|
|
August 2007
CJJ Leadership News
- Message from Robin Jenkins, CJJ 2007 National Chair
CJJ Membership & Governance Update
- Message from Nancy Gannon Hornberger, Executive Director
CJJ Government Relations Alert
- Appropriations Update
- ACT4JJ Intensifies Focus on JJDPA Reauthorization
- CJJ Supports Effort to Respond More Effectively to Youth with Mental Health Needs
- CJJ Assists States in Submitting Comments to the Attorney General Regarding Proposed SORNA Guidelines
- CJJ Maintains Efforts Around Effective Gang Legislation
CJJ Web Site Update
- Videos of July 12 Congressional Hearing Posted on CJJ Site
State Advisory Group (SAG) News
- Arkansas SAG Hosts Statewide Conference
National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) News
- NJJN Joins the SAVE Coalition
Juvenile Justice Specialist News
- JJ Specialist Conference Calls, ACT4JJ Working Group and New Hire
Annie E. Casey Foundation and JDAI News
- 2007 “KIDS COUNT Data Book” Now Available
- Visit the JDAI Help Desk Online
Resources and Information of Note
- Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice Releases 2006 Annual Report
- JPI Reports that Gang Suppression Tactics Fail to Reduce Crime
- Report Released on Youth in D.C.'s Adult Criminal Justice System
- New York Times on the JJDPA, Juvenile Sex Offenders
- NCMHJJ Releases Brief on Trauma in the Juvenile Justice System
- Report Issued on Indicators of Children’s Well-Being
- Mentoring Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Foster Care Systems
- Analyzing U.S. Prison Growth
- Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Grants Available
- Upcoming Conferences and Trainings
CJJ Leadership News
Message from Robin Jenkins, CJJ 2007 National Chair
Gotta question for you all … ever have a photograph or painting that you really cherished? One you kept close by that you viewed frequently for inspiration, comfort or warm feelings? Then, unexpectedly, the frame becomes damaged or broken. What did/do you do? Did you bear with it and keep it around? Did you replace the frame? Have it repaired?
Well this metaphor is going somewhere — I think of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP Act) in a similar way as the photograph or art that I value. One that provides some favorable visions of what a strong juvenile justice system should look like. It’s not perfect. Nor are the many photographs that occupy our albums and frames. But “the Act” has, over the past 30+ years, been sharpened by the wisdom of the states and field practitioners who know a thing or two about juvenile justice. It has gotten better as a result of the experiences of practitioners and the advocacy of the State Advisory Groups—particularly CJJ. To me, the Act espouses the preserved standards and intentions that we as a collective juvenile justice community hold proper for the values and practices a system should portray when youth commit offenses (or are suspected of doing so).
But the frame is wounded. The structure around the Act has fractured and is need of repair. The current federal implementation of the JJDP Act is causing significant problems around the country. Reinterpretations of the compliance rules and standards (making them stricter in a seemingly arbitrary way), earmarking the budget, the absence of an effective research and development approach, the creation of the FACJJ in contradiction to CJJ’s approach toward peer support for SAG members and federal advice to the President, Congress and OJJDP Administrator, and the current administration’s questionable interpretation of Congressional intent by separating and individually applying the 5 technical assistance functions to “an eligible organization composed of member representatives of State Advisory Groups” in ways that seem to conflict with states’ preferences and advice — all represent, to me, a broken framework. The core protections, or the “picture” of what the Act intends to accomplish, remain viable and goal-worthy. Could they be sharpened? Sure. Could other protections be added? Of course. But the frame, the structure that holds and protects the picture, is damaged and needs much Congressional attention.
That is where you come in. As a CJJ member, affiliate or friend, you have a voice in Congress to help repair this damaged frame. Your Government Relations Committee, chaired by Linda Hayes, and CJJ staff are working tirelessly to engage Congressional staff and Representatives on each key legislative and appropriations issue. If you didn’t hear about it, three of CJJ’s many advocates testified about JJDP Act reauthorization before Congresswoman McCarthy’s subcommittee to the House Education and Labor Committee on July 12 [Judge Paul Lawrence (NH), Derrick Johnson (AZ), and Robert “Bob” Shepherd (VA)]. I watched via Web cast. (You can, too, by visiting www.juvjustice.org/announcement_114.html.) Each did a fantastic job. And the CJJ staff’s work/preparation to support their testimony and to liaison with the offices of key members of Congress was just amazing. CJJ was very prominent, among others, including our partners with NJJN and ACT 4 Juvenile Justice. All are playing major roles in the important work to educate the Congress and the nation regarding the JJDP Act. For continual updates and information, please visit the JJDP Act Reauthorization Web site, mounted by CJJ on behalf of a large collaboration of national, state and local organizations: www.act4JJ.org.
And, we need your voices and thoughts in this effort, too. Your contacts with your congressional representatives, both back home in your districts as well as on “the Hill”, are key. There is a wonderful opportunity to meet with members of Congress during the “district summer work period” that begins August 6 and extends through Labor Day. National advocacy must be matched by local/state advocacy and information as to how congressional action impacts your work at home, in your neighborhoods, with your families and with consumers of services. CJJ has asked each SAG to identify a liaison to the CJJ Government Relations Committee (GRC). If you don’t know who yours is, or if your SAG needs to identify someone to be that liaison, please contact Tara Andrews at the CJJ office so that she can enroll your SAG’s representative to GRC: andrews@juvjustice.org. All are welcome (from outside of SAGs, too).
Please heed the calls via e-mail/newsletters/alerts to follow up on the work of the GRC, staff and partners of CJJ. Help us repair our “frame” – the worn and problematic work going on at the federal office, by communicating with your congressional members. The implementation of the JJDP Act is problematic – not so much the Act itself. I’m confident that Congress will reauthorize and improve the Act using the current values and core beliefs that are present in the field. Having core protections, effective legal counsel, research, technical assistance, an emphasis on equity and justice, national interagency collaboration, accountability, etc. are exactly what this country needs. What we do not need is federal politics dividing the field and fracturing an organization of State Advisory Groups that has a proven history of working together and making sure that core protections remain for children and youth at the federal level. Our memories and treasures come from years and years of collaboration. Let’s not allow the summer vacations or other typical variations that we go through at this time of year to slow our momentum.
About a week ago, I sent an e-mail regarding our next Board of Directors’ meeting to State Advisory Group Chairs and State Juvenile Justice Specialists. Following Board directives from June, the National Steering Committee is moving forward on the transition work toward a CJJ Council of SAGs and broader Executive Board. We really need you at the next board meeting and elections to make decisions as to whom will represent you on the Executive Board and to look toward the future in our planning. Presently we are looking at the dates of October 19 (in the evening) through October 21 (morning) in Denver. I know it’s a sacrifice. Believe me – we all are giving extra to make CJJ’s transition a positive one. And you’ll hear it again from me – I never believe in change as a process just for the purpose of change. If it does not result in a better CJJ, then we shouldn’t be doing it. But I’m 100% convinced that your “new” CJJ with its Executive Board and Council of SAGs will be an amazingly strong, progressive, flexible and collaborative organization that will serve as the national voice for youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system. So please schedule the extra day and half to join us for our next Board meeting.
And finally, I continue to thank all the volunteers and leaders as they work to strengthen CJJ and the outcomes for youth affected by the system. I ask myself when readying for work every day, “If not you, then who?” Who will do the important work of guiding vulnerable children and families? Each of you makes an important daily contribution to the field through your work or volunteerism. But if not for you, then who will do these things? Each of us has a moral and civic obligation to strengthen our communities in whatever ways that match our gifts of talent and hope.
Together we can believe in each other enough to make our volunteerism and advocacy extremely valuable. Once again, thank you for all you do for children and youth. As always, I invite your comments and feedback. Contact me via e-mail at rjenkins@cccommunicare.org.
Robin Jenkins
2007 National Chair
CJJ Membership & Governance Update
Message from Nancy Gannon Hornberger, Executive Director
At the CJJ Board of Directors’ meeting on June 10, critically important advances were made in CJJ’s membership structure by unanimous vote. It was decided that the CJJ Board of Directors will be strengthened and broadened, a new SAG Chair body put in place, and opportunities for membership in CJJ opened up to allied organizations and individuals.
Many thanks for excellent stewardship of this important work go particularly to Sue Kamp (VT), Membership and Governance Chair, CJJ’s 2007 National Chair, Robin Jenkins, and CJJ staff, Kitty McCarthy. Changing the dynamics of leadership, membership and governance are not tasks that most nonprofit board members readily sign on to do—yet, the enthusiasm and inclusivity of Sue and Robin’s leadership in this instrumental work have been truly extraordinary.
In addition, many thanks to the stalwart members of the Membership and Governance Committee/Transition Team, and to the many CJJ leaders and SAG Chairs/Chair-designees, who attended both the March impromptu meeting in Minneapolis, as well as our June Board meeting (in addition to many conference calls held in between). All of you contributed to bringing this work to a successful vote in June.
So what does this mean? Starting in the fall, CJJ will now provide memberships to SAGs, as always, as well as to affiliate organization members and individual members at large. On behalf of the entire organization, I wish to thank the 46 (of 56) SAGs that have pledged to or have already rejoined CJJ in 2007. It would be wonderful to have all SAGs involved!
The CJJ governance body, now called the “CJJ Executive Board,” has been broadened now to include voting representation that will add value to the SAG majority in its deliberations, including the national juvenile justice specialist representative, a national DMC coordinator representative, the National Juvenile Justice Network representative, and as many as four regional representatives who can be elected from the pool of former SAG members, individual members at large or organizational affiliate members, as voted in by their regions.
As CJJ National Chair Robin Jenkins mentioned in his column, we are working to plan a meeting of the new "Council of SAGs" (made up of SAG Chairs from all CJJ member-SAGs) in order to develop and elect the new CJJ Executive Board for 2008.
If you are interested in running for office on the Executive Board, have questions about the structural changes or wish to join as an organization or individual, please be in touch. We have much to do together to improve juvenile justice, delinquency prevention and safety for kids, families and communities. Come one! Come all!
Nancy Gannon Hornberger, Executive Director
nancy@juvjustice.org and 202-467-0864, ext. 111
CJJ Government Relations Alert
Appropriations Update
The House has completed work on its Appropriations bill, H.R. 3093, and the Senate may vote on its Appropriations bill, S. 1745, before the August recess, which begins August 6. Unless the Senate makes significant changes to its bill, the bills are headed for a conference committee.
The surprise is that both chambers have proposed funding for Secs. 261 and 262, a.k.a. the delinquency prevention demonstration projects.
The unpleasant news is that much of Title V remains earmarked, especially in the House proposal. See the chart comparing the differences between the two bills, below.
KEY STREAMS OF FEDERAL JJ FUNDING AS APPROPRIATED (in millions):
| |
FY02 |
FY07 |
House
Proposal |
Senate
Proposal |
CJJ REQUEST
for FY08 |
Title II
State
Formula
Funds |
$88.8 |
$79.2 |
$81.175 |
$73 |
$96 |
Title V
Local
Delinq.
Prevention |
$94.3 |
$64.4 |
$70
$25 for EUDL
$25 for GREAT
$17.5 for Tribal Youth |
$65
$25 for EUDL
$10 for Tribal Youth |
$95 |
JABG
|
$249.5 |
$49.5 |
$60 |
$80 |
$250 |
DPBG
|
N/A |
--0-- |
$53 |
$76.5 |
$126.4 |
IT IS NOT TOO LATE to urge congressional appropriators to restore specific funding for all critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding streams that support the work of the JJDPA in the states: Title II State Formula Funds, Title V Local Delinquency Prevention Grants, Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) and Delinquency Prevention Block Grants (DPBG). AT THIS JUNCTURE, THE ENTIRE SENATE IS IN PLAY.
Questions? Please feel free to contact:
Tara Andrews, CJJ Deputy Executive Director: 202-467-0864, ext. 109 and andrews@juvjustice.org
Linda Hayes, Chair, CJJ Government Relations Committee: 910-892-4469 and lhayes@harnettlaw.com
ACT4JJ Intensifies Focus on JJDPA Reauthorization
During the month of July, ACT 4 Juvenile Justice (ACT4JJ), a campaign of the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition, of which CJJ is a lead member, hosted a series of state-specific calls to focus on developing a strategy for district and program visits with congressional members during the August 6-31 district work periods to promote JJDPA priorities. Targeted states included Delaware, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin.
These visits will go a long way toward ensuring the reauthorization of the JJDPA, which has worked for more than 30 years to protect children and provide funding for states’ juvenile justice programs.
Many, many thanks to CJJ members, who were heavily represented on each call and who offered some great ideas about how to mobilize their congressional members during the work period and beyond!
While we were hoping to see legislation before the August recess, we are confident that legislation will be introduced shortly after Congress returns in September.
Are you part of the Campaign? To become more involved and stay informed, visit www.act4jj.org and join the listserv.
CJJ Supports Effort to Respond More Effectively to Youth with Mental Health Needs
As anticipated, on August 3, 2007, Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) introduced the Juvenile Crime Reduction Act, which amends the JJDPA by providing additional resources for and a greater emphasis on serving youth with mental health needs who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.
Upon consideration of the bill and its merits, CJJ and ACT4JJ agree that this is legislation we can eagerly support. There remains a matter of ensuring that adequate resources are provided to the states to carry out the bill’s new provisions, but all-in-all the bill will assist states in responding to this vulnerable population in more effective ways.
As stated in Rep. Kennedy’s “Dear Colleague” letter to his fellow members, each year, more than 2.3 million juveniles are arrested, and studies have shown that a significant number of these youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder and/or a co-occurring substance abuse disorder. The Juvenile Crime Reduction Act aims to combat the underlying issues of mental illness and substance abuse among juvenile offenders and, ultimately, provide for safer communities by:
- providing funding to encourage comprehensive collaborations between schools, law enforcement, public health agencies, and other local systems and organizations responsible for at-risk juveniles;
- requiring state and local juvenile justice agencies to describe to the Department of Justice their efforts to implement a comprehensive program of mental health and substance abuse screening and assessment;
- providing grants to improve diversion of juveniles into home- and community-based treatment and reserving increases in Delinquency Prevention funding for evidence-based programs; and
- increasing the resources and technical assistance available to states and communities that wish to improve their practices with regard to mental health and substance abuse in the juvenile justice system.
We encourage you to urge your representatives to become original co-sponsors of this important legislation. Questions regarding the legislation can be directed to Mike Harney at mike.harney@mail.house.gov or 202-225-4911 in Rep. Kennedy’s office.
CJJ Assists States in Submitting Comments to the Attorney General Regarding Proposed SORNA Guidelines
CJJ, in partnership with the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN), continues to lead the effort to help SAG members, NJJN members and the states respond to the Adam Walsh Child and Protection Act of 2006 and related guidelines which, among other things, provide that youth adjudicated within the juvenile court system for certain sex abuses register with a national public sex offender registry.
As promised, CJJ and NJJN have developed a number of tools for the benefit of the states, including a summary of proposed guidelines by the U.S. Attorney General and a one-pager that supports the effectiveness of treatment programs for youthful offenders. CJJ also crafted a template that several states used to submit comments to the Attorney General regarding the proposed guidelines and the Act and advocate for additional changes. Comments were due August 1, 2007. To view the summary of proposed guidelines, the one-page fact sheet and the comments submitted by CJJ, visit www.juvjustice.org/announcement_113.html.
If you would like to be included on the Walsh Info Listserv, please send an e-mail to Tara Andrews, CJJ Deputy Executive Director, at andrews@juvjustice.org.
CJJ Maintains Efforts Around Effective Gang Legislation
The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007, S. 456, co-sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT), proposes to augment national and local responses to the suppression and prevention of gang violence by creating new crime definitions, enhanced penalties, targeted enforcement teams and funding streams dedicated to local prosecution, interdiction and prevention. A similar bill, sponsored by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), was recently introduced in the House. As originally proposed, these approaches over-emphasize interdiction and incarceration—costly and reactive strategies—rather than intervention and primary prevention—cost-effective and long-term strategies.
CJJ has long held the core position that prevention is the most constructive way to build safe communities. Effective prevention efforts – in the form of mentoring initiatives, after-school programs, school engagement, employment and employability programs, family strengthening services, youth leadership development, etc. – reduce victimization, keep children involved in productive activities and provide for the cost-effective use of public resources.
CJJ’s position was affirmed last month with the release of the Justice Policy Institute’s most recent report, “Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies.” JPI is a strong CJJ ally, and the release of the report received nationwide media coverage and has been delivered to every member of Congress. For more information and to view the report, go to www.justicepolicy.org/reports_jl/7-10-07_gangs/report.htm or see “Resources and Information of Note” below.
On the heels of the report’s release, CJJ, in partnership with the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition, of which CJJ is a lead member, is happy to be working with Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) to inform legislation that provides youth and communities with the evidence-based approaches they need to reduce violent gang activity. We anticipate that Representative Scott will introduce his bill sometime after Congress re-convenes in September.
Do you have ideas about what a good gang bill looks like? Please send your ideas to Tara at andrews@juvjustice.org.
###
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the CJJ Government Relations Committee or Government Relations Program, please contact committee chair Linda Hayes (lhayes@harnettlaw.com), or CJJ deputy executive director Tara Andrews (andrews@juvjustice.org and 202-467-0864, ext. 109).
CJJ Web Site Update
Videos of July 12 Congressional Hearing Posted on CJJ Site
The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) Web site is frequently updated with new and useful resources and information. Check it out today and see video clips of Derrick Johnson (Arizona SAG), Paul Lawrence (New Hampshire SAG) and Robert E. Shepherd (Virginia SAG) testifying at a July 12 congressional hearing on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
The hearing was jointly held by the House Education and Labor Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
Written and video testimony from the the hearing is available online at www.juvjustice.org/announcement_114.html.
State Advisory Group (SAG) News
Arkansas SAG Hosts Statewide Conference
Arkansas’ State Advisory Group, the Arkansas Coalition for Juvenile Justice (ACJJ), will host its 8th Annual Conference on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, September 11-13, 2007 in North Little Rock, AR.
The conference will focus on best practices with plenary session speakers and workshops regarding scientifically tested and proven programs and practices for at-risk and delinquent youth.
For more information and to register, visit www.arjuvjust.net.
National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) News
NJJN Joins the SAVE Coalition
The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) has joined the SAVE Coalition. SAVE (Stop Abuse and Violence Everywhere) is working to remove some of the most damaging provisions from the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which was passed by Congress in 1996 and has greatly restricted the ability of people of all ages in prisons, jails and places of detention to take evidence of abuses to the federal court.
One of the reforms the SAVE Coalition is working toward is having all juvenile detention facilities removed from the restrictions imposed by the PLRA. Children are particularly vulnerable to the PLRA requirement that all internal grievance procedures are exhausted before a case is taken to court (requiring children to understand and be able to navigate the procedures administered by the staff of the institution where they are held) and that any claim for compensation for mental or emotional harm requires a prior showing of a physical injury (this requirement has been used to keep claims for compensation for sexual abuse out of court).
Learn more about the SAVE Coalition at www.savecoalition.org.
Juvenile Justice Specialist News
JJ Specialist Conference Calls, ACT 4 Juvenile Justice Working Group and New Hire
Contributed by Mark Ferrante, New Jersey Juvenile Justice Specialist and CJJ National Juvenile Justice Specialist.
Following the June 9 Juvenile Justice Specialists’ Business Meeting held during the CJJ Summit on Reauthorization, I convened three conference calls with JJ Specialists to discuss a range of issues which were not able to be addressed during the Business Meeting. A total of 38 states and territories participated in (at least) one of the calls. The discussions were productive and follow-up will occur both through OJJDP’s State Relations and Assistance Division and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, as appropriate.
I have continued to participate in the ACT 4 Juvenile Justice (ACT4JJ) workgroup which has had frequent meetings over the summer to strategically plan for reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act prior to the end of 2007.
Finally, I wish to thank my colleagues for the support and guidance I have received over the past 20 months in my role as National Juvenile Justice Specialist and over the past seven years as New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Specialist. I am very much looking forward to continuing to work with all of you in my new capacity as CJJ’s Director for Leadership and Training Programs. I am certain that your continued encouragement and expertise will make my transition a smooth one. As of the end of August, I can be reached at ferrante@juvjustice.org.
Annie E. Casey Foundation and JDAI News
2007 “KIDS COUNT Data Book” Now Available
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its 18th annual “KIDS COUNT Data Book.” This annual publication is a national and state-by-state profile of the well-being of America’s children that ranks states on 10 key measures and provides data on the economic, health, education and social conditions of America’s children and families.
This year, the “KIDS COUNT Data Book” essay, “Lifelong Family Connections: Supporting Permanence for Children in Foster Care,” looks at the more than 700,000 children in the United States who spend time in foster care each year, and what can be done to build and strengthen the family relationships that these young people need.
The 2007 data book, as well as other materials, can be viewed and downloaded at www.aecf.org/kidscount.
Visit the JDAI Help Desk Online
The JDAI Help Desk is online with new and reliable practice-based information for juvenile justice practitioners, policymakers, advocates and others interested in improving the detention component of their delinquency systems and their juvenile justice systems overall. The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, working with more than 75 jurisdictions in 19 states and the District of Columbia to safely reduce the use of secure detention while strengthening juvenile justice systems and protecting public safety.
Visit the JDAI Help Desk at www.jdaihelpdesk.org.
Resources and Information of Note
Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice Releases 2006 Annual Report
The 2006 Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FAC-JJ) has released its 2006 Annual Report to the President and Congress, outlining critical concerns and issues as identified through a questionnaire distributed to the State Advisory Groups (SAGs) in the U.S. states, territories and District of Columbia.
Nearly 40 SAGs responded to the questionnaire, more than half of whom reported disproportionate minority contact (DMC) in the juvenile justice system as their chief concern. Fifteen states also highlighted mental health disorders amongst youth in the system as a major concern and nearly all of the respondents stressed the need for the President and Congress to adequately fund federal juvenile justice programs.
In addition to mental health and DMC, the report includes sections on research, evaluation and evidence-based programs; reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA); administration and funding of federal juvenile justice programs/funds; effective legal counsel for children in the system; and sentences of life without the possibility of parole (LWOP) for juveniles.
Read the full report at www.facjj.org/annualreports.html.
JPI Reports that Gang Suppression Tactics Fail to Reduce Crime
The Justice Policy Institute (JPI) has released “Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics and the Need for Effective Public Safety Strategies,” a landmark report arguing that billions of dollars spent on traditional gang suppression tactics have failed to promote public safety and are in fact counterproductive. Based upon an extensive review of the research literature on gangs, the report also debunks pervasive myths about gang member and gang crime. A few of the report’s conclusions include:
- There are fewer gang members in the United States today than there were a decade ago, and there is no evidence that gang activity is growing.
- Gang members account for a relatively small share of crime in most jurisdictions.
- The public face of the gang problem is black and brown, but whites make up the largest group of adolescent gang members.
- Most gang members join when they are young and quickly outgrow their gang affiliation without the help of law enforcement or gang intervention programs.
- Leaving the gang early reduces the risk of negative life outcomes, but current policies make it more difficult for gang members to quit.
- Heavy-handed suppression efforts can increase gang cohesion and police-community tensions, and they have a poor track record when it comes to reducing crime and violence.
- African American and Latino communities bear the cost of failed gang enforcement initiatives.
The report also points toward effective actions that reduce youth violence and promote public safety, recommending that enforcement:
- Expand the use of evidenced-based practice to reduce youth crime.
- Promote jobs, education, and healthy communities, and lower barriers to the reintegration into society of former gang members.
- Redirect resources from failed gang enforcement efforts to proven public safety strategies.
View the full report, as well as an executive summary and press release, at www.justicepolicy.org/reports_jl/7-10-07_gangs/report.htm.
Report Released on Youth in D.C.'s Adult Criminal Justice System
In July, the Campaign for Youth Justice and the Justice for DC Youth! Coalition released “A Capital Offense: Youth in DC’s Adult Criminal Justice System and Strategies for Reform.” Noting that the District of Columbia jail has held 42 youth pre-trial as of May—many of them without prior review by a judge or a court hearing—the report finds that these youth may spend up to 23.5 hours a day locked in their cells and do not benefit from reform efforts conducted through the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services. Ultimately, the report makes the following recommendations:
- End the pretrial placement of youth in the adult jail.
- Require that all transfer cases be decided by a judge.
- Provide a “reverse” waiver mechanism for youth in adult court to be returned to juvenile jurisdiction when appropriate.
- Encourage the Federal Bureau of Prisons to contract with the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services so that youth can serve out their sentences close to home.
- Collect and analyze data on youth tried and sentenced as adults on an on-going basis.
Read the full report at www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/Downloads/NEWS/C4YJ004-DC_Chapter.pdf.
New York Times on the JJDPA, Juvenile Sex Offenders
On July 12, the New York Times published an editorial on the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). The editorial calls for Congress to strengthen the JJDPA and ensure that juveniles are kept out of the adult criminal system, noting the damage done by trying youths as adults and highlighting the disproportionate numbers of minority youth subject to such treatment. The editorial concludes:
Reauthorization hearings begin today and members need to listen closely to what the experts are saying. Trying children as adults — except in isolated cases involving extreme violence — is both inhumane and counterproductive.
View the complete article at www.act4jj.org/media/documents//document_8.pdf.
Also in July, the New York Times Magazine published a cover story on juvenile sex offenders entitled “How Can You Distinguish a Budding Pedophile From a Kid With Real Boundary Problems?” In particular, the article addresses the issue of listing juveniles on adult sex offender registries, noting:
In dozens of interviews, therapists, lawyers, teenagers and their parents told […] similar stories of juveniles who, after being discovered on a sex-offender registry, have been ostracized by their peers and neighbors, kicked out of extracurricular activities or physically threatened by classmates. Experts worry that these experiences stigmatize adolescents and undermine the goals of rehabilitation.
View the complete article at www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/magazine/22juvenile-t.html?ex=1186286400&en=e63ef9d122817a75&ei=5070.
NCMHJJ Releases Brief on Trauma in the Juvenile Justice System
The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) has released its latest research and program brief entitled “Trauma Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Critical Issues and New Directions.” The brief provides an overview of trauma among justice-involved youth and reviews tools, strategies and curricula on how to address trauma-related issues among this population.
View the complete brief at www.ncmhjj.com/pdfs/Trauma_and_Youth.pdf.
Report Issued on Indicators of Children’s Well-Being
The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released “America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007.” The report presents 38 key indicators on important aspects of children's lives and is structured into seven sections that cover family and social environment, economic circumstances, health care, physical environment and safety, behavior, education and health.
View the complete report at www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/index.asp.
Mentoring Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Foster Care Systems
Health and Human Development Programs (HHD), an initiative sponsored by the nonprofit Education Development Center (EDC), has begun the first federally-funded training and technical assistance program in the country to assist mentoring organizations reach youth in the juvenile justice and foster care systems. In partnership with Aftercare for Indiana through Mentoring and funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, HHD is working with four demonstration sites to address the specific needs of high-risk youth through mentoring programs.
For more information, visit www.hhd.org/hhdnews/hhdstories/fs_07_2007c.asp.
Analyzing U.S. Prison Growth
Mike Males, a Senior Research Fellow at the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ), has published “Analyzing U.S. Prison Growth,” an article addressing increases and changes in the national prison population. The article explains that the U.S. prison population has more than tripled in the last 25 years and that “a massive drive to imprisonment” has affected every demographic group but has particularly skewed the population to be older, more drug involved and (to a lesser extent) whiter and more female. It notes, however, that race and gender disparities remain significant.
Read the entire article at http://4thcolumn.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=1.
Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Grants Available
The Prevention and Prisoner Reentry Program, sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is offering a total of $50,000 to facilitate capacity-building and collaboration with other crime prevention efforts at faith- and community-based organizations with existing reentry programs.
Application Deadline: August 10, 2007 (Letter of Intent); September 4, 2007 (Proposal).
For more information, contact McFarland & Associates, Inc. at 301-589-0780 or through the "Contact Us" feature at www.mcfarlandwired.com.
Upcoming Conferences and Trainings
The National Center for School Engagement will host “Evaluating Your Truancy Reduction Program,” a training course designed for persons responsible for school, court, or community-based truancy reduction programs, August 27-28, 2007 in Denver, CO. For more information, visit www.schoolengagement.org/TruancypreventionRegistry
/Admin/Resources/Resources/133.pdf.
The Pennsylvania Juvenile Officers Association will host its annual conference on legal issues associated with truancy, referrals of students to juvenile courts for school-based misbehavior, education of delinquent youth and problems delinquent youth have in returning to school after placement, October 23-24, 2007 in Grantville, PA. The conference will feature a session conducted by Laval Miller-Wilson of the Juvenile Law Center and Deborah Gordon Klehr of the Education Law Center regarding how law enforcement officers respond to requests from schools, deal with youth with developmental disabilities (e.g. autism), and interact with the juvenile justice system. For more information, call 215-799-7562.
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will host a national training, “Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice,” September 17-20, 2007 in New Orleans, LA. There will be three training tracks with sessions that include developing prevention and early intervention programs, developing competency, reducing disproportionate minority contact through Graduated Sanctions and applying interventions with internal consistency. Learn more at www.ncjfcj.org/content/view/696/315/.
The CJJ e-Monitor is brought to you by staff and volunteer leaders of CJJ, and supported by membership fees paid by CJJ’s State Advisory Group members, Members at Large and Allies. We are grateful to all for their ongoing support.
The CJJ e-Monitor is distributed in the first week of every month. To submit items for publication, e-mail Kitty McCarthy at mccarthy@juvjustice.org. Items must be submitted two weeks prior to the first of the month for consideration. Inclusion and editing of submissions are subject to CJJ editorial guidelines.
To electronically subscribe or unsubscribe to the CJJ e-Monitor, please send a request with your name and contact information to info@juvjustice.org.
— Robin Jenkins, 2007 CJJ National Chair
— Kitty McCarthy, Editor
|
|
|
