Blog: Reclaiming Futures

We're spending the week in San Antonio for the Reclaiming Futures Leadership Institute (which you may already know if you're following @RFutures on Twitter). For those not on Twitter, we'll be posting updates here on the blog and on Facebook.
Here are our takeaways from Day 2:
Cora Crary, Learning Collaborative Manager, Reclaiming Futures

• People are inclined to believe stories - with or without data.
• However, if you share data without the story people are uncomfortable believing it (as an example read through any Harper's index and see if you believe everything you read) 

 
Liz Wu, Blog Editor, Reclaiming Futures

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Program helps juvenile offenders stay out of jail  Belleville News-Democrat A federal government official, state officials, judges and local leaders met in East St. Louis Wednesday to discuss and learn about Redeploy Illinois, a state program that works to keep juvenile offenders out of detention centers.
• Opinion: Juvenile justice reform Orlando Sentinel In Florida, Orange and Osceola counties smartly realized one bad decision shouldn't ruin a kid's life.
• Fixing juvenile court, we can't let this stand Tri-State Defender A unified response to the findings of the U.S. Justice Department’s recently released investigation of Shelby County Juvenile Court is driving the push for a town hall meeting being spearheaded by Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks.
• Reports underscore safety, security issues at Giddings youth lockup Chicago Tribune Confidential reports reveals that long before a state ombudsman made public an alarming report about safety and security issues at the Giddings State School, attacks on workers and reports of violence and out-of-control youth had been on an upswing.

Speaking at this year's annual JMATE conference, the Office of National Drug Control Policy's David Mineta stressed the Administration's priority on drug prevention, treatment and diversion programs. "Addiction can be overcome and recovery is absolutely possible," he said. "And we need to make sure our young people have the brightest future possible. It's personal for us."
With the recent release of the 2012 National Drug Control Strategy [pdf], it's clear that the Administration plans to follow up Mineta's remarks with a strong policy strategy for reducing drug use and its consequences. In particular, the Strategy recommends diverting non-violent drug offenders into treatment, supporting reentry programs to help offenders rejoin their communities and bolstering innovative enforcement programs.
Writing in the White House Blog, Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, U.S. Attorney General Holder and ONDCP Director Kerlikowske explain their multi-agency approach to reducing drug use and supporting recovery efforts:

Our emphasis on addressing the drug problem through a public health approach is grounded in decades of research and scientific study. There is overwhelming evidence that drug prevention and treatment programs achieve meaningful results with significant long-term cost savings. In fact, recent research has shown that each dollar invested in an evidence-based prevention program can reduce costs related to substance use disorders by an average of $18.
But reducing the burden of our Nation’s drug problem stretches beyond prevention and treatment. We need an all of the above approach. To address this problem in a comprehensive way, the President’s new Strategy also applies the principles of public health to reforming the criminal justice system, which continues to play a vital role in drug policy. It outlines ways to break the cycle of drug use, crime, incarceration, and arrest by diverting non-violent drug offenders into treatment, bolstering support for reentry programs that help offenders rejoin their communities, and advancing support for innovative enforcement programs proven to improve public health while protecting public safety.

In recognizing the potential of the criminal justice system in deterring/reducing/treating drug and alcohol addiction, the Strategy praises Reclaiming Futures for its work in addressing substance abuse and mental health problems among youth in the juvenile system:

Whew, what an incredible (and jam-packed) three days! Here are our very quick takeaways from the final day of the Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness 2012:
Susan Richardson, National Executive Director, Reclaiming Futures

• Youth consume more than 90% of their alcohol by binge drinking. And unfortunately, 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die annually as a result of binge drinking.
• Only half of kids are asked about or screened for drinking and smoking when they visit a physician. 
• When screening for substance use, the best questions to ask are about frequency of drinking and friends' drinking habits.
• When working with at-risk kids, it's critical to take a hard look at an substance an adolescent has used more than five times.
• The Longitudinal Pathways to Desistance Study is an important resource for those working with seriously offending teens.
• A substance use disorder changes the relationship between risk markers and gainful activity over 6 years (mental health diagnoses do not). A substance use disorder makes things much worse.
• Treatment provides a positive effect on marijuana use, offending and alcohol consumption for a period of time IF treatment continues for a sufficient length of time.

Liz Wu, Blog Editor, Reclaiming Futures

This afternoon we heard about an upcoming evaluation of six Reclaiming Futures juvenile drug courts. Bridget Ruiz, a technical expert on adolescents from JBS International, chaired the session and opened the panel presentation with a discussion of the history of juvenile drug courts and Reclaiming Futures and also outlined the important elements of each approach.
“Evidence shows that combining the two models has been effective in helping young people, “ said Ruiz, who formerly was an associate professor at the University of Arizona.
Erika Ostlie, a senior policy associate at Carnevale Associates, gave an overview of an upcoming evaluation supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) of six federally funded Reclaiming Futures sites.

This morning I attend a panel discussion on how organizations manage change. Chaired by Dan Merrigan, a professor at Boston University who manages the Reclaiming Futures leadership program, the session featured three presentations that addressed key communication and collaboration challenges.
Dr. Merrigan focused on the role of leadership in the initiative. “At Reclaiming Futures, we believe leadership is about setting direction, creating alignment, and maintaining commitment,” said Dr. Merrigan. “ According to Dr. Merrigan, the Reclaiming Futures leadership culture is a collective activity distributed across boundaries and it exists without formal authority. “Leadership is adaptive, strategic, and relational,” said Dr. Merrigan.
Dr. Merrigan stressed that it’s important to recognize that change always causes anxiety. “We urge people to distinguish between technical work (which requires mechanical fixes),” he said, “and adaptive work (which requires addressing change). To accomplish this, Reclaiming Futures helps local teams build teams across systems, cultures and organizations that identify their adaptive challenges.”

In May, Reclaiming Futures celebrates 10 years of breaking the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime. We look forward to marking this milestone by freshening up the national identity and highlighting the success of 29 sites changing the way communities treat kids with substance abuse problems in the justice system across the United States.
The Reclaiming Futures icon has been redesigned to reflect a more modern, simplified and professional symbol while maintaining the movement and overall shape of the original logo. The new logo was born from the star in the original logo, representing the hopes and wishes for young people and their communities.
This new look draws on the experience of the past decade.
The Reclaiming Futures model unites juvenile courts, probation, adolescent substance abuse treatment, and the community to reclaim youth. Together, they work to improve drug and alcohol treatment and connect teens to positive activities and caring adults.
Because we believe in youth potential and the power of the community to make change, we are working to spread the model to all juvenile courts.
We need your help. Please help us spread the word. By bringing Reclaiming Futures to your community, you can:

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

Please email info@reclaimingfutures.org to learn more about investing in Reclaiming Futures.

I'm excited to share not only the schedule for this year's Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE), but also the schedule for Reclaiming Futures' presentations: 
Tuesday, April 10

• 11:15 am - Evolving Community Interventions for Juvenile Justice Involved Youth
• 11:15 am - Organizational Issues in an Era of Change
• 11:15 am - Ask a Judge: Demystifying Juvenile Court and How Judges and Treatment Providers Can Partner Together Successfully
• 2:15 pm - The Juvenile Drug Court and Reclaiming Futures Models: An Evidence-Based Systems Approach to Drug Court Service Delivery

Wednesday April 12

• 2:45 pm - Engaging Community in Recovery Support Networks: Lessons from Reclaiming Futures' Community Fellows
• 2:45 pm - Road Map for Evidence-Based Practice Implementation

Thursday, April 13

• 11:45 am - Reclaiming Futures Projects Confront Adolescent Opiod Use

Funding Opportunity

Become a Reclaiming Futures site
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) seeks applicants for $1.325 million/four year grant opportunities. The funding intends to build the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop and establish juvenile drug courts, incorporating the Reclaiming Futures model. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on May 16, 2012.
Juvenile Justice Reform
Eastern Panhandle Program Designed to Keep Youth Offenders on Drug-Free Path
West Virginia Herald Mail
West Virginia’s first Juvenile Drug Court opened in Cabell County, W.Va., in 1999, and it’s taken 13 years for the benefits of the program to reach out to youngsters heading for trouble in the Eastern Panhandle.

Study Finds Alarming Number of 7th Graders are Victims of Dating Violence
Houston Chronicle
Study on dating violence that found one in three have been the victims of psychological dating violence and nearly one in six have been the victim of physical dating violence.
Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment
Illinois Taxpayers Save Money Sending Criminals Through Drug Court
FOX Chicago
Will County taxpayers spent $30,000 to graduate ten people on Thursday, but they actually saved $200,000 -- and probably some lives -- in a program that's proving to be the smartest money in crime prevention.