Juvenile Justice Reform

In Washington D.C., juveniles charged with certain offenses (including some misdemeanors and non-violent, low-level felonies) and diagnosed with a mental illness, can apply to be diverted to a specialized mental health court.
There, under the guidance of Judge Joan Goldfrank, youths are held accountable for their specific problem behavior—such as school attendance, substance abuse, or avoiding mental health treatment.
Early results are encouraging: out of the 56 enrolled in 2011, only eight were subsequently re-arrested. This rate, 14 percent, is far lower than the average re-arrest rates out of D.C.’s general juvenile courts, which hovers around forty percent.

OJJDP's peer-reviewed Journal of Juvenile Justice is accepting article submissions for its third and fourth issues, with the third issue being released in October of 2012.
The recently released second issue includes articles on school learning in a rural juvenile detention facility, arrest histories among homeless youth, juvenile reentry and reintegration, community truancy boards, polygraph testing and assessment tools.
From the second issue's forward by OJJDP Acting Administrator Melodee Hanes:

As I begin my tenure as the Acting Administrator at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), one of my top priorities is to ensure that our partners in the field have ready access to the latest juvenile justice research and evaluation findings. Consequently, I am pleased to present the second issue of the Journal of Juvenile Justice (JOJJ)—OJJDP’s online peer-reviewed journal. I am particularly pleased to note that the intended audience for JOJJ is both practitioners and researchers. Prior to coming to OJJDP, I spent more than 16 years as a deputy county attorney prosecuting child abuse, sexual assault, and homicide cases. I know firsthand the importance—and the challenges—of getting this type of valuable information to professionals in the field.

The Reclaiming Futures news roundup today focuses on jobs, funding opportunities and events for those working in the juvenile justice, adolescent substance abuse and teen mental health areas.
The listings below are from the new Reclaiming Futures Opportunity Board. Please share it with your colleagues. It's free to browse and post! 
Jobs (with closing dates when applicable)
Mentor
HOPI Substance Abuse Prevention Center
Kykotsmovi
AZ
4/13/2012 

Books Not Bars, Oganizing Intern - Summer 2012
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Oakland 
CA
4/15/2012
 
Lecturer in Criminal Justice
Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction
CO
5/4/2012
 
Juvenile Justice Consultant Title IV-E
Unificare, Ltd.
Dallas
TX
5/13/2012
President and CEO
 
Youth and Family Services Network
Bonita Springs
FL
8/15/2012

Starting in 2010, there's been a policy shift around drugs, addiction and treatment, and it could not have come at a better time, explained David Mineta (deputy director of demand reduction at ONDCP) at yesterday's JMATE plenary. More Americans are dying from drug use than from any other kind of accidental death, including car crashes and gun wounds. "This is a public health problem," stressed Mineta, before explaining that the ONDCP is prioritizing prevention, treatment and diversion programs in its forthcoming 2012 national drug control strategy. [editor's note: we'll share this as soon as it's out]
"Addiction can be overcome and recovery is absolutely possible," said Mineta. "And we need to make sure our young people have the brightest future possible. It's personal for us."  
Following Mineta's moving keynote on addiction and prevention measures, Kris Buffington addressed the issue of trauma and its impact on adolescents.
Buffington explained that traumatic experinces can substantially impact biological, psychological and social development in youth. And unfortunately, symptoms associated with exposure to traumatic events are often misinterpreted as indicating a young person has a behavioral disorder. 

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.”

Earlier this afternoon, I sat in on a JMATE panel with three juvenile court judges who discussed how Reclaiming Futures works in their courts and why other courts should consider implementing the model. 
Judge Anthony Capizzi of Dayton, Ohio, began the presentation with the problem: too many teens today are struggling with drugs, alcohol and crime. Eighty percent of the youth Judge Capizzi sees have alcohol or other drug problems and many are self medicating. And this is not unique to Ohio.
As a juvenile court judge, Judge Capizzi finds that treatment helps reduce recidivism, saves money and builds safer communities. BUT most juvenile courts are not set up to detect and treat substance abuse or provide mental health services. And this is where the six step Reclaiming Futures model comes in. Under the Reclaiming Futures model, court teams are set up with a judge, probation officer, treatment provider and community members. The teams work together to make sure that kids are screened for alcohol and other drugs at intake and sent to treatment when needed.

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.

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.

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!

Earlier today, the Ohio Supreme Court struck down part of a law mandating certain youth sex offenders to register for life, because the punishment is cruel and unusual.
Under Ohio's Adam Walsh Act, teens classified as the most dangerous sex offenders must register - for the rest of their lives - with law enformencement and have their photos, addresses and criminal histories distributed to neighbors and schools.
In a 5-2 opinion, Ohio's Supreme Court ruled the punishment violates both Ohio and US constitutions because it is cruel and unusual and because it violates a defendant's right to due process. 
From the Associated Press:

Not only is the requirement unconstitutional, it also defeats the purpose of the juvenile court system, Justice Paul Pfeifer said, writing for the majority.
The mandatory registration "undercuts the rehabilitative purpose of Ohio's juvenile system and eliminates the important role of the juvenile court's discretion in the disposition of juvenile offenders and thus fails to meet the due process requirement of fundamental fairness," Pfeifer wrote.
He also said it defeats another goal of the juvenile court system: cloaking children in confidentiality and allowing them to avoid stigma once they have served their time in the juvenile system and become adults.
"Confidentiality promotes rehabilitation by allowing the juvenile to move into adulthood without the baggage of youthful mistakes," Pfeifer said. "Public exposure of those mistakes brands the juvenile as an undesirable wherever he goes."