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JJ Monitor
November 2015
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL RUNAWAY PREVENTION MONTH 
To raise awareness for youth who run away and/or experience homelessness, CJJ Member National Network for Youth and the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) have organized the annual National Runaway Prevention Month (NRPM). The goals of NRPM are to raise awareness of the issues that runaway and homeless youth face, as well as educating the public about what they can do to help put an end to youth homelessness. 

You can get involved in NRPM 2015 by:
CJJ Announcements
2016 CJJ Annual Conference 
The 2016 CJJ Annual Conference, " Redefining Leadership: Engaging Youth, Communities, and Policymakers to Achieve Better Juvenile Justice Outcomes"  will take place on April 20-23 at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. 

We have extended the deadline for workshop and poster proposals and award nominations to TOMORROW, Friday, November 20 at 11:59pm ET. Please consider submitting a nomination for:
Click here to register for the Annual Conference. Register before January 15 to get the early bird discount. Click here for the draft agenda.  A conference room block is available at the Washington Hilton Hotel . The group rate is $226/night+tax, which is the government per diem rate for DC. Click here to make a reservation.  Please contact Jessica Russell Murphy at murphy@juvjustice.org with any questions.
Youth with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
Even with the decline of juvenile crime and incarceration over the past ten years, youth with disabilities, including intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), are being incarcerated at higher rates. One study reports that 65-70 percent of youth involved with the justice system have a disability, which is three times higher than the rate compared to youth without disabilities. Collaboration across professions in the system is essential to creating strategies and processes to better identify and serve juveniles with disabilities.
 
CJJ recently published a blog post on The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability's (NCCJD) new white paper entitled, "Justice Involved Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Call to Action for the Juvenile Justice Community." This paper provides valuable history about juvenile justice initiatives in the U.S. and how youth with disabilities are served. This is an excellent resource for anyone seeking to learn more about this important topic. Visit NCCJD's website to download a copy today and learn more about this important issue facing youth with I/DD and their families. Stay tuned for more information about a CJJ webinar on this topic in early 2016. 
Giving Girls the Supports They Need to Lead Safe and Healthy Lives
To celebrate Girls Justice Day, CJJ published a blog post entitled, " Giving Girls the Supports They Need to Lead Safe and Healthy Lives ." Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, President of CJJ Member The National Crittenton Foundation (TCNF)  penned the blog post. She writes about the "system that fails to help the girls get the support they need to recover from the abuse and neglect they experienced long before they entered the system: a system that must change."  Ms. Pai-Espinosa also suggests these action steps that you can take to help these girls:
CJJ Staff Member Speaks at Congressional Briefing
Yesterday, the  McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy Research at New York University Silver School of Social Work and the  Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy (CRISP), in conjunction with the  Congressional Social Work Caucus, held a Congressional Briefing on "Disrupting the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline: Juvenile Justice, Race, and Poverty." The briefing highlighted the latest research on the confluence of race, poverty, and juvenile justice involvement. Presenters also discussed ways to address the plight of youth of color and the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).

CJJ's Deputy Executive Director Lisa Pilnik served as a panelist during the briefing. Other presenters included: Lisette Burton of Boys Town; Robert Hawkins of the  New York University Silver School of Social Work; and Krista Larson of the  Vera Institute of Justice.  The recording of the event will be posted shortly on the McSilver Institute's  website.
CJJ Webinar Recordings 
CJJ held a number of exciting webinars during the fall. You can now access the webinar recordings on topics such as " LGBT Youth in Juvenile Justice: Creating Agency Policies for an Equitable System on the State and Local Level" and " Family Centered Treatment®: A Community-Based Alternative to Out-of-Home Placement."  These recordings, among others, are available on CJJ's website .
CJJ in the News 
Several CJJ staff and leaders have been featured in the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) discussing youth and law enforcement relations. In "High-Profile Law Enforcement Officials Pledge Support for Curbing Incarceration," CJJ Deputy Executive Director Lisa Pilnik discusses the relationship of reform efforts between the adult and juvenile justice systems. CJJ Vice Chair George Timberlake penned an op-ed in JJIE entitled, "Cops in Schools Need Special Training About Children and Trauma." CJJ Senior Policy Associate Naomi Smoot discusses diversion programs for youth who commit low level offenses in: "Philadelphia No. 2 Cop to Expand School Diversion Program Via Major Fellowship."
CJJ Welcomes a New Staff Member 
CJJ would like to welcome Audrey Eisemann as our new Project and Office Assistant! Audrey will provide support for all staff and office administration, from the daily operation of the office to assisting in conference preparation and facilitation. She will also provide research and project support for CJJ's policy and training and technical assistance. Prior to joining CJJ, she was the Executive Assistant for Ralph Nader at the Center for Study of Responsive Law . Audrey has a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with a concentration in Urban Development and Social Change from Clark University, as well as a Master's Degree in Public/Nonprofit Administration from Clark University.
Want to see news that's important to you in the CJJ Members and Partners section? 

Join CJJ as a member today! 
Member and Partner News
CJJ's State Advisory Groups (SAGs), Individual, and Organizational Members
Each issue, CJJ is pleased to highlight the latest news and innovations from our members. Learn more about our membership. 
Member Spotlight: Missouri Working Together to Address Racial Inequity
The Missouri statewide Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Work Group is discussing the needs of minority youth and families, systemic bias, and the relationship of juvenile involvement with school disciplinary issues. The DMC Work Group has been leading the way as participants in the Missouri University Partnership for Educational Renewal (MPER) .  MPER focuses on  educating children and youth, preparing school professionals, and providing ongoing professional development for educators.  The Mental Health Leadership Academy is one means of accomplishing these goals. It provides tools for school leaders to be more effective in addressing mental health issues impacting student achievement and faculty health. This year, the focus of the Academy is "School/Community Collaborations to Meet the Needs of Minority Youth."

"Missouri is driven and committed to making a difference in the lives of the children, youth, and families we serve," said Seth Bauman, Missouri DMC State Coordinator. "We know, to effectively impact change, we must reach across departments and agencies to lend a hand and share resources to improve outcomes for minority youth." These efforts involve Missouri's Juvenile Justice Program Specialist from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the Disproportionate Minority Contact State Coordinator and Executive Director from the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association, and the DMC Research Principal Management Analyst l in the Office of State Courts Administrator .
New Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey Toolkit for Providers
The National Crittenton Foundation  (TN CF), in partnership with ASCEND at the Aspen Institute, introduced an adverse childhood experiences (ACE) survey toolkit to equip human service providers with the tools and tips needed to administer the ACE survey. TNCF developed the toolkit based on the implementation of the ACE survey with participating members of the Crittenton family of agencies.  They will soon produce  a brief and webinar in early December 2015 on this exciting work. More information about the webinar will be provided soon on the  TNCF website .
CSG Publishes New Resources on Improving Outcomes for Youth
The Council of State Governments (CSG) recently hosted an event entitled, " Improving Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: A 50-State Forum." The forum was held on November 9-10 in Austin, TX and received funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  I n conjunction with the forum, the CSG Justice Center released a number of products and tools to support state and local juvenile justice systems to develop and effectively implement system-wide plans to improve outcomes for youth: 
Models for Change
Each issue, CJJ is pleased to highlight the latest news and innovations of th e Models for Change Initiative of th e  MacArthur Foundation.
Dual Status Youth & Probation System Review Symposiums 
The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice, led by Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps, has announced that it will host two exciting events: the "Dual Status Youth Symposium: Working Together for Our Children" and the "Probation System Reform Symposium: Advancing Practice, Changing Lives." These events will highlight juvenile justice system reform efforts and innovative practices that have been implemented in communities throughout the country. They will feature the foremost experts on the topics of data and outcome measurement, risk-needs-responsivity screening and assessment, trauma, evidence-based interventions, and inter-agency collaboration. Click  here to learn more.
Blog Post on National League of Cities Academy on Juvenile Justice Reform
The National League of Cities recently held the Municipal Leadership for Juvenile Justice Reform Leadership Academy in Minneapolis. The Academy brought together city leaders, police and probation officers, and service providers to discuss ways their jurisdiction could identify and implement alternatives to traditional detention. NLC recently published a blog post describing the key lessons from the Academy entitled, " An Interaction with Police Doesn't Have to Mean Detention for Young People." 
National Juvenile Justice Network
Each issue, CJJ is pleased to highlight the latest news and innovations of the National Juvenile Justice Network and its members.
Michigan Lawmakers Focus on Building an Age-Appropriate System
Michigan lawmakers have introduced a package of twenty-one bills to address the risks and harms youth are exposed to in the adult justice system. Young people in adult jails and prisons receive little to no education, mental health, or family services, and are more likely to be violently attacked, sexually assaulted, languish in isolation, or attempt suicide than those housed in youth-specific facilities. Michelle Weemhoff, Deputy Director of the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency (an NJJN member) explains the reforms this bill package would make and how they would impact the lives of the youth involved in Michigan's justice system. Learn more about the crucial reforms the bill package aims to institute.
Virginia Reformers Aim to Reduce School Referrals to the Justice System
Youth advocates in Virginia recently launched a bipartisan campaign aimed at reducing school referrals to the juvenile justice system and improving options for community-based supervision of youth in trouble with the law. Led in part by the  JustChildren program of the Legal Aid Justice Center (an NJJN member), the  RISE for Youth Campaign focuses on reforms that increase community investment as a means of decreasing reliance on incarceration for youth. Learn more about the campaign and its goals. 
Including Youth and Family Voices in Youth Justice Reform
In this blog entry, Kathy Wright, Executive Director of the New Jersey Parents' Caucus and Youth Justice Leadership Institute alum, describes her work with youth and families seeking to reform the youth justice system and discusses the vital importance of bringing youth and families meaningfully to the table around discussions of youth justice reform. Click  here to read the full blog post.
Other News and Announcements
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Robert Listenbee announced a policy statement on supporting system-involved girls of color.
The  Center for Court Innovation recently released the outcome evaluation for six of the eight Defending Childhood demonstration sites. Click  here for the National Institute of Justice publication advisory and  here to read the report.
CJJ invites you to share news from your SAG, organization, state, or region! Inclusion and editing of submissions are subject to CJJ editorial guidelines.