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Garret Comer
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Beyer Bullard
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Aaron Toleafoa
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Joseph Huntley
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Guillermo Padilla
Evan Quaintance
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E
arlier this year, 10 young leaders from across the country joined the newest cohort of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice's Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC). Members range in age from 16 to 24 and come from six different states. Five members are currently part of their State Advisory Group (SAG) and six have lived expertise with the juvenile justice system. Over the next year they will collaborate with CJJ's staff and committees on a variety of projects.
The ELC members will have opportunities to develop their skills in public speaking, writing, and advocacy, while pursuing their goal of creating a more just and equitable system for their fellow youth. Their reasons for joining the ELC are varied, but they share a common vision.
"I joined the Emerging Leaders Committee to use my voice and platform to bring change to the juvenile justice system" said Garrett Comer, age 20 of Lynwood, Wa.
Aaron Toleafoa, 20, of Tacoma Wa., meanwhile, "hopes to raise awareness on injustices in the system as well as in the community."
"I joined the Emerging Leaders Committee because I believe that young people should not be incarcerated for mass amounts of time, but provided opportunity to be rehabilitated so we can show we are not the crimes we committed as youth," Aaron said.
Guillermo Padilla, 19, of Everett, Wa., is a part of the Washington State partnership Council on juvenile justice and hopes to "make a change in juvenile justice reform, particularly sentencing reform."
"I joined the ELC to get a better understanding of what the problems with the current justice system are." said Evan Quaintance age 16 of Jacksonville, Fl.
Joseph Huntley, 19, of Vancouver, Wa., echoed similar sentiments and hopes to "construct more programs that will help lower the amount of young people entering the system nationwide."
Beyer Bullard, 17, of Chevy Chase, Md., joined the
ELC because she believes that "everyone's gifts are important and people shouldn't be denied the opportunity to share their talents with the world because of choices they made as kids".
Currently, the ELC is planning for the 2019 Youth Summit, which will be held at the University of Washington Tacoma, in Tacoma, Washington on July 30 -August 1. This year's theme is "Catalysts for Equity and Change". The ELC will be developing the entirety of the Summit, from determining the them to selecting keynote speakers. Additionally, many of the ELC members will be hosting workshops at the Summit.
As part of their work during the upcoming year, the group will collaborate with CJJ on new and ongoing policy initiatives. Their work is being supported in part through contributions from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
To learn more about the ELC, click
here.
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Don't miss out! Registration rates increase on April 30.
Each year, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice hosts a national conference uniquely focused on improving juvenile justice and delinquency prevention systems, services, practices, and policies. More than 350 juvenile justice practitioners, policymakers, and advocates from across the country are expected to attend.
CJJ's 2019 Annual Conference will focus on the latest research, developments, and challenges facing our field today. Specifically:
- How do changes to the JJDPA impact states' work?
- How can states and communities serve as leaders in shaping a better juvenile justice system for our most vulnerable youth?
- How can we improve collaborations with young people with lived experiences in the systems we work with?
- What can be done to leverage partnerships to help improve physical and mental health services, and better address youths' needs for education and housing?
- What role does advocacy play as communities seek to improve services and provide for trauma-informed care for children and youth?
For more information on the 2019 Annual Conference and registration, click
here
.
CJJ invites you to consider becoming a sponsor or exhibitor at our Annual Conference on June 20-21 at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, D.C. Sponsoring or exhibiting is an easy and affordable way to promote your program, publication, or institution to a targeted professional audience while supporting CJJ's continuing efforts towards juvenile justice reform and leadership development.
Click
here to learn more.
Click
here
to apply to exhibit, or contact CJJ Executive Director Naomi Smoot at
smoot@juvjustice.org
for more details.
CJJ will hold elections during the conference for the following Executive Board positions. Nominations are due May 20 for:
To apply for one of these positions, please click
here.
Join us on June 19th for CJJ's Annual Hill Day. This event is a unique opportunity for CJJ members to meet with their lawmakers on Capitol Hill and educate them about juvenile justice. This year, Hill Day will kick off with
two training opportunities at 7 and 10 a.m. to help prepare participants for their visits.
Attendees are required to schedule their own visits with lawmakers. For information on how to do this, or other questions related to Hill Day, please contact Naomi Smoot at
smoot@juvjustice.org.
A limited number of volunteer opportunities are available for individuals who are interested in attending the conference. Volunteers receive complimentary conference registration. Spots are available on a first come, first served basis.
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Save the date! The Coalition for Juvenile Justice's 2019 Youth Summit will take place July 31- August 1 at the University of Washington Tacoma in Tacoma, Washington. Stay tuned for additional details regarding registration and a draft agenda!
Each year, the Youth Summit brings together more than 150 young people from across the country to network and learn about ways young people are working to improve juvenile justice systems nationally. This year's event is being hosted and developed by CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee. The theme is "Catalysts for Equity and Change".
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On March 11, President Donald Trump released his FY2020 budget
proposal.
The proposal includes $238.5 million for juvenile justice programs, as compared to $282.5 million in the current FY2019
budget
. The majority of the $44 million in cuts are for mentoring programs, which the administration proposes to reduce from $94 million to $58 million. Title II Programs would be reduced from $60 million to $58 million under the proposal, while Title V would be reduced from $27.5 to $17 million.
The House and Senate will also need to release budget proposals before allocations are finalized.
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Each year, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice partners with 10 rising stars in the juvenile justice field and offers them the opportunity to join CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC). Over the upcoming year, these young leaders will advise CJJ on policy and projects and provide their valuable perspective as youth and young adults. Participants will also receive valuable professional development and public speaking opportunities.
To purchase a t-shirt to support this year's ELC please click
here
. Proceeds will help pay members' hourly stipends and travel expenses. T-shirts were designed in partnership with CJJ's 2018 ELC.
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Upcoming Webinars
Today, March 21 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
The JJDPA prohibits young people from being held in secure detention or confinement if they are charged with a status offense. Common examples of status offenses include skipping school, running away from home, and missing curfew.
An exception continues to exist in the law known as the valid court order (VCO) exception. Since its addition to the JJDPA in the 1980s, the VCO exception has caused thousands of young people to be incarcerated for status offense behaviors, with professionals citing detention as a sanction that works to curb the status offending behaviors. Hear from Colorado about research that was conducted in the state to better understand the outcomes for truants who have been detained, with a close look at the characteristics which are significantly associated with use of secure detention for truancy, and action steps the Division of Criminal Justice and the JJDP Council (State Advisory Group) have taken to change their state policies. This webinar will also address the changes to the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO) core protection and the additional requirements for the VCO exception under H.R. 6964, as well as best practices for addressing status offense behaviors.
Presenters:
Diane Fox, Principle, Infinite Frontier Consulting, LLC
Lisa Pilnik, Senior Consultant, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Naomi Smoot, Executive Director, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Meg Williams, Juvenile Justice Specialist, Colorado
April 18 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Research shows youth confined in adult jails and lockups are more likely to come back into contact with the system and that, while confined, are at pronounced high risks for suffering assault and committing suicide. This webinar will explain how H.R. 6964 extends the jail removal and sight and sound core requirements to keep youth awaiting trial in criminal court out of adult jails and lockups and to ensure sight and sound separation in the limited circumstances where they are held in adult facilities.
Presenter:
Rachel Marshall, Federal Policy Counsel, Campaign for Youth Justice
May 16 at 3:00 pm Eastern
Under the JJDPA, states are required to assess and address racial and ethnic disparities at key points in the juvenile justice system - from arrest to detention to confinement. Studies indicate that youth of color receive tougher sentences and are more likely to be incarcerated than white youth for the same offenses. With youth of color comprising one-third of the youth population but two-thirds of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system, this provision requires states and local jurisdictions to create action plans to address disparities within their systems. This webinar will discuss how states can shift from Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) to Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED), and provide examples of how states are addressing RED.
Presenters:
Craig Hargrow, CJJ National DMC Coordinator, Deputy Executive Director of Juvenile Justice/Second Look, Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
Trista Deame, Race Equity Coordinator, Office of Youth Justice, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
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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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In Oregon, a new program is reframing the issue of education for detained youth and looking at it as an equity issue. Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) works with more than 50 professionals in two communities across nine school districts and two juvenile department county offices. Created in 2016 and made possible by a grant award from the Youth Development Division, the program helps ensure a successful transition back to students' community schools.
Since inception, the Yamhill County Juvenile Department has benefitted from the addition of an MESD Transition Specialist (a school district employee) who works to help youth re-enter the most appropriate educational setting, primarily their neighborhood school, after release from the juvenile detention facility.
Creator and program grant manager Scott Ryan works under the understanding that in order to truly improve educational outcomes in juvenile justice facilities, we must develop the capacity to recognize obstacles embedded within the overlap of racial and ethnic disparities, LGBTQ+ (SOGIE), and special education.
Since the program began, they have enrolled and re-engaged more than 90% of youth into school despite challenges they have experienced at their home districts. The transition specialist attends court hearings for the sole purpose of connecting with parents and youth regarding school re-entry dates and suitable placements. The transition specialist is easily accepted and welcomed in this role by clients.
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Other News and Announcements
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Applications for The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform's (CJJR)
Youth in Custody Certificate Program, held at Georgetown University July 22-26, are now available. The training is designed to help juvenile justice system leaders and child serving partners improve outcomes for youth in custodial settings. Following the program, upon approval of a Capstone Project Proposal initiating or building on local reform efforts, participants receive an Executive Certificate from Georgetown University and join CJJR's Network of over 1,100 Fellows. Applications are due April 12.
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The Tow Youth Justice Institute recently published an issue
brief highlighting the changes to the newly reauthorized JJDPA.
- The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty recently released a toolkit focused on the intersection of education and youth homelessness.
- The Vera Institute recently published an interactive report that explores the progress and the setbacks in justice reform during 2018.
- The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty released a new national toolkit on the educational rights of children and families experiencing homelessness.
- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention recently published a resource to help youth in corrections and treatment programs prepare for reentry.
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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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