Blog: Reclaiming Futures

A number of our fellows and staff are tweeting live from the Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE). If you're on Twitter, follow along and join in the conversation using #JMATE. And for those not on Twitter, follow along on the blog!
 

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Many of the Reclaiming Futures staff and fellows (myself included) are attending this year's annual JMATE conference. We are excited to meet many of you and to share best practices in the juvenile justice and adolescent substance abuse treatment fields. In fact, we sincerely hope that should you see one of us in the elevator or at a panel, you will come up and say hello and introduce yourself. And to make that easier, here's a roster of Reclaiming Futures folks attending the conference:
Susan Richardson, National Executive Director

Jim Carlton, Deputy Director

Cora Crary, Learning Collaborative Manager

Dr. Laura Nissen, Special Advisor

 

We are excited to announce that the DOJ, OJP and OJJDP are seeking applications for $1.325 million in funding (over 4 years) to spread and implement the Reclaiming Futures model! More specifically, grants will be given to build the capacity of states, courts, local governments and Indian tribal governments to develop and establish Reclaiming Futures' juvenile drug courts.
From the request for proposals:

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding under the FY 2012 Juvenile Drug Courts/Reclaiming Futures program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by building the capacity of states, state and local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments to develop and establish juvenile drug courts for substance abusing juvenile offenders.

For more information and to apply, please click here. The deadline to apply is May 16, 2012, at 11:59 ET. Best of luck!

Shay Bilchik (founder and Director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute) is at Portland State University this afternoon to discuss the juvenile justice system. I'll be liveblogging his talk here, so tune in!
"If We Knew Then, What We Know Now: Implications for Juvenile Justice Policy in America"
4:45pm Dr. David Springer (upcoming Dean of PSU's School of Social Work): I've had the pleasure of serving with Shay on a juvenile justice panel in Austin about a year ago, and we're all in for a real treat.
4:50pm Bilchik: We're launching work with Multnomah and Marion counties' juvenile justice systems...
Oregon has demonstrated a vision that shows the possibility of serving children and families in a great way. The multi-system juvenile justice system here is the best in the country. 
4:55pm Bilchik: We're primed to build a better and smarter juvenile justice system. It's no longer just the juvenile justice field, youth development field, education fields.. we're now working across systems. As Dr. Laura Nissen says, "these are boundary founders" who are working across multiple fields. To put it simply, we want to provide love, opportunity and hope to the children who come in contact with the juvenile justice system.
5:05pm Bilchik: We need to make sure that none of our children fall through the cracks and too often we don't do that. Too often these kids are without power (living in impoverished communities) and kids of color.
So what would we have done differently if we knew then what we know now?

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the Reclaiming Futures Cherokee Nation site in Oklahoma. I am especially impressed by how committed the team members are to not only serving the youth of the Cherokee Nation, but also to helping them connect with their cultural heritage.
I had a couple of key takeaways:

• Cultural sensitivity is key: As Treatment Fellow Lori Medina mentions in her video, the Cherokee Nation site has unique cultural challenges in working with local teens. Being able to fully understand and relate to Native American culture has allowed the site to truly connect with troubled kids and make sure they are on the path to rehabilitation and success. There is a particular focus on learning how to make Native American crafts and participating in cultural events, which not only teaches the kids a marketable trade, but also helps them to connect to their heritage and community.
   
• Evidence-based practices are crucial: Project Director Jennifer Kirby is a big supporter of using evidence-based practices to improve treatment for troubled teens. As Jennifer explains in her video, the Reclaiming Futures model provides them with the tools to better assess troubled youth at intake. This allows them to make better-informed recommendations for treatment and services, which leads to stronger outcomes.

Earlier today I created a word cloud to visualize the most common words and themes of this blog. This is what popped up:
 
What do you think? Is that an accurate representation of our discussions on this blog?

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Time is ripe for reforms in juvenile justice
  New York Law Journal
  Important lessons from New York about reforming complex government systems. This is not the time to consider scaling back our commitment to community-based services for troubled youth.
• New Georgia juvenile code advancing in state legislature
  Juvenile Justice Information Exchange
  A long-planned overhaul of Georgia’s juvenile justice code got its first official nod of approval Wednesday, but backers still haven’t figured out how to pay for it.
• Youth Court Proposed for New York
  StarGazette
  The state's chief judge Tuesday proposed to create a new youth court that would adjudicate cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds who are charged with non-violent crimes.
• Kentucky House approves task force to overhaul juvenile code, decrease jailing for “status offenses”
  The Republic
  Kentucky lawmakers in the House on recently approved a measure to create a task force to rewrite the state's juvenile code. The task force also would look for overall ways to reduce the incarceration of juveniles, ways to provide more treatment in the community and ways to use any savings for more services for juveniles.
• Georgia eyes ways to keep teens out of lockup
  New England Cable News
  Georgia law allows adolescents who wind up in the juvenile court system for infractions such as skipping school or missing curfew to be treated similar to juveniles who commit crimes and are locked in detention centers, said Dr. Sandra Stone, vice president of academic affairs at Dalton State and a researcher on juvenile justice reform.
• Virginia Senate committee rejects administration-backed bill to try more juveniles as adults
  The Republic
  A Senate committee on Monday rejected legislation backed by Gov. Bob McDonnell that would have resulted in more juveniles being tried in adult court.
• New York Governor wants incarcerated juveniles ‘close to home’
  Legislative Gazette
  Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to build on reforms to the state's juvenile justice system by proposing the "Close to Home" initiative which would allow New York City's youth to be treated in facilities near their homes.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• The strange lessons of Whitney Houston's addiction
  The Atlantic
  When writer, Elizabeth Wurtzel, was in the rehabilitative treatment center she heard that one in 35 addicts will get and stay clean and sober.

Juvenile Justice Reform

• California activists calling for changes to state’s juvenile justice system
  Juvenile Justice Information Exchange:
  Last month, California’s Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice(CJCJ) released a policy brief recommending phased juvenile justice realignment beginning later this year.
• Judge Daley retires after helping transform juvenile court
  MyCentralJersey.com:
  New Brunswick Judge Roger Daley exited his courtroom for the last time in his 15-year tenure on the bench last week. He took off his black robe and took a seat behind an ample desk smothered with items including a “Thank You” from a grandmother of a teen, who appreciated his work to rehabilitate her grandson.
• Bill would raise high-school dropout age to 18
  The Arizona Republic:
  State Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, has introduced a bill that would increase the age at which high-school students could legally drop out from 16 to 18.
• Should Orange County’s juvenile hearings be opened to news media?
  OC Register:
  Last week, the presiding judge of Los Angeles County's Juvenile Court ordered dependency proceedings there to be opened to the media, saying secrecy had allowed problems to fester, but is that the best way to protect children?
• Budget cuts would lead to closure of several juvenile justice facilities
  The Salt Lake Tribune:
  Budget cuts could lead to the closure of several juvenile justice centers across the state, making it harder for youth offenders to be treated in their own communities or earn back the money they need to pay restitution to their victims.
• Editorial: Well-deserved honors
  The Commercial Appeal:
  The efforts by the leadership team at Shelby County Juvenile Court to change the face of juvenile justice in Memphis and Shelby County continues to garner national recognition.
• MacArthur Foundation, OJJDP announce private-public partnership
  Philanthropy News Digest:
  The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) have announced a private-public partnership that includes a $2 million commitment to support innovative reforms in treatment and services for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

• Drug use among florida youth drops
  Miami Herald:
  The 2011 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey showed less than 10 percent of students tried drugs other than marijuana within 30 days of the survey. Twelve percent of students reported using marijuana, a decline from 2010.

Judge Nick Kuntz, Judge Anthony Capizzi and the Montgomery County Juvenile Court welcome Michelle White to the Reclaiming Futures Team in Dayton, Ohio. Michelle began her career with the Court nine years ago as a Probation Officer. Throughout her tenure with the Court, Michelle has served as a Gender Specific Probation Officer and as the Intensive Probation Supervisor. Michelle is very passionate about working with families, volunteers and the community. She has been involved with the Reclaiming Futures movement in Dayton throughout her time with the Court and is looking forward to building on earlier successes.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Wright State University and a Master's Degree in Justice Administration from Tiffin University. She is happily married to her husband of nine years and has a two year old son.