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Juvenile Justice System People-First Language The language we use can have far-reaching and unintended effects, stigmatizing and dehumanizing people of different genders, races, religions and nationalities. Persons diagnosed with mental illness and those in the criminal justice system may experience the same stigmatization. This one-page article from the GAINS Center web site explains people-first language as it applies to people in the mental health and criminal justice systems. ++++++++++ An Online Tutorial for Juvenile Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Treatment Professionals Working Together for Change: Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System is available online from the National GAINS Center for Co-Occurring Disorders in the Justice System. There is no charge for the tutorial, as near as I can tell. +++++++++++ Guidebook for Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare System Coordination and Integration: Framework for Improved Outcomes Janet Wiig and John Tuell are the authors of this publication recently released by the CWLA. The guidebook addresses barriers to improving services across multiple youth-serving systems and provides strategies, tolls, and resources for overcoming these barriers. 112 page pdf file. John Tuell also wrote and CWLA published Promoting a Coordinated and Integrated Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System, an eight page action strategy outlining a planning process for developing a coordinated and integrated youth-serving system. ++++++++++ The LINK – Spring 2005 The latest issue of CWLA’s online newsletter connecting juvenile justice and child welfare features the King County (Seattle, Washington) Systems Integration Initiative (KC-SII) to examine and improve the coordination and integration of program and policy development for dual jurisdiction youth and families. Other articles in this issue address children of prisoners and child trauma in juvenile justice and residential settings. 12 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood: Rethinking Public Policy for a New Century This report presents the proceedings of a two-day conference held in Chicago in November 2004. The conference was attended by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers and discussed current research and practice and what it suggests about how well our major social institutions have adapted to support young people as they make the transition to adulthood in the 21st century. 19 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Missouri’s Juvenile Justice System – Small is Beautiful Missouri has become the model for juvenile corrections in the nation. This article from the Annie E. Casey Foundation web site will tell you why. ++++++++++ The Link – Winter 2005 CWLA’s latest issue of its juvenile justice newsletter is now online. Subject matter includes an article on sex trafficking of children in Atlanta, Georgia and how the community and the courts responded and about GRAD, the Global Risk Assessment Device, an internet-based instrument developed to provide a valid, reliable tool for juvenile justice professionals. ++++++++++ South Carolina Releases a “Report Card” on the Effectiveness of Services to Juvenile Offenders The South Carolina DJJ was selected in 2003 to participate in “Performance Measures for the Juvenile Justice System: A National Demonstration Project” as the only statewide jurisdiction in the project. The report card is a new way of looking at the juvenile justice system. It incorporates restorative justice principles. The report card reports not only on the state’s juvenile justice successes, but on its failures as well. The report card is available to read at the site. ++++++++++ Resurrecting Radical Non-Intervention: Stop the War on Kids At the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) web site Dr. Randall Shelden, a faculty member of the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, has posted this monograph that looks at zero tolerance, net widening, and the “get tough on kids” political movement. He examines Edwin Schur’s radical non-intervention challenge to traditional responses to delinquency from the 1970’s and concludes with a description of the Detention Diversion Advocacy Project in San Francisco. Very thoughtful and sometimes provocative. 20 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Criminal Neglect: Substance Abuse, Juvenile Justice and The Children Left Behind A new report released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) analyzes the impact of substance abuse on juvenile offenders and how the nation’s juvenile justice systems deal with these offenders. The study took place over five years and uses data from 2000, the latest information available for in-depth analysis. From the study:  | Four of every five children and teens (78.4%) in the juvenile justice systems (1.9 of 2.4 million arrests of 10- to 17-year –olds)  | are under the influence of alcohol of drugs while committing their crime, | | test positive for drugs, | | are arrested for committing an alcohol or drug offense, | | admit having substance abuse and addiction problems, | | or share some combination of these characteristics. |
| | Of the 1.9 million arrests of juvenile offenders with substance abuse and addictions problems, only about 68,000 juveniles – or 3.6% - receive any form of substance abuse treatment. | | Mental health services are scarce and most education programs do not meet even minimum state educational criteria. |
The study also found that: | At least 30% of adults in prison for felony crimes were incarcerated as juveniles. | | 92% of arrested juveniles who tested positive for drugs tested positive for marijuana; 14.4% for cocaine. | | 50 to 80% of incarcerated juveniles suffer from learning disabilities. | | 50 to 75 percent of all incarcerated juveniles have a mental health disorder. | | Over the past decade the arrest rate (arrests per 100,000 persons ages 10 to 17) for juvenile drug law violations has jumped 105.0% while the overall arrest rate for juvenile offenses has decreased by 12.9%. |
This is a big document with all sorts of useful information and statistics. Begin by downloading the Accompanying Statement and Chapter I, Introduction and Executive Summary, then look over the Table of Contents for other chapters and appendices you might want to download. 150+ pages in length. ++++++++++ More on Missouri’s System for Young Offenders This article from the Time-Picayune provides information in depth about the successful Missouri system for treating young offenders. A visit to the Northwestern Regional Youth Center shows bean bag chairs, couches, and bunk beds with stuffed animals. This pleasant, home like setting is integral to the rehabilitation of young offenders in Missouri. Of the 1300 Missouri young offenders who were released from custody in 1999 and tracked for four years, 8% had been sentenced to an adult prison and 7% were sent back to the juvenile system for new offenses. ++++++++++ New Juvenile Justice Training Center Located on the Richmond campus of Eastern Kentucky University, the new juvenile justice training center will provide up to date training for newly hired Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice employees who are entering the juvenile justice field. It will also keep DJJ staff members informed and trained on developing issues in juvenile justice. The center is equipped with videoconferencing technology for links across the state. ++++++++++ Juvenile Injustice – Overcrowding, Violence, and Abuse in State Youth Corrections The US News & World Report presents this special report on overcrowding, violence and abuse in state youth correctional facilities. The report reviews the history of the country’s juvenile courts and the changes they experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. The result is that, while juvenile crime is down nearly 50% over the past decade, juvenile facilities remain chronically short of dollars, resources, staffing and experience high staff turnover. “State juvenile corrections directors can be expected, on average, to stay in their jobs only about three years.” ++++++++++ Facts About Children and the Law This ABA publication intended for the public. It answers questions about children’s rights, juvenile justice, and family related issues and includes a resource section. Handy resource to have around. 25 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Spare the Rod, Save the Child The Los Angeles Times reports on the success of Missouri’s juvenile justice system. The Missouri system, considered a model for the country, focuses on treatment and connections. Missouri got rid of its large, prison-like lockups for juveniles and replaced them with small group settings that blend highly trained staff with constant therapy and positive peer pressure. A 2003 study found that of the 1,400 teenagers released from the state’s juvenile justice facilities in 1999, only 8% wound up in adult prisons. Thanks to everyone who forwarded this article to me. ++++++++++ From the UK, National Standards for Youth Justice Services This new publication describes the minimum level of service required of those delivering youth justice services in the United Kingdom. The standards range from prevention, assessment, restorative justice, to court ordered interventions, intensive supervision, and secure corrections. They were effective April 1. No page numbers, but the pile of paper weighs in at about 100 pages. Downloadable pdf file. The link above will take you to the Youth Justice Board publications page where you can see all the publications available there. ++++++++++ Anti-Gang Funding Restored in the House A U.S. House subcommittee restored more than $100 million in funds for gang prevention programs nationwide, which the White House had ought to cut, and added $18 million to pay for additional federal agents and to launch a National Gang Intelligence Center. The $60 million cut from Juvenile Accountability Block Grants was restored. ++++++++++ Indiana Supreme Court Decision Requires Judges to Determine Child’s Competency If children are determined to be incapable of understanding and assisting in their defense, they will have to be treated at county expense until they can understand. The Supreme Court decision arose from appeals in four cases that originated in Marion County Juvenile Court, In each case, children from the ages of 10 to 13 were charged with crimes that would be felonies if committed by adults. The charges included sexual battery, child molesting, arson and burglary. In each case, the child accused in the crime was mentally ill and mentally retarded. Judge James Payne ordered psychiatric evaluations and the children were found incompetent to undergo proceedings. They were turned over to the state department of mental health and state officials challenged Payne’s decision. Judge Payne is vice-president of NCJFCJ. ++++++++++ Question: How many juvenile offenders become adult felons? In answer to this question, I sent these two documents to the person who asked it: Previously Incarcerated Juveniles in Oregon’s Adult Corrections System This study by the State of Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis found: | The study found adult felony records for 41.8% of the study population. | | Just over half of the oldest cohort (those born in 1976) had an adult felony record by their 25th year. | | The percentage of offenders with adult records is roughly consistent with findings in Washington and South Carolina. | | The percentage of offenders with adult records increased with age, consistent with the South Carolina studies. |
The Class of 1988, Seven Years Later: How a Juvenile Offender’s Crime, Criminal History, and Age Affect the Chances of Becoming an Adult Felon in Washington State In this study the Washington State Institute for Public Policy found that the more serious the crime and the greater the number of prior convictions, the greater the sentence a juvenile offender receives. The study found both these factors to be strongly predictive of future felony offending as adults. For the chronic and violent juvenile offenders in Washington, over half received a conviction for an adult felony by the time they were 25 years old. ++++++++++ Supreme Court Rejects Extra Warnings for Teen Suspects The Supreme Court will not create a special rule for advising juvenile suspects of their Miranda rights prior to an interrogation. In a 5 to 4 decision on June 1, 2004, the Supreme Court said that criminal suspects who are juvenile are not entitled to more deferential treatment than adult suspects in terms of when Miranda warnings are issued. ++++++++++ Measuring Juvenile court Outcomes at Case Closing Patrick Griffith and Doug Thomas at the National Center for Juvenile Justice report on the good news contained in the Allegheny County (Penn.) Juvenile Court “report card” sent to the community. Here are some of the statistics from that report: | 97% of the juvenile whose delinquency cases were closed in 2002 (the latest year with statistics available to report on) completed all of the community service they had been ordered to do. They gave their community a total of 68,791 hours of work – the equivalent of $354,275, valued at the minimum wage. | | 81% of them paid all the restitution they had been ordered to pay. Victims received a total of $138,980. | | Only 6% committed serious probation violations and only 13% recidivated while under supervision. |
To read more about Pennsylvania’s Case Closing Project, of which this is a part, click on the link above. ++++++++++ At the Intersection of Immigration Law and Juvenile Justice A two-part series of articles on immigrants within the ages of juvenile court jurisdiction and the host of immigration-related issues associated with them. The first addresses cases where a juvenile court adjudication or a criminal conviction may place a juvenile alien at risk of removal from the US . The second considers cases where juvenile court might serve as a vehicle to prevent the removal of a juvenile and permit him or her to gain permanent resident status. Both articles appear in the newsletter In Re… in the Juvenile Justice section of the APRI/NDAA website. ++++++++++ Reforming the Juvenile Justice System The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice web site Juvenile Justice pages include a Reforming the Juvenile Justice System section. Its contents include: | elements of a model system of care in juvenile justice | | models for detention alternatives, | | model counties: Santa Cruz County , California and Multnomah County , Oregon | | model states: Missouri | | juvenile justice reform in Alameda County , California . |
++++++++++ Missouri Juvenile Justice Association (MJJA) MJJA has a new website with some interesting information available for download from it on its Special Reports page: | DMC – Disproportionate Minority Confinement Report | | Plan for Reducing DMC in Missouri . | | Differences Between Delinquent Youth With and Without a Parental History of Incarceration |
Click on “Special Reports Page” link above. ++++++++++ Pennsylvania: An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Representation in Delinquency Proceedings The ABA’s Juvenile Justice Center and the Juvenile Law Center in Philadelphia recently released a report on juvenile public defenders in Pennsylvania . The report illustrates that unevenness of resources from county to county is in part caused by the lack of statewide standards and accountability. Pennsylvania has no uniform system for assigning indigent defense lawyers, provides no state funding to counties, and collects no data in oversight for county defender services. Some findings from the report: in Philadelphia recently released a report on juvenile public defenders in Pennsylvania . The report illustrates that . Pennsylvania has no uniform system for assigning indigent defense lawyers, provides no state funding to counties, and collects no data in oversight for county defender services. Some findings from the report: | More than half of the public defender offices surveyed report that caseload pressures limit their ability to represent juvenile clients effectively. | | 58% say that lack of support services (such as investigators or expert witnesses) limits their ability to effectively represent juveniles. | | 71% described themselves as having fewer resources than local prosecutors. | | In preparing for disposition hearings, less than half usually prepare witnesses (the youth or the youth’s family), and 52% do so “rarely,” or “never.” |
The report is downloadable from the Juvenile Law Center ’s web site. It is 100+ pages in length so I suggest you start with the Executive Summary. Appendix C contains the ABA Juvenile Justice Standards relating to counsel for private parties. ++++++++++ Juvenile Court Statistics 1999 Portions of this new publication were mentioned in Brevity a couple of weeks back with links to brief fact sheets from it. The complete study is available online at NCJRS and downloadable. It profiles the nearly 1.7 million delinquency cases handled by courts with juvenile jurisdiction in 1999 and reviews trends since 1990. Juvenile Court Statistics is a very good reference guide for juvenile justice professionals. It was produced by my colleagues at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. +++++++++++ State Budget Woes Lead to Jail Alternatives Fox Butterfield reports in the NYTimes that in the past year about 25 states have passed laws eliminating some of the lengthy mandatory minimum sentences so popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Instead of being tough on crime, states are finding it more effective to be smart on crime. ++++++++++ Books for Teens About the Law Thomas Jacobs, an Arizona attorney and juvenile court judge, and the parent of five children, has written three books about the law for teens. I haven’t read them cover to cover, but I have reviewed these three books and they appear to be useful in a variety of contexts. I learned something from each. | What Are My Rights? Answers kids’ questions about the law to help them make informed decisions. Written in clear everyday language in a Q & A style. | | They Broke the Law – You Be the Judge – This book invites teens to preside over a variety of real-life cases. Readers learn each teen’s background, the relevant facts, and sentencing options available. After they make their decisions they find out what really happened and where each offender is today. | | Teens on Trial: Young People Who Challenged the Law – and Changed Your Life – Describes precedent-setting cases that reveal the power of social action and prove that even teens can change the law. Familiarizes readers with the legal system. |
++++++++++ Workload Measurement for Juvenile Justice System Personnel: Practices and Needs This JAIBG Bulletin was written by a member of our staff at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. While it will tell you some things you want to know, this information is limited and this bulletin will tell you why. See Permanency Planning Dept. downloadable technical assistance bulletins below for a similar publication, Judicial Workload Estimates: Redefining the Concept of “Judicial Work.” ++++++++++ New OJJDP Fact Sheets Each of these fact sheets is two pages in length and packed with information and statistics: The authors of these fact sheets are my colleagues at the National Center for Juvenile Justice in Pittsburgh . ++++++++++ Juveniles in Court This latest in the Juvenile Offenders and Victims National Report Series was written for OJJDP by Melissa Sickmund, a researcher at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. The report summarizes the latest national statistics on juveniles in court. It also includes information about who is under juvenile court jurisdiction and how juvenile courts transfer juveniles to criminal court. A new section discusses research findings about very young offenders involved with the juvenile court. 32 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Juvenile Justice in the UK Take a look at the Youth Justice Board web site. Juvenile justice in England and Wales is heavily prevention oriented and has a strong diversion component. Youth Justice Boards, composed of citizen volunteers, are the doorkeepers for entry into the justice system in the UK. With thanks to another reader for this interesting site. ++++++++++ Juvenile Justice at a Crossroads – Spring 2003 issue of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Advoca – Spring 2003 issue of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Advocasey publication Read about the Multnomah County, Oregon model for reducing racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. Missouri is featured as a model for juvenile corrections, with the lowest recidivism rates in the country. The growing kids’ juvenile injustice movement - “Hip-Hop vs. Lock-up: Alameda County Youth Battle a Juvenile Jail Building Boom." How California kids changed the minds of the Board of Corrections. ++++++++++ Juvenile Arrests 2000 Summary and analysis of national and State juvenile arrest data presented in the FBI report Crime in the United States 2000. Some interesting information from the report: | The juvenile arrest rate for violent crime in 2000 was 41% below its peak in 1994, reaching the lowest level in 14 years. | | The juvenile arrest rate for murder dropped 74% from its peak in 1993 to its lowest level since the 1960s. | | Juvenile arrest rates for burglary declined 63% between 1980 and 2000. |
If you’re looking for the latest available statistics on juvenile crime this is it. (There is always a 2 year lag time in research reports like this one. It takes that time to gather the data, interpret it, and write about it.) This is a 12-page Juvenile Justice Bulletin downloadable from the NJRS web site. Its author, Howard Snyder, is a member of our research staff in Pittsburgh at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. Here’s a link to the NCJJ FAQ pages, a good one to bookmark.
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