This conference brings together juvenile justice practitioners and advocates from across the country to share promising practices and findings, and to strategize about ways to eliminate the racial and ethnic disparities that exist within our juvenile justice systems.
The conference will explore the following:
- How are communities taking action to address and end racial and ethnic disparities?
- How do we shift our focus and work from Disproportionate Minority Contact to Racial and Ethnic Disparities?
- What role does data collection play in eliminating racial and ethnic disparities, and how can collection be improved?
- What changes can be made at the system's front end to reduce racial and ethnic disparities?
- How can youth advocates, law enforcement, attorneys, the judiciary, and community leaders work together to combat the crisis?
Interested in joining us in Scottsdale for this year's Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference?
Registration for this event is available
here
.
Sponsorship and Exhibitor Opportunities
CJJ invites you to consider sponsoring this year's Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference. Sponsorship dollars help support a broad range of necessary functions, including materials production, speaker and workshop support, youth engagement, and other general functions.
To learn more about sponsoring this event, click
here
.
To submit an application to sponsor this event, click
here
.
Questions: Please contact Naomi Smoot, CJJ's Executive Director, at
smoot@juvjustice.org
or 202-467-0864 ext. 113.
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During our 2019 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference, CJJ will recognize and honor a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator who has made outstanding contributions towards ending Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the juvenile justice system.
This award is named to honor Andrew Smith, an incredible voice for youth and a pivotal agent for change. Mr. Smith served as New Hampshire's Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator and was responsible for the creation of the Mirror Project, an effort to bring together law enforcement and youth. He served on CJJ's Executive Board as the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Chair until his passing in 2018.
Do you know someone who should be recognized?
The following criteria are used to select the award recipient. The awardee will be a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator who:
- Has been an excellent role model.
- Has inspired others to work collaboratively and creatively.
- Has promoted an environment for system transformation in the realm of Racial and Ethnic Disparities that is respectful, collegial, supportive and yet challenging.
- Has demonstrated initiative with focus and intention toward the work of Racial and Ethnic Disparities.
- Has led an effective state team that is achieving results directly affecting their jurisdiction's Racial and Ethnic Disparities issues.
- Has actively and consistently been involved in mentoring and developing others regarding this work.
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Apply to be part of CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee
The ELC is a partnership between CJJ and rising leaders in the field of juvenile justice, many of whom bring lived expertise to their work. This group consists of 10 young people ages 16 to 24 years old from across the country. Members serve on their State Advisory Group, have previous or current juvenile justice involvement, and/or are interested in juvenile justice reform. Each member serves for one calendar year.
Young leaders are encouraged to apply for CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC). The Emerging Leaders Committee ensures that youth perspectives are represented in all aspects and functions of CJJ's work, including CJJ's communications with state and federal policymakers. The Emerging Leaders Committee also assists with:
- Organizing the Youth Summit, a virtual and in-person gathering that allows young people to come together to explore how they can collaborate and lead in juvenile justice reform;
- Coordinating, reviewing, and selecting the recipient of the annual CJJ Spirit of Youth Award;
- Developing and implementing educational training programs for youth and adult SAG members;
- Convening committee meetings and networking events for youth members at CJJ conferences; and
- Orienting new youth members to the work of the SAGs and CJJ, through the publication of resources and ongoing information sharing.
To apply for the ELC click
here
and more information can be found
here
and on our
website
.
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October 23 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Large numbers of youth are pushed out of schools and into the justice system fueling inequalities based on race, gender, perceived sexual orientation, and disability. Additionally, system-involved youth do not have the same access to quality education as their non-incarcerated peers.
The 2018 reauthorization of the JJDPA includes important new protections for youth in the juvenile justice system to support their reentry to school, including timely transfers of education records, partial or full credit for coursework completed while in custody, and ensuring those credits count towards high school graduation.
This webinar will discuss the new JJDPA's educational requirements, information on the school-to-prison-pipeline, and examples of states that have successful and evidence-based educational reentry programs.
November 13 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning, gender nonconforming and transgender (LGBQ/GNCT) youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. Nationwide, 7-9% of youth identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, however,
20% of youth incarcerated identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. Additionally, about 40% of girls incarcerated identify as such. LGBQ/GNCT youth have less protective and more risk factors than their heterosexual and cisgender peers.
Ceres Policy Research is currently leading a national initiative that trains youth justice jurisdictions on how to incorporate questions about sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression into their case management systems. They have trained multiple sites in Ohio, New York, and Connecticut.
This webinar will share new data about the LGBQ/GNCT youth involved in these juvenile justice systems, identifying the specific locations in the system where they are the most overrepresented. Attendees will learn about the intersection of juvenile justice and youth who identify as LGBQ/GNCT, successful state and local programs that address this population, and how provisions in the JJDPA can be applied in an equitable way for all youth.
Presenters:
Dr. Angela Irvine, Principal,
Ceres Policy Research
Aisha Canfield, Director,
Ceres Policy Research
December 12 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Youth collaboration has been a central tenet of juvenile justice work for more than 40 years. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) has long required that one-fifth of each State Advisory Group (SAG)'s members be young people.
Youth voice, especially that of individuals with lived expertise in the justice system and related systems, is critical to meaningful system improvement. The development of policies happens best when agencies involve those who are directly impacted.
This webinar will discuss the challenges of youth collaboration and offer solutions to those challenges, and help participants ensure young people play a vital role in shaping their advocacy initiatives, policy recommendations, and organizational goals.
Presenters
:
Laura Armstrong, Policy and Field Relations Associate, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
All webinars are free to CJJ members. To become a member, click
here.
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This year for Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM), the Campaign for Youth Justice is calling for local communities to A.C.T. to End Racism.
To do this, they encourage everyone to:
"Awaken
to the damaging effects of racism;
Confront racism in our own lives and work; and
Transform ourselves, our communities, our institutions, and our values to reflect our core beliefs in equity, humanity, and justice for all."
Take CFYS's pledge to A.C.T. to end racism
here
, and sign up
here
to get involved with #YJAM2019.
CFYJ is asking young people and those who have been impacted by laws that sentence youth to adult time to design their annual holiday card encompassing the theme of "Peace & Justice". Join the contest
here
.
Applications are due
October 18th.
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CJJ Welcomes New Staff Member
Kira Pyne recently joined CJJ's team as the new Administrative and Communications Assistant. Kira originally joined the CJJ team in June as an intern. She is a senior at American University pursuing a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: Communication, Law, Economics, and Government and minoring in Psychology. She also works as the Honors Program Assistant at American as well as a Peer Facilitator for the Project on Civil Discourse. Kira manages publication of the monthly JJ Monitor and CJJ's social media accounts. She also assists with conference planning. Kira can be contacted by phone at 202-467-0864 ext. 102 or by email at pyne@juvjustice.org
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CJJ is looking for bloggers for
CJJ Today to author stories and posts about juvenile justice. We're particularly interested in stories from
State Advisory Group members or staff, CJJ
individual or
youth members, and CJJ
organizational members, about issues at the state or local level, interesting programs or approaches, and perspectives about the course of juvenile justice reform at the local or state level. We also welcome blog posts from other juvenile justice system stakeholders. Blog posts can be between 400-750 words in length. Click
here to see our other guidelines for blogs.
Suggested topics could include:
- School to Prison Pipeline
- Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
- Remedying Racial and Ethnic Disparities
- Adolescent Brain Development
- Evidence-Based Practices
- Status Offenses
- Family and Youth Involvement
- Promising Practices or Program Spotlights
If interested please email info@juvjustice.org for more details.
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Request for Applications for 2020-21 Length of Stay Policy Academy 
The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR), in partnership with the Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) and the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), has just released an RFA for the 2020-2021
Length of Stay Policy Academy.
As part of this opportunity, participant teams will join with researchers, policymakers and practitioners for a 3.5-day period of intensive learning, discussion, and planning on March 23-26, 2020 at Pew's Washington, DC office.
Following this initial gathering, teams will receive support to develop and adopt an Action Plan to use data-driven and research-informed approaches to examine and address factors contributing to length of stay in post-adjudication placement, and strengthen policies and practices affecting length of stay. For one year following the intensive learning opportunity, teams will receive distance technical assistance to help them to develop new policies and practices; identify and advance best practice strategies for adopting them; train staff and stakeholders to promote buy-in and collaboration; and assess, evaluate, and sustain progress. The Policy Academy participant group will also come back together for two subsequent shorter meetings during the fall of 2020 and the spring of 2021. Through support from the Pew Charitable Trusts, this opportunity is offered
free of charge
for up to eight participants from each of the five jurisdictions that will be selected.
Please download the
Application Packet
to learn more about the curriculum and application process.
Applications are due by Friday, November 15, 2019.
Apply today!
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Maryland's Handle with Care strives to increase trauma-informed approaches and to address Adverse Childhood Experiences to prevent future victimization and criminality. 
In 2018, at the direction of Governor Larry Hogan, the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention began the statewide implementation of
Handle with Care Maryland. The
Handle with Care model aims to increase the use of trauma-informed approaches and to address and prevent, where possible, Adverse Childhood Experiences in the state of Maryland. Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, are instances of abuse, neglect, and other potentially traumatic experiences that occur when someone is under the age of 18.
Research now shows that trauma can undermine a child's ability to learn, form relationships, and function appropriately in the classroom.
Handle with Care Maryland promotes safe and supportive homes, schools, and communities that protect children, and help traumatized children heal and thrive.
Handle with Care Maryland also promotes partnerships between schools and communities to provide children with appropriate interventions to help them succeed academically, despite negative circumstances they may have endured.
The
Handle with Care Model is simple: if a law enforcement officer or first responder encounters a child during or immediately after a traumatic event, they forward that child's name and the words, "
Handle with Care," to the school or a child care agency before the school bell rings the next day. School systems involved with
Handle with Care Maryland utilize trauma-sensitive curricula and employ appropriate interventions for children who receive a
Handle with Care notice. If a child needs additional intervention, on-site trauma-focused mental healthcare is available at the school, and off-site support services can be offered as well. This improved communication and collaboration benefits children and their families, and each stakeholder plays a vital part in the success of the program.
Handle with Care originated in West Virginia at the Center for Children's Justice and was piloted in 2013 at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School in Charleston, W.V. Currently, 16 of the 24 jurisdictions in Maryland are implementing the
Handle with Care program, and more than 1300 students have been served by this initiative.
For more information, please visit the Handle with Care Maryland website
here.
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New Publications and Resources
- Chapin Hill at the University of Chicago released Federal Actions to Prevent & End Youth Homelessness: Recommendations Based on Research and a National Convening of Experts and Stakeholders. Voices of Youth Count findings reveal youth homelessness as a broad and hidden challenge as well as a complex problem with deep roots in family adversities and structural inequalities. Youth homelessness is a solvable problem, one that requires a coordinated community response and the investments of individuals and communities. This policy paper offers an evidence-informed road map to help guide the work of multiple federal agencies and Congress, in partnership with other stakeholders, to prevent and end youth homelessness. The newest podcast from the National Conference of State Legislatures, based on Chapin Hill's findings in their study, is now available for listening
-
A
new report
from the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores how the field of psychology and the mental health system contribute to the problem of over-representation of youth of color in the justice system.
-
The Annie E. Casey foundation has also released a data snapshot entitled Children Living in High Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods. Despite a strong national economy, too many children are growing up in communities where at least 30 percent of people are living below poverty. Research shows these neighborhoods often lack adequately resourced schools, access to quality jobs for parents and guardians and safe recreational spaces for children. "Children Living in High-Poverty, Low-Opportunity Neighborhoods" provides recommendations on how policymakers can ensure kids and families in these communities can thrive.
-
A new website resource, the
Family Court Enhancement Project
, aims to improve the family court response to custody cases and parenting decisions involving domestic violence so that parenting arrangements protect the emotional and physical well-being of victimized parents and their children.
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The Juvenile Justice Monitor is brought to you by staff and volunteer leaders of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, and supported by membership fees paid by CJJ's State Advisory Group Members, Members at Large, Organizational Members, and allies. We are grateful to all for their ongoing support.
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
1319 F Street NW, Suite 402
Washington, DC 20004
202-467-0864
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