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Are Boot Camps Obsolete?
Boot camps appeared on the juvenile justice scene during the 1980s and were hailed as the “get tough” solution to whip youngsters into shape. No study has found this type of program reduces recidivism, but there are still people who advocate for boot camps as a solution to juvenile crime despite studies to the contrary. ++++++++++ Guidelines for Juvenile Information sharing
This online report outlines a course of action for States and local jurisdictions involved in efforts to improve information sharing among key agencies that work with at-risk youth and juvenile offenders. The guidelines integrate the three critical components of juvenile information sharing – collaboration, confidentiality, and technology – into an effective developmental framework. 37 page pdf file. ++++++++++ New Study Says Pretrial Lockup May Make Juvenile More Likely to Commit Crimes
The Dangers of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities shows that, rather than promoting public safety, detention may contribute to future offenses. Studies from around the country show that incarcerated youth have higher recidivism rates than youth supervised in other kinds of settings.
Read or download the report here. (24 page pdf file).
++++++++++ Build More Prisons or Invest in Programs?
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) was asked by the State Legislature to project whether there are options that can reduce the need for prison beds, save money, and lower crime rates. WSIPP concluded that “if Washington successfully implements a moderate-to-aggressive portfolio of evidence-based options, a significant level of future prison construction can be avoided, taxpayers can save about two billion dollars, and crime rates can be reduced. While this research is adult-oriented, it does include juvenile data and programs.
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California’s Most Notorious Youth Prison is Transformed.
One year ago the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton, Calif. was the most chaotic youth prison in a system out of control. Now, as the first prison to undergo court-ordered reforms, Chad is a lesson in what can be accomplished.
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Lingle Directory - Alternative Programs for Children and Youth
The directory profiles alternative programs for children and youth who are at risk of confinement in closed facilities and lockups. The profiles are contained in a data base designed to provide web site program information in a convenient form. The Lingle Directory was created by and is maintained by NCJJ.
++++++++++ Youth Crime and Incarceration in California
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice has released this new study that shows California’s youth crime at its lowest level in almost 30 years and youth incarceration rates to be the lowest in modern state history. The principal author is Mike Males. From the study: The state’s youth incarceration rate declined from a 1980 rate of 170 per 100,000 to a 2004 rate of 91 per 100,000. During the same period the youth violent crime arrest rate declined from 556 per 100,000 to 348 per 100,000.
15 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Alternative to Jail Programs for Juveniles
Two new programs are saving New York City several million dollars and with promising results, even though they have been in operation only two years. The link above to the New York City Independent Budget Office weekly newsletter features this week the two community-based approaches to rehabilitation of youth. The Enhanced Supervision Program (ESP) was specifically designed to divert serious cases from Office of Children and Family Services when the youth do not pose a threat to community safety. Esperanza is a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice. Youth enter Esperanza as a result of their Family Court hearing, either as part of a conditional discharge or in conjunction with probation. Esperanza provides family-based therapeutic services and crisis management.
With thanks to Jack Ryan, NYC Department of Probation, for sending me the IBO link. ++++++++++ Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002: Selected Findings Melissa Sickmund of NCJJ, writing for the Juvenile Offenders and Victims National Report Series, reports on the findings of the juvenile residential facility census. From 2000 to 2002, the number of juvenile offenders in custody decreased in 36 states. The report also finds the facility crowding affects a substantial proportion of youth in custody. Other findings: Many juvenile offenders are in facilities with more residents than standard beds. Half of juvenile offenders are in facilities where in-house mental health professionals assess all youth. Deaths of juveniles in custody are relatively rare – suicide was the leading cause in 2002 and in that year 24 juvenile facilities reported a total of 26 deaths.
15 page pdf file. ++++++++++ The GRAD (Global Risk Assessment Device)
Ohio State University has developed the GRAD to assist professionals in making recommendations and referrals that are based on reliable and valid information. For more information, click on the link to the GRAD article in Corrections Today on the site page. ++++++++++ Reforming Juvenile Delinquency Treatment to Enhance Rehabilitation, Personal Accountability and Public Safety
Law professor Douglas E. Abrams, a NCJFCJ member and a Brevity reader, has just written a lengthy article in the Oregon Law Review surveying national conditions of juvenile delinquency confinement. The article describes the widespread violence, abuse and neglect the Department of Justice has found in its inspections of several state detention facilities under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA). The article also discusses the Missouri statewide delinquency treatment system, widely regarded as a national model and concludes with eight recommendations for national reform. Available for download at the link above and click on “84 or.L.Rev. 1001.” 92 pages. ++++++++++ Juveniles in U.S. Prisons Win Time-Served Right
A federal appeals court has ruled that juveniles have the same right as adults to get their sentences reduced by the amount of time they have been locked up since their arrests. Policy will be changed to treat juveniles the same as adults. The ruling affects youths charged with federal crimes committed before age 18. Most are Native American youth whose crimes were committed on reservations, subjecting them to federal jurisdiction. ++++++++++ Treated Like Trash: Juvenile Detention in New Orleans Before, During, and After Hurricane Katrina
The Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana released this report last week that documents a system with no plan or proper supplies to evacuate juveniles. It reports on the conditions under which juveniles trapped in the Orleans Parish Prison subsisted and their harrowing trip out of New Orleans to Baton Rouge where food, showers and safe beds awaited. 20+ page pdf file. See also this article about the report from the Times-Picayune.. ++++++++++ Florida Juvenile Boot Camp System Scrapped
Florida state lawmakers have voted to rename the boot camp facilities and demilitarize them to make them emphasize treatment rather than fear. The Martin Lee Anderson Act, named for the teenager who suffered from boot camp guards before his death, bans the use of stun guns, pepper spray, pressure points, mechanical restraints and psychological intimidation unless a child is a threat to himself or others.
The act also establishes a seven-member commission to independently review Department of Juvenile Justice Programs. Juveniles will have an extensive physical exam and access to an abuse hot-line telephone number. The act also advocates more training for staff at the camps. ++++++++++ Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention
OJJDP’s latest Juvenile Justice Bulletin examines the prevalence of alcohol, drug and mental disorders among youth at the Cook County (Illinois) Juvenile Temporary Detention Center by gender, race/ethnicity/ and age. The Bulletin finds that nearly two-thirds of males and three-quarters of females studied met diagnostic criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders. Contains information to help the juvenile justice system detect youth psychiatric disorders and respond with an integrated system of services. 16 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Study of Zero Tolerance Policy in Florida Finds Thousands of Students Funneled into Juvenile Detention for Minor Offenses.
The Advancement Project, a NAACP-affiliated group based in Washington, D. C., says that “school districts have spent millions of dollars for school police officers who spend most of their time disciplining students for conduct that should be addressed by school programs, counseling and parental involvement.”
School administrators statewide relied heavily on out-of-school suspensions which rose 14% in 2005 although the student population increased by 8% during the same time. Black students accounted for half of those suspensions and juvenile justice referrals, although they account for 23% of student enrollment statewide. ++++++++++ Cost Effective Corrections: Rationalizing the Fiscal Architecture of Juvenile Justice Systems
The Justice Policy Institute has just released this report profiling several states that have altered the fiscal architecture of their juvenile justice systems to reduce the inefficient, ineffective and sometimes damaging affect of fiscal incentives that make it cheaper to send a youth to state secure care than to treat them at home. The report says that by rethinking how they fund their juvenile justice system, states and localities can succeed in keeping more youth at home, reduce the number of youth incarcerated, and promote better outcomes for young people. 26 page pdf file. ++++++++++ ndiana Sets Up Hotline for Kids in the State System
The Indiana Department of Correction has established the state’s first direct access hotline. Created for juveniles who were concerned for their safety among peers, or staff, the hotline offers direct access to the Internal Affairs Department and state investigators any time of day. Juveniles throughout the state have been informed about the hotline and how to use it.
++++++++++ Briefing Paper #2 - Redirecting Youth from the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Addressing Cross-Cutting Issues in Youth Services
From the Briefing Paper Series of the Youth Transition Funders Group, this paper addresses the pipeline in which youth are pushed straight from school to juvenile detention as a result of the country’s educational reform efforts to secure its children better education. The use of exclusionary and “zero tolerance” policies and unspoken racial and ethnic biases that siphon young people of color into the pipeline erodes access to educational pathways and opportunities for many of our youth. Defines the issues and provides examples of successful programs. 22 page pdf file.
++++++++++ Detention Reform and Girls – Challenges and Solutions
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has just released its latest volume of Pathways to Detention Reform. Volume 13 includes chapters on girls’ needs, systemic issues, promising practices and gender-responsive programs, and more. Downloadable 84 page pdf file. ++++++++++ Progress Hearing for Nathaniel Abraham In slightly over a year Nathaniel Abraham will be potentially eligible to be released into society. Judge Eugene Arthur Moore, the Michigan juvenile court judge who has overseen his progress over the past eight years, will decide whether he is ready to be released or should be held until he is 21. Abraham, by the time he is released, will have spent nearly half of his 21 years in a juvenile facility. In 1999, at the age of 13, he was the youngest person convicted of murder in the United States. ++++++++++ Recent Juvenile Justice Stories on NPR
Last weekend National Public Radio featured two stories on juvenile justice: ++++++++++ Validation of the Risk and Resiliency Assessment Tool for Juveniles in the Los Angeles County Probation System The RAND Corporation assisted Los Angeles County in examining and reviewing its use of validated risk and needs assessment instruments and selecting the most appropriate instrument for its use. ++++++++++ The Complexities of Self-Injurious Behavior
This lengthy article from corrections.com covers self-injury, suicide and suicide attempts in correctional facilities, adult and juvenile. No longer available on line. Contact us for a hard copy.
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