Blog

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Initiative Aims to Improve Hawaii's Juvenile Justice System (HawaiiNewsNow.com)
  The goal of a new initiative launched today is to improve Hawaii's troubled juvenile justice system by reducing crime while cutting costs. Roughly 5,000 youth are currently incarcerated in Hawaii. According to experts, about 80% of them have a substance abuse problem.
• $3.2mil Grant for Program to Encourage Kids to Stay in School (BeatriceDailySun.com)
  Kids with emotional and behavioral disorders are more likely to miss school, fail classes and drop out than any other group of students with disabilities. With support from a $3.2 million grant, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are evaluating a unique new program that uses parent-to-parent support to encourage families to get the help they need to keep kids in school.
• Campaign to get Dropouts to Return to School (KEPRTV.com)
  Getting our most at-risk teens back in school. It was the goal of Kennewick, Washington School District this morning. School officials knocked on the doors of dozens of high school dropouts. Asking them to return to school. Last year, two students graduated from CBC High School Academy as a result of the outreach.

For the 24th year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is sponsoring National Recovery Month (Recovery Month). This long-standing observance spreads the message that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and/or substance use disorders. The observance also celebrates people in recovery and those who work in the behavioral health field.
This year’s Recovery Month theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness,” emphasizes that there are many unique ways people can prevent behavioral health issues, seek treatment, and sustain recovery. The theme also highlights the importance of mental, physical, and emotional well-being, as well as the value of family, friends, and community members throughout the recovery journey.
SAMHSA created the toolkit to increase awareness of the power of recovery. The kit provides individuals and organizations with the resources they need to help people with mental and/or substance use disorders. It also assists in planning Recovery Month events and offers resources to distribute in communities and during local events.

Check out this infographic created by 12 Palms, a rehab facility in Florida, to help illustrate how a habit becomes an addiction. The infographic also includes:

• Some of the most common habits and addictions
• The average number of days it takes to form a habit
• Information on how to identify and break bad habits

[Full infographic after the jump]

Despite the fact that synthetic marijuana use is soaring around areas like Hardin County, Ohio, we continue to successfully break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime using our proven six-step model. At a recent site visit, we found that Reclaiming Futures Hardin County has: 

• Strong, committed teamwork that uses a holistic, seamless, coordinated system of support for teens
• Effective, solid partnership with Ohio Northern University – good evaluation and site analysis with the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) data, and impressive internship development
• Cohesion: Probation, Behavioral Health Services and Recovery School all under one roof
• Superb GAIN rates, particularly upon follow up
• Many Evidence-Based Treatment options
• Well-implemented service coordination, with many positive pro-social activities (fishing, scrapbooking, archery, 4-H club, and community service opportunities) 
• Great local partnerships, for example, teen financial literacy training with the local credit union 
• Strong sustainability strategy
• Good representation at Juvenile Treatment Court staffing/team meeting, with input from many partners around the table
• Good communication with parents, evident by their attendance at the Juvenile Treatment Court hearing and positive interactions during family updates and high school graduation celebration at court
• Excellent feedback from youth and parents during interviews after court
• Wonderful community activities and exceptional fundraising events

Kudos to the Reclaiming Futures team in Hardin County, Ohio!

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!
Grants

• Youth Service Improvement: Closes Sept. 11

Juvenile Justice Reform

• Juvenile Jails Being Reworked (WVMetroNews.com)
  West Virginia's juvenile justice system is being reorganized. “The changes we’re making are positive changes for the division,” said state Director of Juvenile Services Stephanie Bond. On Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline,” Bond talked about the plan that will mean changes at most of West Virginia’s eleven juvenile facilities.
• Separate Funding for Adult, Juvenile Drug Courts Sought (ClarionLedger.com)
  Youth Court judges want the Legislature to provide separate funding for juvenile and family drug courts. “The adult felony-level drugs courts can operate on funds generated by their fees and assessments on their adult participants,” said Rankin County Youth Court Judge Tom Broome, a member of the state Drug Court Advisory Committee. “The juvenile courts cannot operate under this model.”
• Across the Country, Neighborhoods Gather, Celebrate National Night Out (JJIE.org)
  In theory, National Night Out sounds a little strange — encourage thousands of residents, in cities nationwide to throw block parties and barbecues that will be attended by city law enforcement. In practice, National Night Out is a city-sanctioned, nationwide, one-night event to encourage residents to get to know their neighbors and reclaim their streets, all in an effort to deter crime. In urban hubs across the country, this message resonates particularly strongly, where some communities have historically had complex and sometimes strained relationships with the police.
• St. Louis Judge to be Honored forWork in Juvenile Justice (Fox2Now.com)
  St. Louis Judge Jimmie Edwards, is to be honored for his work in juvenile justice on November 21, later this year in Washington, D.C. Judge Edwards will be the 2013 recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence, from Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts.
• OP-ED: Wise Spending Leads to Effective Solutions (JJIE.org)
  "A recent conversation with a group of friends reminded me that discussions about money are complicated and can move easily from discussion to heated argument. I said that more public funds should be dedicated to research about positive outcomes for kids in the juvenile justice system and that the research would lead to development of additional evidence-based programs and practices."

For the 24th year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is sponsoring National Recovery Month (Recovery Month). This long-standing observance spreads the message that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and/or substance use disorders. The observance also celebrates people in recovery and those who work in the behavioral health field.
This year’s Recovery Month theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together on Pathways to Wellness,” emphasizes that there are many unique ways people can prevent behavioral health issues, seek treatment, and sustain recovery. The theme also highlights the importance of mental, physical, and emotional well-being, as well as the value of family, friends, and community members throughout the recovery journey.
SAMHSA created the toolkit to increase awareness of the power of recovery. The kit provides individuals and organizations with the resources they need to help people with mental and/or substance use disorders. It also assists in planning Recovery Month events and offers resources to distribute in communities and during local events.

 SparkAction recently posted a video that examines harsh school policies and the increased policing of students that creates a school-to-prison pipeline. The growing concern is that while harsh school policies and a zero tolerance attitude may create the illusion of safety for students, the reality is that students are often treated like criminals. Students are fed into the judicial system for minor offenses such as hitting a peer with a ruler or fighting in the hallway, creating a sense of hostility within schools and a recipe for disaster in the years to come. See the video below:
 

Leaders in Hardin County, Ohio, are using the proven Reclaiming Futures six-step model and strong collaboration to break the generational cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime in their community.
In the video below, Wade Melton, program director of Hardin County Juvenile Court and director of Hardin Community School, describes how Reclaiming Futures positively impacts his work:

Stay tuned for an update about my recent site visit to Hardin County, Ohio.