Models for Change Connections

Each issue, CJJ is pleased to highlight the latest news and innovations of the Models for Change Initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.   

New Website Monitors Juvenile Justice System Change

A new website is introducing powerful tools to help policymakers, advocates, researchers and the media to chart nationwide change in juvenile justice policy, practices, and statistics. The Juvenile Justice GPS (JJGPS - Geography, Policy, Practice & Statistics) site monitors juvenile justice system change by examining state laws and juvenile justice practice, combined with the most relevant state and national statistics. The site is a project of the National Center for Juvenile Justice funded through the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Models for Change Initiative.

Webinar to Explore Reforming Responses to Status Offenses

On June 30 at 2 pm ET, the Status Offense Reform Center at the Vera Institute of Justice will present "Knowing Where You Are to Plan Where You're Going-A Systems Approach to Status Offense Reform." This webinar will focus on module 2 of the Status Offense Reform Center's "Toolkit for Status Offense System Reform." Presenters will discuss how juvenile justice stakeholders can assess their response systems to youth status offenses-such as truancy or running away-to design a reform approach outside the juvenile justice system. The Status Offense Reform Center is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as part of its Models for Change Resource Center Partnership.

SOS Project: Incorporating Youth and Family Voices in Status Offense System Change Efforts

Lisa Pilnik, CJJ Deputy Executive Director co-presented with staff from the Vera Institute of Justice at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Conference on Children, Youth and Families on "Incorporating Youth and Family Voices in Status Offense System Change Efforts." The session introduced participants to CJJ's National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses and Vera's Status Offender Reform Resource Center. The session included an interactive workshop on how to plan for reform by conducting a data-driven and family-informed diagnostic assessment of local systems and discussed how to engage families in status offenses cases. Click here to view the latest SOS Project resource on family engagement.  

40 for the 40th: Youth Video Competition

As part of the events surrounding the JJDPA's 40th Anniversary, Act4JJ is collecting 40 short stories that use real lives and experiences to illustrate the JJDPA's policy and systems impact. For example: a young person can share his story of how he was given the option of an alternative to prison and chose to complete that program; he's now in college. Similarly, an expert could put together a short video telling the story of his or her experience working with youth before JJDPA. Groups and individuals with potential stories are asked to send their information to Caitlin Johnson at caitlin@sparkaction.org.

NJJN News: Colorado Passes Bill To Ensure Early Access To Counsel

Last year, the National Juvenile Defender Center, an NJJN partner, and the Colorado Criminal Defender Coalition, an NJJN member, exposed a huge gap in access to defense counsel for Colorado youth-finding that as many as 45% of juvenile cases in Colorado proceeded with no defense attorney present at any point in the case. In response to these findings, CJDC crafted a bill (H.B. 1032) that mandated that every child who appears at a detention hearing in Colorado must be represented by counsel, and that young people not held in custody must be provided with clear instructions on how to access public defenders. The bill was signed into law in May, and will go into effect on November 1, 2014. Read the full story.

NJJN News: D.C. Member Teams With National Partner To Keep District Youth Out Of The Adult System

Last week, Washington, DC City Council members Jim Graham and Tommy Wells co-introduced the Youth Offender Accountability and Rehabilitation Act of 2014 (YOARA), a bill that would significantly reform the District's policies on housing young people in adult confinement facilities. The bill is supported by the "Judge Our Youth, Restoring Balance to D.C. Youth Justice" campaign, run by NJJN member DC Lawyers for Youth and the Campaign for Youth Justice. Read the full story here. DC Lawyers for Youth and the Campaign for Youth Justice also recently released a report entitled Capital City Correction: Reforming DC's Use of Adult Incarceration Against Youth.

NJJN News: Michigan Report Shows High Cost Of Kids In Adult Justice System

The Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency (MCCD), an NJJN member, recently released a report titled, "Youth Behind Bars: Exploring the Impact of Prosecuting and Incarcerating Kids in Michigan's Criminal Justice System." The report highlights how Michigan's approach to youth justice does little to rehabilitate children, protect public safety, or wisely invest taxpayer dollars. The report's top recommendation is that Michigan raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to 18, thereby placing 17-year-olds under the original jurisdiction of juvenile court.