Blog

Below you’ll find a selection of the latest grants, jobs, webinars and events posted to our Opportunity Board. Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It’s free to browse and post!

Webinars

• October 14: Exercising Judicial Leadership on the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders

Events

• National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health Annual Conference: Nov. 21-23
• 2015 National Mentoring Summit: Jan. 28-30

Juvenile Justice Reform

• New Web-Based Expungement Tools Launched by IL, MD, LA (National Juvenile Justice Network)
  Having a record—even from youth court—can drastically affect a young person’s life chances, including their prospects of education, employment, and housing. Expunging that record is one way to address this issue, but the requirements for expungement are often opaque to many who are eligible.

• Critics Point to Problems in Louisiana’s Reformed Juvenile Justice System (JJIE)
  Reports of gladiator-style fighting, guards molesting children and a lack of basic education for kids as young as 14 once gave Louisiana’s juvenile justice system the reputation of one of the worst in the country. In 2003, the Louisiana Legislature passed sweeping reforms. Over time, those efforts helped whittle down the number of kids locked in sprawling, prison-like facilities from more than 2,000 to about 350 today.

• State Awarded $6.75 Million to Support Offender Re-entry Services (Effingham Herald)
  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Georgia was awarded $6.75 million in federal grant money to support re-entry services for rehabilitated offenders.
• No Country for Young Men (The Marshall Project)
  On Feb. 27, 2013, 17-year-old Junior Smith was summoned to the front office of his Philippi, West Virginia, high school. It was eighth period, just a few minutes before everyone would start streaming out of the building for dismissal. When Junior got to the office, a police officer was there, waiting for him. The officer handcuffed Junior and led him past his staring classmates to a waiting patrol car.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It’s free to browse and post!

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Children’s Mental Health Changes Aimed at Addressing ER Crisis (CT Mirror)
  Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is expected to announce a plan Wednesday to expand the services available for children and teens with significant mental health needs, a response to concerns about the growing number of young people going to -- and often stuck in -- emergency rooms in psychiatric crisis.

• Strong Attention Skills Can Help Some Teens Avoid Substance Use Problems (PsychCentral)
  New research suggests teens with strong executive attention skills – the ability to focus on task and ignore distractions – are more likely to avoid substance abuse issues after early drug experimentation.

• Butte Lands Big Grant for Suicide Prevention (Montana Standard)
  Butte public schools have landed a massive grant aimed at preventing suicide. The district will split the $1.2 million grant with Kalispell and Browning public schools, part of a series of grants announced this week by Superintendent Denise Juneau of the Montana Office of Public Instruction.
• Marijuana Studies Reveal Some Risks Not Known Before (The Wichita Eagle)
  With clever names like Peace of Mind, Girl Scout Cookies, Train Wreck and Tsunami, it’s a good bet that the marketers of legal marijuana finished high school. That’s less certain for their younger customers. New research shows daily marijuana use before the age of 17 cuts your chances of graduating from high school or getting a college degree by 60 percent.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) honored 25 years of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month with a special event at the White House on September 17, 2014. More than 175 advocates, recovery community leaders, persons in long-term recovery, and others who have been impacted by substance use and its consequences came together to commemorate the 25th anniversary.

The highlight of the night was a panel discussion composed of five prominent public figures in long-term recovery from substance use disorders:

• Cris Carter, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee and ESPN Analyst who has been in recovery for 25 years;
• Ruben Castañeda, a former Washington Post Journalist and author of the book “S Street Rising,” a memoir of his own descent into a serious crack addiction;
• Tim Willson, Mayor of Brooklyn Center, MN, who lost his daughter to an opioid overdose;
• Christina Huffington, daughter of publisher Arianna Huffington and advocate for her fellow youth in recovery;
• and Laurie Dhue, a former Fox News anchor, who moderated the panel.

Each panelist shared their personal story of recovery and answered viewer questions, which were submitted via Twitter.

The event also featured messages from former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Steve Ford, son of former President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford.

ONDCP encourages all to continue the spotlight on recovery by:

• Continuing the discussion! Tweet your thoughts to ONDCP Acting Director Michael Botticelli, @Botticelli44, using the hashtag #RecoveryatWH.
• Viewing the live-stream! If you missed it (or want to enjoy the experience again), the full archived video can be seen here.
• Connecting with the ONDCP on Social Media! Like the ONDCP on Facebook for news and updates on policies to support persons in recovery from substance use disorders.

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Oklahoma Sees New Push to Allow Juvenile Competency Hearings (JJIE)
  In Oklahoma, competency determinations are allowed in cases where a juvenile is tried as an adult and in “youthful offender” cases, in which a teenager is adjudicated for a serious crime but with limited punishment and probation. A person found incompetent can be sent to a clinic or medical professional who will try to establish competency within a certain time. If he or she remains incompetent, the charges are dismissed and the person is ordered to undergo community- or facility-based treatment.

• The Legislation that has the Potential to Reduce Youth Recidivism in California(Nation Swell)
  Nationwide, 80 percent of incarcerated juvenile offenders end up behind bars again. For California — the state with the highest rate of incarcerated youth — this has to stop. But now, a new bipartisan-approved bill (currently waiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature) could change this troubling statistic, VoiceWaves reports.

• New Juvenile Court Diversion Program Gets Off Ground in ICCSD (Press-Citizen)
  A new juvenile justice diversion program for students in the Iowa City Community School District is up and running, though it has only been put to use once in the month since it was introduced.
• Michigan Considering Changes in Juvenile Justice System (WLNS.com)
  Michigan's juvenile justice director is meeting with directors from three other states to discuss changes to their juvenile corrections system. Michigan has been selected to take part in the six month program. 6 News Nick Perreault talked with Michigan's Department of Human Services on what they want to look at and present to the governor in the months ahead.

Jobs, Grants, Events and Webinars

• Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It’s free to browse and post!

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment and Mental Health

• Federal Grant to Help Region Battle Youth Drug Abuse (Leader-Telegram)
  DFC is a federal grant program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy that provides funding to community-based coalitions that organize to prevent youth substance use. Since the passage of the DFC Act in 1997, the DFC program has funded more than 2,000 coalitions and currently mobilizes nearly 9,000 community volunteers across the country.

• Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Opens for Adolescents (The Philadelphia Tribune)
  “At PHMC, we believe physical space and innovative design help drive program delivery. This new facility gives us additional opportunities to fulfill our mission to improve the health of our communities and the lives of the individuals and families we serve through this phenomenal program,” said Richard J. Cohen, president and CEO of PHMC.

• CWRU, Ohio Dept. of Education Receive Federal Funding from President's Youth Gun Violence Plan (Cleveland.com)
  Case Western Reserve University and the Ohio State Department of Education will receive more than $2 million in federal funding to expand training programs for mental health workers who treat children and to help schools recognize and respond to mental health issues in students.

To stay up to date on the latest in juvenile justice news, sign up for these top 10 newsletters:

1. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: News @ a Glance

OJJDP's award winning bimonthly electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance highlights agency activities, publications, funding opportunities, and upcoming events.

2. Juvenile Justice Information Exchange

The Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) is the only publication covering juvenile justice and related issues nationally on a consistent, daily basis.

3.Coalition for Juvenile Justice: Juvenile Justice Monitor

Each month, the Juvenile Justice Monitor offers state and national juvenile justice news from CJJ. A typical monthly issue includes federal policy updates and alerts, news about CJJ conferences and events, news from the SAGs and SAG regional coalitions, CJJ Board of Directors and committee news, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) news, and other events and resources.

4.National Association of Drug Court Professionals

Sign up for regular email updates from NADCP and stay up to date on the latest Drug Court, Veterans Treatment Court, DWI Court and other problem-solving court news.

5.Center for Public Integrity: Watchdog email

Sign up for the Center for Public Integrity's Watchdog email and get the news you want from the Center when you want it. Select the Juvenile Justice option for alerts related to the “burgeoning debate over proposed new approaches to handling young people at risk.”

6.Justice Policy Institute Newsletter

Receiveperiodic emails including a quarterly newsletter, updates with groundbreaking research reports, and analysis and information about special events or topics related to JPI.

7.National Institute of Mental Health

Sign up for the latest mental health news, research advances, upcoming events, publications, clinical trials, meeting summaries, and more.

8.Spark Action Newsletter

Spark Action sends out a weekly newsletter to “bring together and make sense of highlights across a range of issues you care about.”

9.National Conference of State Legislatures: Juvenile Justice Quarterly

The Juvenile Justice Quarterly is an NCSL electronic newsletter for state legislators, legislative staff, and others interested in state juvenile justice policy. This newsletter provides quarterly updates on state juvenile justice legislation and budgets; highlights innovative policies and programs; and connects you with reports and news of upcoming NCSL events.

10.Reclaiming Futures Weekly Newsletter

Get our e-newsletter on juvenile justice reform, adolescent substance abuse treatment, grants, and learning opportunities!

Do you know somebody who has an inspiring message of recovery to share? In a special 25th anniversary celebration of National Recovery Month, the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network (ATTC) invites people in recovery from addiction or mental illness to share their stories in 60-second segments.

The “In My Own Words...” Video Message Contest aims to spread a message of hope by recognizing the accomplishments of recovering Americans, and those who have been instrumental in others’ recoveries. By collecting and sharing video stories of those who have succeeded in recovery, we can stifle the negative stigma of addiction and encourage others to speak out and ask for help.

The contest asks participants to address one of the following two prompts in a 60-second video message:
I’m speaking up about my recovery because…
I’m reaching out about my recovery to…
The “In My Own Words...” Video Message Contest, sponsored in conjunction with Faces & Voices of Recovery and Young People in Recovery, closes October 15, 2014.

Head to the ATTC Network for complete instructions on submitting a “In My Own Words...” video.

This month marks 40 years since the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) transformed youth justice. The JJDPA, considered one of the most important pieces of legislation for youth justice, established four core protections for young people in the system and set basic standards for state systems:

1. Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO);
2. Adult Jail and Lock-Up Removal (Jail Removal);
3. Sight and Sound Separation; and
4. Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC).

The JJDPA allows states, which meet these four requirements, to do the following:

• Fund innovations and reforms that keep more kids out of jails and detention facilities and connected to safe, proven supports in their communities.
• Modernize and improve their programs to give kids the supports they need to get their lives back on track and help make communities safer.

In celebration of the JJDPA’s 40th Anniversary, SparkAction, the Act 4 Juvenile Justice Campaign of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC), and local organizations across the country are coming together to collect 40 short videos that “use real lives and real voices to illustrate the policy and systems impact of the JJDPA.”

Throughout the fall, catch 40 new personal stories covering the impact of the JJDPA, ways it can be strengthened and improved, and how you can get involved!

The goal for the “40 stories for the 40 years of the JJDPA” campaign is to mobilize support for a Congressional reauthorization that improves and strengthens this landmark law to support states in designing fairer, more effective local approaches.

Reclaiming Futures recently lost a determined leader and friend. Linda Moffitt was project director and former juvenile justice fellow for Reclaiming Futures in Anchorage, and such a valuable driver of implementing Reclaiming Futures in Alaska. She is remembered dearly for her steadfast commitment and passion for her work, and her integrity and generosity that was carried throughout everything she did in life.

Upon hearing the news of her passing, friends and colleagues within the Reclaiming Futures community shared stories of Linda. Below is just a small sample of personal memories and impact that Linda had on so many of our lives:

Jim Carlton, Deputy Director, Reclaiming Futures National Program Office
“Though she retired from the Anchorage Division of Juvenile Justice about three years ago, she remained involved with Reclaiming Futures on the local level as their project director and as a coach on the national level. She was a dear person, a treasured resource for us here at the national program office, and she will be greatly missed by all of us here.”

Master William Hitchcock, Former judicial fellow, Anchorage, Alaska
“Linda Moffitt was a key collaborator in the development of the initial Anchorage proposal for Reclaiming Futures. She officially became a core partner in the national movement in 2003 when the probation fellowship was added. Throughout her career as a juvenile probation supervisor and on into retirement, she remained active in the ongoing development and expansion of the Reclaiming Futures model. Her leadership was not limited only to Anchorage, as she also played a key role on the national level as a coach and frequent participant in national fellowship conferences. Her influence led to the adoption of many of the core principles of Reclaiming Futures within the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice, both in Anchorage and other offices throughout the state. Her commitment and passion for this work was unlimited. She will truly be missed by all of us.”

Tom Begich, Former community fellow and Project Director, Anchorage, Alaska
“Linda Moffitt was a true friend and a tireless advocate for youth, fairness, and a better world. She devoted her work life and, after her retirement, her personal life to trying to improve our juvenile justice system, provide greater opportunities and hope for young Alaskans and inspired all of us to give just a little bit more, try just a little bit harder, and see the world with grace, humor and joy. Knowing her well these past few years – her and Cande joining us for wine, enjoying great music and talking about our travel plans, our hopes and our aspirations was a joy I will cherish all my days. She will be very, very missed.”

Below you’ll find a selection of the latest grants, jobs, webinars and events posted to our Opportunity Board. Please share the Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board with your colleagues in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas. It’s free to browse and post!

Webinars

• September 17: Implementing Evidence-Based Services
• September 19: Increasing Family Voice in the Juvenile Justice System

Jobs

• Public Health Analyst (Rockville, MD)
• Director, School of Gender, Race, and Nations (SGRN) (Portland, OR)
• Director of Programs (Washington, D.C.)
• Bi-lingual Supervisor Case Manager (Washington, D.C.)
• Quality Assurance Specialist (Washington, D.C.)
• Limited Secure Placement (LSP) Director (Queens, NY)
• State Advocacy Manager for Substance Use Disorders (Boston, MA)

Events

• National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health Annual Conference: Nov. 21-23
• 2015 National Mentoring Summit: Jan. 28-30