Juvenile Justice Reform

One of the reasons that we, as a society, lock up adolescents who commit serious crimes is that we believe it will deter them from committing future crimes. Deterrence is a foundational element in the rationale for, and mission of, the justice system.
Yet we don’t fully understand how deterrence operates for certain types of offenders. In particular, we know very little about how the experience of punishment affects the perceptions of adolescent offenders. Here, we summarize recent research that seeks to shed some light on this issue.
 
Background
There is a vast body of classic criminological literature regarding theories of deterrence (Beccaria, 1764; Zimring and Hawkins, 1973; Andenaes, 1974). Briefly, deterrence is rooted in the belief that when criminal sanctions are perceived to be certain, severe and swift, criminal activity will be reduced because the risk and costs of sanctions will be too high.
 
While deterrence works for society as a whole (general deterrence), we are concerned here with how it works for individuals (specific deterrence), which focuses on preventing individuals from engaging in future crime by making clear the connection between their own criminal activity and negative consequences; the idea being that the individual will refrain from future crime simply because it isn’t worth the risk or the rewards involved.

From JUVJUST:
 

The Interstate Commission for Juveniles (ICJ)—an organization responsible for the transfer of supervision for juvenile offenders and the return of juveniles who have absconded, escaped, or run away from one state to another—recently published a Bench Book for Judges & Court Personnel. This bench book provides an overview of legal procedures for the interstate agreement (called a “compact”) to transfer or return juveniles who cross state lines. It also includes an analysis of the compact’s legal foundation, describes sentencing considerations; establishes a process for returning juveniles who have run away from home, escapees, and absconders; explains liability and immunity considerations; and summarizes other relevant considerations.

Indiana, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and the District of Columbia had not adopted the new compact has of March 25, 2011. Check out this memo from the Interstate Commission on Juveniles.
 
Related post: Georgia Could Become “Asylum State” for Juvenile Delinquents.

• Legislative Victories Removing Youth from Adult Criminal Justice System
  The Campaign for Youth Justice released a report on the growing number of states changing their policies to keep more kids out of adult lockup.
• Hardin County, OH Embraces Reclaiming Futures
  Reclaiming Futures Hardin County got great coverage in the March 26, 2011 issue of the Kenton Times. Random quotes: Scott Mitchell, treatment court graduate, said, “I did a complete 180." Judge James Rapp: "If we are there for [the kids], they will be successful.” Follow the link to learn more.
• Do it YO Way - Mentors Guide Youth in Bristol County, MA
  After receiving training in anti-oppressive practices (follow link and scroll to find webinars, PowerPoints, and other resources), the Reclaiming Futures Bristol County team "developed 'YO', a pilot program which exposed seven young men from diverse ethnic backgrounds to the practices of oppressiveness and privilege."

  In an intense, 12-week program, they worked with adult mentors on "how to be successful in the face of the challenges they face in their daily lives."

  As Deirdre Lopes, director of the H.O.P.E. (Healthy Opportunities for Peaceful Engagement) Collaborative said, "We can tell them whatever we want, but there's no substitute for showing them. That's what really has an impact."

  Click the headline to see the April 5, 2011 story from South Coast Today.

Seems like youth violence -- and ways to address it -- is all over the news right now.

1. Research: Children Exposed to or Victims of Violence More Likely to Become Violent.
2. Evidence-Based Practices for Children Exposed to Violence: A Selection from Federal Databases.
   This publication from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services "summarizes findings from federal reviews of research studies and program evaluations to help communities improve outcomes for children exposed to violence. It cites evidence-based practices that practitioners and policymakers can use to implement prevention services and activities for these children." (H/t to www.findyouthinfo.gov.)

Children who witness violence often think it is normal, a development that can lead to violent behavior, says a new study in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
The researchers, who surveyed 800 children between the ages of 8 and 12, asked the children if they had witnessed violence on television, at home or at school.  Six months later they were polled a second time.  Children who said they had witnessed violence were aggressive, according to the study.
“People exposed to a heavy diet of violence come to believe that aggression is a normal way to solve conflict and get what you want in life,” the study’s authors wrote.  “These beliefs lower their inhibitions against aggression against others.”
The full study is available by subscription only, but you can read more at ScienceDaily.

As we announced last June, Laura Nissen, the national director of the Reclaiming Futures initiative since its inception more than 10 years ago, will be stepping down. After a national search, we're proud to announce that Susan J. Richardson, of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina, will take the reins as of June 1, 2011. 
Using the magic of the internet, we were able to get a brief video introduction from Susan herself:
 

 
"Susan Richardson has the right mix of skills, talents and experiences Reclaiming Futures needs in its next leader," says Kristin Schubert, program officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which launched Reclaiming Futures in 2002 in order to reinvent how juvenile courts address drug and alcohol problems. "We are thrilled that she has accepted the position."

Some of you may have heard this disturbing account of a drug court in Glynn County, Georiga, aired recently on "This American Life."
Usually, a drug court may take a year, possible two years, to complete.  For 24-year-old Lindsey Dills, who was 18 when she entered the Glynn County juvenile drug court, she won't be done with it until 10-1/2 years later, counting time behind bars and probation. 
Now, the show makes it clear that this particular Georgia drug court is commonly thought to be run counter to generally-accepted principles of drug court.
But I thought it would be a good time to mention the so-called :"16 strategies" for juvenile drug courts.  (Follow the link for a monograph from the Department of Justice, explaining the details.)
Here they are:

How do you help youth be successful who are returning from long-term placements, including lockup? Here's a number of resources -- in multiple media -- that you might find useful for improving how your community handles juvenile reentry.
1. Making the Most of Second Chances - Conference Materials
You may have been unable to attend "Making the Most of Second Chances," a national conference on reentry sponsored by the Council of State Governments' Justice Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (I found out about it via the always-helpful National Reentry Resource Center) held in Washington, D.C., in February, but here's the good news: much of it was caught on video.
By reviewing a list of the conference presentations, I found a couple that were focused on juveniles (you'll find video and PowerPoints):

Research has shown that punishment alone is not the most effective way to to help a young person change his or her behavior -- the primary goal of juvenile drug courts, and, indeed, juvenile probation generally. Instead, a combination of punishment, or sanctions, with incentives, is most effective.
But if you want to act on this information, you're likely to have a number of questions. Here's just a few of the questions that commonly arise:

1. Is there a ready-made list of sanctions and incentives we could use?
2. Should we start out giving a strong sanction to get the offender’s attention, or should we build up to that?
3. Are we coddling offenders by giving them incentives?
4. Does it matter how long you wait after the behavior is detected to give a sanction or incentive?

And that's just the beginning.  To help you make sense of the options -- and to give you several lists of ideas for your own graduated sanctions and incentives grid -- I'm posting a number of resources here.
From NCJFCJ (and shared with permission):

• "Making Sense of Incentives and Sanctions in Working with the Substance Abusing Offender," by Susan Yeres, Ed.D., Betty Gurnell, M.Ed., Meg Holmberg, MSW. (This excellent guide is where I got the four questions above -- download it to see eight more common questions, and  answers to all 12.)
• Need ideas for incentives and sanctions? Then try the NCJFCJ's "laundry list." 
• How can you afford to pay for incentives? What if the teen doesn't react the way we thought he or she would? You can find answers to these and other questions in the NCJFCJ's frequently asked questions document.

If your team is working on implementing incentives and sanctions together, you'll probably want these as well, also from the NCJFCJ:

 
Ever wonder how to get the media to pay attention to the issue of kids in jail?  
 
We have the answer for you.  In April, our media guru, EricSolomon, will be our expert teacher to give us the bottom line on working with the media.
 
Please join us for these one-hour trainings and feel free to invite a friend.  The call in number is 866-524-0621, code 7831935097.
 
Basic Media Training I – April 8, 2011, 6:00 pm EST / 5:00 CST / 3:00 PST
Do you get nervous when contacting or talking to reporters? If you need assistance with talking to the media, finding the appropriate reporters to contact, building relationships, tips or what to do and not do during interviews, then this training is for you. You will leave feeling more comfortable and have a better understanding of how to get your message out.
 
Basic Media Training II – April 13, 2011, 6:00 pm EST / 5:00 CST / 3:00 PST
This training will walk you through the beginning steps necessary to promote your event or issue. You will learn how to develop a press release, media advisory, and talking points to use with the media. You will be surprised how easy it is to create these items. Most importantly, you will understand what reporters want to know and not give them something that they will ignore.