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-- Shakespeare

Brevity on the Net

November 1, 2006

 A monthly newsletter about juvenile justice
from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges,
Brevity brings you news and information from around the country and on the Internet.

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News

Three New Special Project Bulletins from NCJJ

The National Center for Juvenile Justice has developed three new bulletins for its Technical Assistance to the Juvenile Court Project. All three are available for download at the NCJJ site as pdf files. They are:

Guide to the State Juvenile Justice Profiles

The Importance of Timely Case Processing in Non-Detained Juvenile Delinquency Cases How Does the Juvenile Justice System Measure Up?

Applying Performance Measures in Five Jurisdictions.

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National Court and Child Welfare Collaborative: Focus on System Reform

With support and funding from the Children’s Bureau, NCJFCJ, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and the National Center for State Courts will work together to deal with court issues relating to children and families. The Collaborative will conduct a training conference in November 2006. Click on the link above for details.

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New Report Blasts Florida for Having Underfunded, Poorly Trained and Overworked Public Defenders for Children

The National Juvenile Defender Center has issued a 100+ page report which was supported by the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar that concludes that public defenders in Florida’s juvenile courts frequently fail to provide adequate representation to children charged with crimes.
The link above will take you to a selection of news articles about the report’s release and a link to the report itself.

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Defining and Using “At Risk”

Defining the Term “At Risk” - Child Trends has published this Research-to-Results Brief which aims to define this term, used frequently, but with no consistent definition.

Cumulative Risks Among American Children – This companion research brief which looks at sociodemographic risk and the relationship between risk and child well-being.

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The Judges’ Page

The latest issue of The Judges’ Page is out and its subject this time is Best Practices in Court-CASA/GAL Relations. Articles include ‘Strengthening Your CASA/GAL Program: A Judge’s Perspective’ and ‘Ethics and Best Practices for Judges Involved in Recruiting and Training.’ The Judges’ Page is an online newsletter jointly produced by NCJFCJ and the National CASA Association.

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Reno Judge Discussed Making an Instructional Videotape for Divorcing Couples Before He Was Shot

Judge Chuck Weller had discussed making a videotape to explain exactly how the family court system works, what to expect and the things people can do to avoid going to court shortly before he was shot. This article includes interviews with NCJFCJ president Judge Dale Koch and executive director Mary Mentaberry.

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MacArthur Foundation Issue Briefs

The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice has released a series of issue briefs that present findings from the Network’s past and ongoing research. The briefs cover research on competence to stand trial, criminal blameworthiness, adult transfer, youth psychopathy, and findings from the ongoing Pathways to Desistance study. The briefs serve as a valuable tool for creating a common understanding among the many players in the juvenile justice arena and are available for download at the link above.

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300 Million Americans Today. 420 Million By 2050.

By 2050 non-Hispanic white Americans will represent a bare majority of 50.1% of the population. The Hispanic population will have doubled to 24%. Asians will have doubled to 8% and African-Americans will be up to 14% of the population. Americans are expected to continue to gravitate west and south and the middle of the country will continue to empty out.

This article is the last of a series of five that appeared in the Christian Science Monitor over a month’s time. Links to each appear at the end of the article.

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Black Students Underachieve to Avoid ‘Acting White’

A majority of gifted and well-performing black students are not reaching their fullest academic potential for fear of being labeled ‘acting white.” Researchers surveyed about 300 teachers and 928 lack students nationally in public schools before concluding that peer pressure and fear of being isolated as traitors to the black race is forcing many bright students to under perform at school.

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Programs

Mobile Classroom Promotes Financial Literacy for Middle School Students

With support from OJJDP, Junior Achievement has launched a mobile, interactive classroom that is being used to educate young people on practical matters of money management. Students are presented with true-to-life scenarios and taught how to establish a budget and make important decisions on money matters.

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Girl Scouting Overhauls Itself

Following more than two years of research and input from thousands of scouts and nonscouts, volunteers and staff, Girl Scouts of the USA is undertaking its first overhaul in more than 30 years. The organization was rattled to discover girls say adults aren’t paying attention to many issues they deal with in daily life: Over scheduling, bullying (especially over the Internet and via cell phone text messaging), “cutting” (self-mutilation), and teen pregnancy. More than 40% of girls aren’t raising their hands in class because they’re afraid of being labeled smart -- and being bullied for it. The planned overhaul will balance between the need for flexibility and the retention of bedrock values and programs.

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CHAPS (Children with Horses Achieving Productivity and Success) Academy

CHAPS Academy provides equine therapy and counseling services to children and teenagers struggling with mental illness, special needs, trauma and loss, and emotional or behavioral issues. Services also extend to children’s families and include opportunities or individual and group sessions.

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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.

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Promising Practices Network – Programs That Work

This web site features descriptions of evaluated programs that improve outcomes for children. PPN programs can be found by topic, by outcome, by indicator or by evidence level.

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Juvenile Graduated Sanctions E-Tool

This NCJFCJ web tool divides graduated sanctions into five major levels and presents programs and intervention strategies that work within each of them. Handy links to detailed information and expert program contacts are also provided to enable users to access all the information they need to connect juveniles and their families to the services they need when they need them.

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“Mission Possible” Program for Girls

Girls in trouble with the law in Orange County, Calif. are being taught how to act, dress and even salsa as part of an ambitious project to boost their self-esteem and provide them with the basic social skills and support they will need to lead productive lives.

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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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Probation as a Disposition for Status Offenders

This NCJJ Snapshot examines the availability of probation as a disposition for status offenders based on a comparative analysis of state juvenile codes.

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Alcohol and Other Drugs

Methamphetamine: The Child Welfare Impact and Response

Presentations from this Children’s Bureau conference held in May are now posted on this site to read or download.

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Buyers Beware of Toxic Meth Lab Homes

Health officials in a handful of states are warning home buyers and renters to check an online database of  meth houses to make sure they don’t move into a contaminated former drug lab. It is illegal in 12 states for anyone to live in a former meth house before it has been decontaminated, but in most other states there are few protections to warn home buyers or renters.

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Liquor Shots Sold in Pocket Packs

The Pocket Shot Company is marketing single-serve liquor shots in flexible lined pouches and touting their convenience. Each pouch contains 50 ml of 80 proof liquor.

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Judges Call for Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse

A national group of judges is recommending that judicial officers nationwide take a more active role in helping youth in the juvenile justice system overcome their drug and alcohol problems. The judges, part of the Reclaiming Futures program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, issued their call to action as part of their jointly written monograph, A Model for Judicial Leadership: Community Responses to Juvenile Substance Abuse. Read/download the report at the link above.

Early research on the project conducted by the Urban Institute and the University of Chicago indicates the program ha significantly improved the coordination of juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment services in the program’s 10 communities nationwide.

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Methadone Intoxication and Death

The deaths of two young men at Lake Tahoe last July have been attributed to acute methadone intoxication. The two took liquid methadone from someone who had a prescription for it. Methadone, used to treat addiction, has been in recent years prescribed as a painkiller and a safer alternative to Oxycontin.

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Permanency Planning, Foster Care, Adoption

Two New Chapin Hall Publications

Science Says: Foster Care Youth – This new “Science Says” Research brief presents data on pregnancy and birth rates, sexual behavior, and the use of reproductive health services among youth in foster care. This information from the report:

By age 19, nearly half of young women in foster care have been pregnant, compared to a fifth of their peers not in foster care.
By age 19, 46% of teen girls in foster care who have been pregnant have had a subsequent pregnancy, compared to 29% of their peers outside the system.
By age 19, young women in foster care are more likely than those not in foster care to have had sexual intercourse (90% and 78% respectively).


Issue Brief: Implementation of Home Visitation Programs: Stories From the States

This study looks at the experience of developing state-based home-visiting systems. The characteristics of state-based home visiting systems vary from one state to another and from one home-visiting program to another but they all confront similar challenges with respect to sustainability.

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National Child Welfare Resource Center for Youth Development

Provides training and technical assistance to public administered and supported child welfare agencies. Click on the link above to visit the center’s web site.

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Intercountry Adoptions

The Child Welfare Information Gateway’s September E-lert includes these two publications on intercountry adoptions.

Intercountry Adoptions Finalized Abroad
Intercountry Adoptions Finalized Abroad: Summary of State Laws

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Lessons From Family-Strengthening Interventions: Learning From Evidence-Based Practice

The Harvard Family Research Project has published this brief to help educators, service providers, and local evaluators in school, intermediary and community-based organizations, and social service agencies become more effective by highlighting the best program and evaluation practices of family-strengthening intervention programs.

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Building Bridges Between the Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Movements: Issues, Concerns, and Recommendations

This CLASP (Center for Law and Social Policy) Policy Brief is the seventh publication in the Couples and Marriage research and policy brief series. It explores how the healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and domestic violence communities can work together to promote the well-being of families and children. 12 page pdf file.

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Kids, Schools, Bullying, and Violence

School Associated Violence Deaths

The Centers for Disease Control provides a question and answer fact sheet about school violence. Information here includes a link to CDC’s Best Practices for Youth Violence Prevention: A Source Book for Community Action, a publication that looks at the effectiveness of specific violence prevention practices, and a number of other online school violence resources.

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What Do Bystanders Do When Children Are Being Bullied …And Why do they do it?

This Chapin Hall issue brief on a study of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students that aims to understand children’s behavior when they witness bullying and the reasons why children defend victims, join in the bullying, or avoid involvement. This study was the first to examine the role of social dilemmas in bullying situations. 5 page pdf file.

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How Students Can Break the ‘Code of Silence’

This article reviews the systems used to break the ‘code of silence’ in schools. They include hot lines and e-mail systems. SPEAK-UP is a nationally available resource for anonymously reporting weapon-related threats.

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National Center for Children Exposed to Violence

The mission of the NCCEV is to increase the capacity of individuals and communities to reduce the incidence and impact of violence on children and families. Click on the link above to visit the web site.

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NIH Study on the Link Between Child Care and Child Development

Findings reveal that a child’s family life has more influence on the child’s development through age four and a half than does a child’s experience in child care. The study shows only a slight link between child care and child development. The study’s findings are available online in a 62 page downloadable booklet.

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Family Law

Fathers Who Reliably Pay Child Support Get a Tax Break

New York officials will launch an earned income tax credit for noncustodial parents who are current with their child support payments, offering up to $1,600 a year in a refundable credit.  The credit will be available to parents who are not their children’s primary caretaker who earn as much as $32,000. The tax credit is part of the Strengthening Families Initiative, intended to help young men gain employment and consistently pay children support as well as enhance fathers’ parenting and relationship skills.

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Child Support and DNA Tests

A new Florida law allows men to avoid child support payments when they can prove they are not the child’s biological father. Pennsylvania courts have returned mixed rulings on whether a man who is determined not to be a child’s biological father is responsible for support payments after he and the mother split up. See two articles below:

Florida men get a break on false paternity
Doubting dads prompt paternity test trend

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Department of Justice, OJJDP, and Conferences

OJJDP News@ a Glance – September/October 2006

The lead article in this issue features two recent OJJDP-sponsored conferences that addressed the need to protect children. The article about the 11th Annual Conference on Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) includes new DMC Technical Assistance Manual with detailed guidance on DMC identification and monitoring, assessment and intervention. Includes an article on the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act

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Giving Back: Introducing Community Service Learning

This recently updated and revised manual introduces juvenile offenders to community serving learning. The manual is a useful resource for youth courts and other juvenile justice agencies seeking to apply school-based learning methods to court-mandated community service. The manual is downloadable.100+ pages in length.

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Request for Violence Prevention Research Proposals

The Hamilton Fish Institute is seeking innovative research proposals focused on original rigorous scientific research related to the prevention of violence in schools and their community environments. Two 9-months grants will be awarded.

Join Us! !  Membership in NCJFCJ offers judges and juvenile court professionals the opportunity to get information about innovations and ideas, issues and news in juvenile justice and family law. Members receive the Juvenile & Family Court Journal and TODAY Magazine quarterly, and the Juvenile & Family Law Digest  every month. For a sample package of all three publications and information on how to become a member, send your name and USPO mailing address and we'll send you an information packet .

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Joey Binard, for the Juvenile & Family Law Department, NCJFCJ

Brevity is supported by Grant No.2005-JL-FX-0065 from the 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice