Blog: Juvenile Justice Reform

2009 Juvenile Court Statistics: Process and Trends

By Melany Boulton, August 16 2012

A new report from the National Center for Juvenile Justice analyzes the 1.5 million delinquency cases processed by juvenile courts in that year. “Juvenile Court Statistics 2009,” closely examines the type of offenses committed, who committed them and how the young people were processed before, during and after their court appearances. In addition, the report looked over juvenile statistics from as far back as 1985 to determine the trends juvenile cases.
The process of the juvenile justice system has many different steps and there are a number of ways that a teen can be processed depending on their circumstances, offense committed and various other factors. All cases need to be referred to the court, usually by law enforcement agencies, and then it is determined if the case will be handled formally or informally and in juvenile or criminal court. In 2009, juvenile courts handled roughly 4,100 cases each day, 30% more than in 1985 and 300% than in 1960.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, OJJDP

A Look Back on 11 Years of Juvenile Justice Reform

By David Backes, August 15 2012

Earlier this summer, the National Conference of State Legislatures published a report detailing the progress made in the juvenile justice arena at the state and national levels. The report, “Trends in Juvenile Justice State Legislation: 2001-2011,” begins with an brief look into the past:
“A rise in serious juvenile crime in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to state laws that moved away from the traditional emphasis on rehabilitation in the juvenile justice system toward tougher, more punitive treatment of youth, including adult handling.”
Over the past decade, the pendulum has swung the other way, focusing more on rehabilitation rather than punishment with thanks primarily to new research on cognitive development. Via the report:
“Findings by the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice show that adolescent brains do not fully develop until about age 25, and the immature, emotional and impulsive nature characteristic of adolescents makes them more susceptible to committing crimes.”
The report outlines the major milestones and trends at both the state and national level, which are presented chronologically below. Post in the comments if there are any major milestones from your state that are missing from the list below!

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box

King County, Washington Buys into Juvenile Justice and More; News Roundup

By David Backes, August 10 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, Juvenile Treatment Drug Court, News, No bio box, Positive Youth Development

6 Major Findings from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department Performance Assessment Report

By David Backes, August 08 2012

Texas FlagThe Texas Juvenile Justice Department released an encouraging report detailing the success of their Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs). These programs have been providing education for students expelled from traditional schools since the 1996-1997 school year.
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department found that the JJAEP has been improving over the past several years--test scores are up, costs are down, and behavior has improved. See the list below for details on the report’s major findings (via the report):

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, Juvenile Reentry, No bio box, Texas

Promise Unfulfilled: Juvenile Justice in America

By Tamar Birckhead, August 06 2012

In partnership with several juvenile justice advocates around the country, Cathryn Crawford, a national expert in juvenile and criminal justice, has edited a new book entitled "Promise Unfulfilled: Juvenile Justice in America" (IDEA 2012).
Through a combination of original and reprinted articles written by academics, lawyers, and advocates, “Promise Unfulfilled” addresses the problems with designing and implementing effective systems to deal with children in conflict with the law, and it describes various challenges children in the juvenile justice system face and offers suggestions for reform.
The authors include James Bell, Founder and Director of the W. Haywood Burns Institute, who wrote on the over-incarceration of youth of color; Jacqueline Bullard, an appellate defender in Illinois, who wrote on best interest versus expressed interest representation of minors in delinquency court; and Neelum Arya (Barry Law, Campaign for Youth Justice) who wrote on state legislative victories from 2005-2010 in the area of removing youth from the adult criminal justice system. I have a chapter that is adapted from my article, Culture Clash: The Challenge of Lawyering Across Difference in Juvenile Court, 62 Rutgers L. Rev. 959 (2010). There are also chapters on the school-to-prison pipeline, addressing the mental health needs of juveniles, and best practices for working with girls in the delinquency system.

Topics: Adolescent Mental Health, Gender-Specific, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, schools

Juvenile Justice Reform with Tyler the Poodle and More; News Roundup

By David Backes, August 03 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Summer Work Program Brings Change; Teens Congratulated for Personal Growth (JacksonSun.com)
    Jackson, Tennessee Mayor Jerry Gist’s Gang Prevention Task Force gave jobs to 43 "at-risk" youth between the ages of 15 and 18 at different locations across Madison County. The young people worked and received mentoring. The county has seen a much lower juvenile arrest rate during this same period.
  • Project to Help Juveniles Make Successful Transition (CarmiTimes.com)
    The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission on Tuesday announced the start of a demonstration project to reduce the recidivism and improve the outcomes of juvenile offenders. The project will provide intensive reintegration services to help youth transition back into their communities.
  • Prosecutors Share Details of Juvenile Justice System (EnidNews.com)
    Juvenile justice is one of the most difficult parts of the law, but a necessary one designed to do what is in the best interests of the children involved.
  • Kids in Court Have a Friend in Tyler the Poodle (PNJ.com)
    Tyler [the poodle] is one of thousands of certified pet-therapy dogs nationwide, but rather than visiting people in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice centers, schools or libraries, he helps kids in the juvenile court system.
  • Ohio Delegation Visits NJ To Study Juvenile Detention Reform Efforts (NJToday.net)
    A delegation from the state of Ohio including judges, court administrators, representative from the Ohio Department of Youth Services, and other stakeholders, are in New Jersey to attend a two-day working session designed to help Ohio replicate New Jersey’s success in juvenile detention reform.

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

Goldman Sachs Invests $10M in Social Impact Bond to Reduce NYC Teen Recidivism Rates

By Liz Wu, August 02 2012

Goldman Sachs is investing almost $10 million in a government program to reduce recidivism rates among adolescent men.
Earlier today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that Goldman Sachs would provide a $9.6 million loan to pay for a new four year program to reduce the rate at which teen boys incarcerated at Rikers Island reoffend. Goldman Sachs is providing the financing through a social impact bond and will only be repaid if the program reduces recidivism rates by more than 10%. Currently, nearly 50% of the young men released from Rikers reoffend within one year.
According to the New York Times:

The Goldman money will be used to pay MDRC, a social services provider, to design and oversee the program. If the program reduces recidivism by 10 percent, Goldman would be repaid the full $9.6 million; if recidivism drops more, Goldman could make as much as $2.1 million in profit; if recidivism does not drop by at least 10 percent, Goldman would lose as much as $2.4 million.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, New York, No bio box, Recidivism, Social Impact Bonds

PODCAST: Early Trauma, Teen Aggression and the Juvenile Justice System

By David Backes, August 01 2012

In a recent podcast, Natalie Katz of Sage Publications interviewed Julian D. Ford, one of the authors of “Complex Trauma and Aggression in Secure Juvenile Justice Settings.” This study, written by John Chapman, Daniel F. Connor and Keith R. Cruise in addition to Ford, examines the relationship between trauma experienced by young people and aggressive behavior, especially in youths in the juvenile justice system.
Below you’ll find Natalie Katz’s main questions in bold, followed by my summary of Ford’s answers. You can also listen to the full podcast here (it’s about 15 minutes long).
What kinds of trauma are most often experienced by youths?
Most youths experience one traumatic event sometime in their childhoods. These events are very seriously threatening and fall into a few different categories:

  • Violation of bodily integrity
  • Violent trauma creating serious physical harm
  • Accidental trauma (driving collisions, falls, etc)

 

Topics: Evidence-Based Practices, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Trauma

Caseload Limits a Win in Washington and More; News Roundup

By David Backes, July 27 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

Topics: Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Positive Youth Development

Missouri’s Unique Approach To Rehabilitating Teens in Juvenile Justice System

By Melany Boulton, July 25 2012

Missouri is changing the way it approaches rehabilitating teens in its juvenile justice system, and it’s working. With a focus on therapy and education rather than punishment, the state closed its training schools and large facilities with minimal schooling in the early 1980s. It also did away with prison-issued uniforms and isolation cells. Now in Missouri, youth who commit crimes usually spend up to 12 months in residential centers with various levels of security, depending on the severity of the crime. Lesser crimes result in teens living in group homes or visiting day treatment centers. Every facility offers the same educational and treatment opportunity, regardless of the crimes committed.

(In this video from The Missouri Approach, young people talk about the success that Missouri’s juvenile justice system has had in their lives and share their positive plans for their futures.)
In a summary published in the 2012 summer edition of American Educator titled, Metamorphosis: How Missouri Rehabilitates Juvenile Offenders, author Jennifer Dubin explains how completely revamping the juvenile correctional system has transformed the way that the state approaches rehabilitating youth for the better. For example, Missouri’s Division of Youth Service (DYS) runs the juvenile facilities in the state, which are completely separate from the court’s jurisdiction once a youth is sentenced to a DYS facility.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, Missouri, No bio box, Positive Youth Development

Georgia Special Council on Justice Turns Its Attention to the Kids

By Mike Klein, July 25 2012

One challenge in almost every policy discussion is how to make the numbers mean something. So, let’s hope these numbers mean something. The annual cost to fully incarcerate someone in Georgia’s juvenile detention system is $98,000 per bed, more than five times greater than adult prison system per person costs. On the other hand, the state share is about $4,300 per pupil in the K-12 public school system. One is an investment in the future. The other is simply shocking.
“Where is that money going? Where is that $98,000?” That question – asked rhetorically – was among several posed this week when the newly reconstituted Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform held its first meeting to consider a vast rewrite of the state juvenile code. The Council retained all 13 members whose work helped to craft ideas for this year’s adult criminal justice system reforms, and it added eight new members, several with juvenile code expertise.
The Council is also expected to consider some unfinished business from the 2012 adult system reforms; in particular, more work on earned compliance credits, mandatory minimum safety valve sentencing ideas, and possible decriminalization of some traffic offenses. But make no mistake about it; the main course on this year’s menu will be juvenile justice reform.

Topics: Georgia, Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box

Beating the School-to-Prison Pipeline by Focusing on Truancy, Absenteeism

By Barbara Grady, July 23 2012

Editor's note: This story is part of a 10-part investigative series: Lessening the impact of incarceration in Oakland.
Judge Gloria Rhynes leveled with the young Oakland mother whose third grader had missed two months of school.
"Did you know, the California Department of Corrections looks at who is absent in the third grade to figure out how many prison cells they are going to need when those children are adults?" Judge Rhynes, an Alameda County Superior Court judge, asked her as the mother’s case was heard in Truancy Court one morning in early May.
"The correlation is that strong," between missing school in the elementary years and winding up in jail, she said, between not learning third grade skills of reading and multiplication to falling so far behind in middle school that by high school the student drops out, the Judge continued. "I just convicted a 19-year old to 30 years to life. Do you think he had an education? Heck no."
Two out of three kids who drop out of Oakland public schools come into contact with the criminal justice system, according to an Oakland Unified School District report. And the dropout rate is 37 percent among Oakland public high school students. In some of Oakland's poorest neighborhoods, more than half of high school students do not graduate.

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

Philanthropist's Grant to Expand Drug Training Programs in Illinois and More; News Roundup

By David Backes, July 20 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Juvenile Justice: They're Just Kids (Hartford Courant)
    Teenagers under age 18 who are charged with misdemeanors can no longer be tried as adults in Connecticut. This overdue new law reflects a more nuanced societal understanding of adolescent development and psychology.
  • Gov. Deal Wants Review of Juvenile Justice System (The Augusta Chronicle)
    Gov. Nathan Deal urged judges, prosecutors, sheriffs and legislators serving on a criminal-justice reform commission Monday to consider every part of the juvenile justice system for overhaul.
  • CT Law Treating 17-Year-Olds as Children in Court Goes Into Effect (EastHampton-PortlandPatch)
    From now on, 17-year-olds arrested for non-felony crimes will be able to take advantage of more state rehabilitation programs rather than jail.
  • Opinion: N.J. Sets a Progressive Example for Juvenile Justice Reform (NJ.com)
    "As a juvenile justice advocate and student of legal history, it appears to me that the court’s holding seems obvious, but juvenile law reform has not gone far enough. The same rationale differentiating youth from adults when considering the harshest sentences also underpins other compelling legal questions," says Matthew M. House.
  • New Law Channeling Older Teens Into Juvenile Court (Hartford Courant)
    New "raise the age'' legislation introduced 17-year-olds into the juvenile court system for the first time on July 1, and by Tuesday, there were 25 of the older kids sitting in detention centers across the state.

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

Prison or Prevention: Maltreated Children and the Juvenile Justice System

By Janice Ereth, July 17 2012

Over the last 20 years, numerous studies have confirmed that children who experience maltreatment are more likely to be referred/arrested for delinquent offenses. Maltreated children have also been found to more likely become involved in the adult criminal justice system. In fact, a 2004 National Institute of Justice study found maltreated children to be 11 times more likely than a matched control group to be arrested, and 2.7 times more likely to be arrested as an adult.
In 2011, the California Senate Office of Research released findings about the foster care experiences of California prison inmates who were scheduled to be paroled within eight months of June 2008. This research found that of the 2,549 polled inmates, 316 men and 40 women (14%) had been in foster care sometime during their youth and half of this percentage had been placed in group homes.
As a result of these studies, several child protective service (CPS) agencies, including the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County (LA), have joined forces with their counterparts in the juvenile justice system to collaboratively service youth who were concurrently involved in both of these systems. These youth are commonly referred to as “crossover” youth. While LA was observing some initial positive outcomes from these teaming efforts, two leaders [1] involved in the effort wondered if it was possible through research to identify which of the maltreated children were the most likely to become delinquent. If this was possible, then perhaps new practices could be adopted to prevent these youth from becoming delinquent, thereby increasing the likelihood that these most at-risk youth would become productive adults versus adult criminals.

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

Measuring Milwaukee County Juvenile Justice Recidivism

By Vanessa Allen, July 16 2012

To what should Milwaukee County attribute its declining adult and juvenile detention population? This question took shape in a research brief published a year ago by the Public Policy Forum, entitled “Milwaukee County Detainee Populations at Historic Lows: Why is it happening and what does it mean?” In that report, the Forum urged county law enforcement officials and policymakers to consider whether justice system policies that may have contributed to the decline were effective and should be sustained.
Milwaukee County’s Delinquency and Court Services Division (DCSD) asked the Forum to help in making that assessment for the array of services it offers to youth in the juvenile justice system. Success in curbing repeat delinquent behavior can have impacts into adulthood, making the juvenile justice system one critical piece in efforts to control crime and its related costs.
The most common way to assess the success of juvenile delinquency programming is to measure the extent to which participants commit additional crimes, otherwise known as recidivism. However, the best approach to defining a recidivistic event is not always clear cut, with many variations seen nationally.
The Forum’s newest research brief reviews the manner in which DCSD defines recidivism and its progress in reducing it. The following points summarize our findings:

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Recidivism, Wisconsin

Positive Adult Role Models Central to Teens’ Success in Juvenile Justice System and Beyond, says Report

By Melany Boulton, July 13 2012

A report released on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day details the extent to which traumatic events impact children and young people involved in the juvenile justice system. In addition, the report points out the importance of children and teens developing close relationships with caring adults soon after entering the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
"Promoting Recovery and Resilience for Children and Youth Involved in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems,” examines the positive impact that the Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) has had with children and youth by creating a “trauma-informed workforce.” Trauma-informed workplaces collaborate “to develop, implement, [and] evaluate effective trauma treatment and services. In addition, [they partner] with other community agencies to promote service delivery approaches so that trauma services are effectively implemented within local child-serving community service systems.”
Despite the fact that it’s possible for some young people to experience traumatic events and come out virtually unscathed, studies show that victimization can often lead to life changing consequences and result in a multitude of issues later in life. According to an NCTSN study, children and adolescents who have experienced traumatic events are at increased risk of being arrested in the future. In some cases, young adults who have experienced traumatic events are as much as five times more likely to go through the juvenile justice system.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, Mentoring, No bio box, Positive Youth Development, SAMHSA

Is Your Teen Trying Drugs This Summer? News Roundup

By David Backes, July 13 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Bradley County: Juvenile Court, Schools Join to Help Families (TimesFreePress.com)
    From campus courts to an elementary-level class at the county's Juvenile Justice Center, the goal is to keep kids from growing up and entering the adult justice system, officials said Tuesday.
  • Juveniles In Court: New Chief Judge Relies On 'Holistic' Nursing Approach (Hartford Courant)
    Appointed last month as Connecticut's chief administrative judge of juvenile matters, Wolven, whose five-year term will begin in September, said she sees the courts taking the same [holistic] approach when it comes to juvenile offenders.
  • Making an Impression in the Courtroom (JuvenileJusticeBlog.web.unc.edu)
    The senior administrative support specialist in the Pima County Public Defender’s Office maintains a clothes closet for defendants. Inside are more than 60 pairs of men’s and women’s shoes and dozens of slacks, blouses, dress shirts, suit coats and ties. [Vicki Broom] goes to the jail every week to measure defendants heading for trial. If she’s lucky, she’ll be able to find enough outfits to mix and match for the entire trial.

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

New John Jay College Report Looks at Juvenile Justice Reforms

By Douglas Evans, July 10 2012

The Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice recently released a comprehensive report that discusses state juvenile justice reforms. “Pioneers of Youth Justice Reform: Achieving System Change Using Resolution, Reinvestment and Realignment Strategies” explores various reform initiatives that have reduced each state’s reliance on confinement facilities for youth.
The Problem
Imprisonment is a costly punishment for adults and juveniles, both monetarily and in terms of its impact on recidivism. Incarceration currently is a multi-billion dollar industry and typically accounts for a majority of state criminal justice budget expenditures. Given the current economic recession, the need for state officials to explore mechanisms for reducing expenses is greater than ever. Equally as important, incarceration is associated with an increased likelihood of reoffending. Statistics indicate that two-thirds of inmates will be arrested within three years of their release from prison. The destructive consequences of incarceration have led some states to look into alternatives to incarceration, especially for court-involved youth.
Reform Strategies

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Realignment

Juvenile Crime Dips in Iowa and More; News Roundup

By David Backes, July 06 2012

Juvenile Justice Reform

  • Youth Court: Students Dispense Justice to First-Time Juvenile Offenders (Tulsa World)
    In the Youth Court program, student volunteers serve as the prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and bailiffs on cases involving first-time nonviolent juvenile offenders. The program operates in courts in Tulsa, Owasso and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
  • Juvenile Justice: Courts Turn Focus to Rehabilitation (CoshoctonTribune.com)
    In Coshocton, many first-time juvenile offenders are placed in a diversion program rather than having an official complaint filed right away. If a juvenile is caught stealing, for example, his diversion program might include a theft-specific counseling program along with a special class for him and his parents.
  • Juvenile Crime Dips in Iowa (KCRG.com)
    Juvenile crime is down in Iowa and officials are crediting research and justice system alternatives. Earlier this week, the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning released a report, showing a more than 20 percent decrease in juvenile arrests between 2007 and 2010. Juveniles also made up a decreasing percentage of the state’s total arrests during those years.
  • The Unfair Criminalization of Gay and Transgender Youth (Center for American Progress)
    Though gay and transgender youth represent just 5 percent to 7 percent of the nation’s overall youth population, they compose 13 to 15 percent of those currently in the juvenile justice system. These high rates of involvement in the juvenile justice system are a result of gay and transgender youth abandonment by their families and communities, and victimization in their schools—sad realities that place this group of young people at a heightened risk of entering the school-to-prison pipeline.

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Youth Engagement

Washington: Music-Therapy Helps At-Risk and Troubled Teens

By Liz Wu, July 03 2012

In Snohomish County, Washington, troubled teens attend music classes and transform from "youth offenders" to "musicians." This is part of a partnership between the Snohomish County Music Project and Reclaiming Futures Snohomish County.
The Music Project is a nonprofit organization that came into being after the Everetty Symphony fell on hard times. The Symphony board decided to change its mission from an arts organization to a human service organization with music-therapy programs.
From the Daily Herald:

Topics: Juvenile Justice Reform, No bio box, Positive Youth Development, Reclaiming Futures

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