy discouraging the detention of children under the age of 13. The Board hopes that the policy will encourage judges to send children to alternative settings, such as home-based supervision, intensive foster care, and community-based treatment centers.
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Mississippi Limits Use of Secure Confinement for Nonviolent Offenses, S.B. 2984
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Building on H.B. 1494 from 2009, Mississippi law now provides that no child who has been adjudicated delinquent for a nonviolent felony or fewer than three misdemeanors may be committed to the state training school. The legislation encourages placement in the least restrictive environment for those youth committed to the state Division of Youth Services. The law will downsize the Oakley Training School and help ensure that youth who commit low-level offenses are not imprisoned.
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Evidence-Based Programs for Juvenile Justice Reform in Louisiana, White Paper Summary, Models for Change
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Brief summary outlining the role of evidence-based programs in juvenile justice, the benefit of these programs and what Louisiana can do to adopt and utilize these programs.
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Pathways to Desistance: A Longitudinal Study of Serious Adolescent Offenders Teleconference Audio Recording, Professor Edward P. Mulvey
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Presentations
Professor Mulvey describes the most recent findings of a longitudinal study of serious youth offenders that shows that community-based alternatives are as effective as institutional care.
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Pathways to Desistance: A Longitudinal Study of Serious Adolescent Offenders Teleconference Presentation
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization
Professor Mulvey describes the most recent findings of a longitudinal study of serious youth offenders that shows that community-based alternatives are as effective as institutional care.
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Formal System Processing of Juveniles: Effects on Delinquency, The Campbell Collaboration
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Research
Meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials comparing youth who were formally processed in the juvenile justice system with youth who were diverted to alternative programs or simply released.
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Curbing Re-Arrest for Serious Offenses: Community-Based Alternatives for Youth as Effective as Institutional Placements
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | NJJN Publications
Brief summarizing findings from a longitudinal study on serious youth offenders ("Research on Pathways to Desistance," Models for Change, December 2009) that offer guidance for state policymakers concerned with over-reliance on expensive youth incarceration. Research demonstrates that incarceration provides no public safety benefit over community-based supervision.
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Texas Task Force for Children with Special Needs, 2011-2016 Five-Year Plan
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Reports
The Texas Legislature created the Interagency Task Force for Children with Special Needs in order to improve the coordination and quality of services for children and youth with special needs. The report includes several objectives related to juvenile justice, including diversion and minimization of youth involvement in the juvenile justice system; improved assessment of youth entering the system; and improved services for youth with special needs, both within the system and upon reentry to their communities.
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Research on Pathways to Desistance, Research Update Created for the Fourth Annual Models for Change Working Conference
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Research
Summary of research suggesting that community-based options may be more effective than incarceration for some youth convicted of serious offenses.
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New Research Shows Community-Based Alternatives are Effective in Curbing Re-arrest in Youth with Serious Offenses
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Research
Summary of research suggesting that community-based options may be more effective than incarceration for some youth convicted of serious offenses.
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Improving School Climate: Findings From Schools Implementing Restorative Practices
Tags: International | Pennsylvania | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Restorative Justice | Reports | Research | Fact Sheets and Briefs
Restorative justice has the potential to transform the way schools, communities, and the criminal justice system respond to disruptive student behavior and violence.These findings are composed of excerpts from articles, as well as disciplinary data from individual schools and school districts, that give a snapshot of how restorative practices are being implemented and its effects.
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Oregon Develops Wraparound Initiative to Provide Youth Services, H.B. 2144
Tags: Oregon | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
New legislation requires the Oregon Department of Education, Oregon Youth Authority, Department of Human Services, State Commission on Children and Families, and other agencies to participate in a wraparound initiative to support the family and youth they serve. Agencies must also ensure cultural competence in the services they provide.
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Texas Creates Task Force for Children with Special Needs in Order to Address Service Delivery in Juvenile Justice System, S.B. 1824
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Risk Assessment and Screening | Legislation
The Texas Legislature created the Interagency Task Force for Children with Special Needs in order to improve the coordination and quality of services for children and youth with special needs. The report includes several objectives related to juvenile justice, including diversion and minimization of youth involvement in the juvenile justice system; improved assessment of youth entering the system; and improved services for youth with special needs, both within the system and upon reentry to their communities.
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Louisiana Encourages Establishment of Evidence-Based Programs, H.B. 701
Tags: Louisiana | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
New legislation in Louisiana specifically authorizes commissioners of juvenile justice districts to enter into agreements to establish and maintain evidence-based programs for youth.
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Redeploy Illinois Becomes Permanent Initiative and Expands Across State, S.B. 1013
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | General System Reform | Legislation
In April 2009, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law to convert Redeploy Illinois from a pilot program to a permanent initiative that will be accessible to approximately 70 counties that were previously excluded because of their low numbers of delinquent youth. Redeploy Illinois reallocates state funds from juvenile correctional confinement to local jurisdictions in order to establish a continuum of local, community-based sanctions and treatment alternatives for youth offenders.
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Costs of Confinement: Why Good Juvenile Justice Policies Make Good Fiscal Sense, Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports
Report showing that states could save money, preserve public safety, and improve life outcomes for youth by redirecting the money to community-based alternatives.
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Keeping Our Kids at Home: Expanding Community-Based Facilities for Adjudicated Youth, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Tags: Texas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
Report examines existing barriers to the establishment of community-based options for system-involved youth.
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North Dakota Improves Services for Transition-Aged Youth, H.B. 1044
Tags: North Dakota | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Legislation now requires the North Dakota Department of Human Services to use a wraparound planning process to develop a program for services to transition-aged youth at risk. The legislation applies to youth who have been involved in the juvenile justice or foster care systems, youth with serious mental illness or serious disability, and youth with suicidal tendencies.
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Mississippi Prohibits Sending Nonviolent, First-Time Juvenile Offenders to Training School Without Specific Finding from the Court, H.B. 1494
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Legislation
Mississippi prohibits courts from sending first-time nonviolent juvenile offenders or youth under the age of 10 to the state training school without first making a specific finding of fact by a preponderance of the evidence. The court must assess "what is in the best rehabilitative interest of the child and the public safety of communities and that there is no reasonable alternative to a non-secure setting and therefore secure commitment is appropriate." The law also requires the court to make a similar finding of fact by a preponderance of the evidence before it sends a first-time nonviolent youth offender to detention for more than 90 days.
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Illinois Expands Redeploy Illinois, Illinois, Public Act 95-1050
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Expands the Redeploy Illinois Program from a pilot program to a permanent initiative that will be extended to other counties.
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Mississippi Authorizes Community-Based Services, H.B. 471
Tags: Mississippi | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
A Mississippi law now specifically authorizes the Department of Human Services to develop regional and community-based juvenile residential facilities and specialized therapeutic programs and facilities.
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Best Practices in Juvenile Justice Reform, The Future of Children
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Reports
Summary of best practices in juvenile justice reform, including a focus on evidence-based programs, community interventions, and improved institutional conditions.
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Cost-Benefit Brochure, Tow Foundation
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Brochure showing the increased expenses associated with the criminal justice system as opposed to community-based initiatives.
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Senate Bill 94 Reference Manual, Colorado Department of Human Services, Division of Youth Corrections, January 2009
Tags: Colorado | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Detention | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Bed caps on detention originated from S.B. 94 in 1991; the state periodically revises the caps as the utilization rate declines. When the cap is exceeded, the state must do an emergency release. The bed reduction also allows the legislature to reduce corresponding costs. S.B. 94 also created a Juvenile Services Fund to fund local alternatives to incarceration.
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Redeploy Illinois Annual Report: Implementation and Impact, Legislative Report
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports
Report summarizing Redeploy Illinois study in which four sites were provided with financial support to deliver comprehensive services in their home communities to youth who might otherwise have been sent to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) with a goal of reducing juvenile commitments by twenty five percent. In its first three years of providing services, approximately 400 youth residing in the pilot site communities were diverted from commitment to the IDJJ.
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Redeploy Illinois Summary Sheet
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports
Summary of Redeploy Illinois program whose purpose is to create financial incentives to keep youth in the local community rather than commit them to the Department of Juvenile Justice through community-based alternatives. In the first two years of implementation, the Redeploy Illinois pilot sites, on average, reduced commitments to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) by forty four percent within their communities, or 226 fewer youth equivalent to gross savings of over $11 million in the four sites.
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Challenges of Implementing Evidence-Based Practices with Youth of Color Teleconference Audio Recording, Dr. Ken Martinez
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Presentations
Dr. Ken Martinez discusses the challenges of using evidence based practices with youth of color.
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Challenges of Implementing Evidence-Based Practices with Youth of Color Teleconference Presentation, Dr. Ken Martinez
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Presentations
PowerPoint slide show used by Dr. Ken Martinez for his teleconference on October 7, 2008.
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First Report to the Nation on Youth Courts: The 15 Year Update, 1993-2008, Scott B. Peterson and Jill Beres
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Report chronicling the history and progress of youth courts and teen courts from 1993-2008.
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Juvenile Justice Diversion Programs: A Study of Civil Citation and Teen Court Programs
Tags: Florida | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Research
This report focuses on the current operationalization of Civil Citation and Teen Court programs as well as establishing guidelines for starting Civil Citation programs in communities that are planning to begin a program.
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Help Closer to Home, New York Times Editorial
Tags: New York | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Media
Newspaper article discussing the need to close unneeded juvenile centers in New York and instead invest the money in community-based programs.
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Connecticut Strengthens Protections for Youth in Families with Service Needs Cases, Connecticut, H.B. 5926/Public Act 08-86
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Risk Assessment and Screening | Legislation
Improves the due process rights of children in families with service needs cases and clarifies issues of confidentiality of mental health screenings and assessments.
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Juvenile Justice in Arkansas: A Long Road to a Promising Future, Paul Kelly, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families
Tags: Arkansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
Report urging Arkansas to take advantage of a drop in juvenile crime rates to move from an institution-based system to one that allows youth to be treated for underlying problems in their communities. The report calls on the state to move from incarcerating youth in far-away prisons where their problems may be exacerbated, to treating and preventing their conduct, behavior, and substance-abuse problems in community-based programs and facilities.
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Juvenile Justice Reform in Arkansas: Building a Better Future for Youth, Their Families, and the Community, Pat Arthur and Tim Roche, in Collaboration with the Arkansas Division of Youth Services
Tags: Arkansas | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Reports
Report calling for widespread reform of Arkansas' juvenile justice system. The report finds that many non-violent youthful offenders are being confined simply because there is not an adequate array of community-based interventions available for them and their families. The authors identify factors that lead to over-reliance on secure confinement and make specific recommendations to address each. Additionally, the report identifies specific steps that can be immediately taken to better serve youth and streamline the system.
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Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers Using Evidence-Based Practices, National Council of La Raza
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Reports
Report focusing on the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) within the Latino juvenile population. The report discusses the utility of EBPs, but also notes the limited evidence of successful outcomes for Latino youth. More research is necessary to improve the efficacy of EBPs for Latinos; an effective juvenile justice system must assess whether the responses utilized take into account the cultural and linguistic needs of the population under their care.
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Redeploy Illinois: A Good Investment, Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports
Summary of Redeploy Illinois program, whose purpose is to create financial incentives to keep youth in the local community rather than commit them to the Department of Juvenile Justice through community-based alternatives.
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Colorado Includes Restorative Justice in Children's Code, Colorado, H.B. 08-1117
Tags: Colorado | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Legislation
Amends Children's Code to include a provision for restorative justice for most offenses.
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Connecticut Provides New Services for Families with Service Needs, Connecticut, H.B. 5576
Tags: Connecticut | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Creates and funds Family Support Centers in four communities for families with needs.
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Tennessee Focuses Juvenile Programs on Evidence-Based Programs, Tennesse, H.B. 1614/ S.B. 1790
Tags: Tennessee | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Prevention | Legislation
State agencies in Tennessee may no longer expend funds on juvenile justice programs or programs related to delinquency prevention and treatment unless the program is evidence-based.
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Evidence-Based Juvenile Offender Programs, Washington State Institute for Public Policy
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
List of six juvenile offender programs in Washington that have been identified by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) as evidence-based. Each program listing contains a brief description, information regarding quality assurance, program cost per participant, and a list of the research citations used in WSIPP's analysis.
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Washington Funds Expansion of Evidence-Based Programs, Washington, Chapter 522
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Legislation
Increases appropriations for evidence-based programs.
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Redeploy Illinois: A Good Investment, Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois, FY 2009 Appropriations
Tags: Illinois | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Deinstitutionalization | Fiscal Issues and Funding | Reports
Report summarizing Redeploy Illinois study in which four sites were provided with financial support to deliver comprehensive services in their home communities to youth who might otherwise have been sent to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) with a goal of reducing juvenile commitments by twenty five percent. In the first two years of implementation, the Redeploy Illinois pilot sites, on average, reduced commitments to IDJJ by forty four percent, or 226 fewer youth, thereby saving the state of Illinois millions of dollars.
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New Mexico Incorporates JDAI Principles in Children's Code, New Mexico, H.B. 517
Tags: New Mexico | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Legislation
Incorporates the guiding principles of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative into the Purpose section of the Delinquency Article of the New Mexico Children's Code, furthering the state's detention reform efforts.
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Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice Costs, and Crime Rates, Washington State Institute for Public Policy
Tags: Washington | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Research
Paper providing background information on historic and projected incarceration rates in Washington, as well as a history of crime rates and fiscal costs of the criminal justice system. It also describes the process used to determine if evidence-based and economically sound options exist, and examines adult corrections, juvenile corrections, and prevention programs.
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Planning Community-Based Facilities for Violent Juvenile Offenders as Part of a Systems of Graduated Sanctions, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Bulletin discussing the use of small, secure, community-based or regional facilities to house serious, violent, and/or chronic juvenile offenders. Bulletin presents basic information relevant to planning such facilities. After a brief review of juvenile arrest and incarceration trends, the bulletin discusses the advantages of small, secure, community-based or regional facilities and outlines a process for developing such facilities within a comprehensive juvenile justice system master plan. The bulletin also describes three sample programs and presents a list of related resources.
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Using an Integrated Model to Implement Evidence-Based Practices in Corrections, International Community Corrections Association and American Correctional Association
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Reports
Discussion of eight evidence-based principles for effective interventions: (1) assess actuarial risks/needs, (2) enhance intrinsic motivation, (3) target interventions, (4) skill train with directed practice, (5) increase positive reinforcement, (6) engage ongoing support in natural communities, (7) measure relevant processes/practices, and (8) provide measurement feedback.
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Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections
Tags: Federal | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Fact Sheets and Briefs
A toolkit that speaks to how to better support and improve the long-term outcomes for youth with disabilities in juvenile correctional facilities.