CJJ's Releases New Guide on Youth Partnership and Engagement |
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On October 20th, The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) released a new guide to help State Advisory Groups (SAGs) cultivate authentic youth engagement through relationships with their youth members. Youth Partnership: A Call to Action for State Advisory Groups highlights ways that State Advisory Groups can form new partnerships with youth, further develop their existing relationships with youth, and ensure youth voices are being heard. The guide focuses on action steps surrounding recruitment, onboarding, and retention to nurture the growth of authentic engagement. All three of these areas are divided into 101 (introductory), 201 (intermediate) and 301 (advanced) levels of engagement. To get the most out of this guide, CJJ encourages SAGs to honestly self-assess their existing practices and readiness for authentic youth engagement according to this tiering system. Improving youth partnership is a continuous process to be worked on and reassessed over time.
This report was made possible by the generous support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and was informed by the Idaho, and Iowa Juvenile Justice Advisory Councils, and the Montana, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Washington, DC Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups who participated in CJJ’s Youth Partnership Learning Network. CJJ is also grateful to Laura Furr, the D.C. State Advisory Group Chair, and Aide Samantha Moore, CJJ Youth Partnership & Training Associate, for drafting this report.
To learn more about the report, visit our blog.
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Countdown to CJJ's 2022 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference |
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Next week, CJJ will host its annual Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference at the Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. The focus of this year's conference is "Removing the Blindfold: Investing in Young People, Communities, and Healing." The conference will give juvenile justice stakeholders an opportunity to share strategies and explore solutions to this serious problem. This year's conference will bring together stakeholders working to fight disparities at the local, state, and national levels, as well as the larger juvenile justice community.
This year’s keynote speaker is Kristen Henning. Henning is a nationally recognized advocate, author, and consultant. She is the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law and was previously the Lead Attorney of the Juvenile Unit at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she represented children for over twenty-five years. She is also the author of “The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth'', which has received rave reviews in the New York Times Book Review and the Washington Post.
At the conference, CJJ will be presenting Craig Hargrow with the 2022 Andrew Smith Award. Hargrow has served as a child advocate for more than 22 years. He has represented children and families on a variety of issues impacting youth as a trial and managing attorney with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services. He also was a juvenile court magistrate for the Montgomery County Juvenile Court in Tennessee. Currently, he is an employee of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth (TCCY) where he advocates for children as the Director of the Tennessee Second Look Commission, as the Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator for Tennessee, General Counsel, and the Deputy Executive Director.
To view the finalized agenda, click here. We are looking forward to seeing everyone who is able to join us in Louisville this year!
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CJJ's Probation Reform Toolkit |
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Last month, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) released a new toolkit to help State Advisory Groups leverage their policy and fiduciary authority to further probation reform in their states and territories."Probation Reform: A Toolkit for State Advisory Groups" highlights ways that State Advisory Groups across the country are helping to rethink and reshape the use of probation.This toolkit aims to help SAGs better understand the issues associated with implementing probation transformation, how SAGs have engaged in these issues previously, and some of the key areas of opportunity for those seeking to become more deeply involved.
This work is essential. Probation is the most common disposition for young people who become involved in the youth justice system. Nationally, more than 500,000 young people are placed on probation each year, with a disproportionate number being Black, Latinx, and other youth of color. To access this toolkit, click here.
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YJAM: A Recap
Youth Justice Awareness Month was started in 2008 by Tracy McClard, who lost her son when he committed suicide in adult jail. YJAM started in order to raise awareness about the harms that exist within the juvenile justice system. In 2016, Youth Justice Awareness Month was renamed Youth Justice Action Month to highlight the need to take action to improve our youth justice system.
This October, the theme of YJAM is “Youth Justice is…” focusing on listening to young people, families, State Advisory Groups, advocates, practitioners, and others to tell us what real youth justice means to them and what they hope to see accomplished. One highlight of YJAM 2022 was President Joe Biden issuing a proclamation on Sept. 30, proclaiming October as National Youth Justice Action Month. In addition, Congressman Tony Cardenas, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, and Congressman David Trone introduced a bipartisan resolution designating October 2022 as National Justice Action Month. The resolution explains the consequences when youth are treated as adults in the criminal justice system. It also encourages the Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to focus on rehabilitation over incarceration. CJJ is grateful that Congress and the White House have recognized the importance of keeping young people in their communities and providing them with the services they need to lead successful lives.
There have been a number of successful events during YJAM. On October 18th, Player’s Coalition held a Virtual Dinner on Elevating Youth Voices. Today, The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), in partnership with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) and National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) will be holding a hybrid youth panel discussion. This event, "What Youth Justice Means to Youth: A Vision for the Future”, will give young leaders with lived experience the opportunity to present policy recommendations surrounding the youth justice system. To register for this event, click here.
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Would You Like to Blog for CJJ? |
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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; or
- Promising Practices or Program Spotlights.
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Member Spotlight: Washington D.C. |
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D.C.'s Focus on Youth Engagement
As discussed in CJJ’s new guide on youth partnership, youth voice and authentic engagement is essential for successful reform efforts. The District of Columbia (D.C.) is a great example of this practice in action. In September, the D.C. Youth Leaders in Action (YLA) committee started a project studying the impact of electronic monitoring on youth and their families. The YLA held a focus group with youth with lived experience and gave them the space to share their experience with this technology. The conversation covered issues such as how GPS tracking impacts mental health and employment/educational opportunities. The YLA is currently working on planning a second focus group and developing a survey to gather more extensive data. The YLA is hoping this research will add a local perspective to the existing national research on the effects of electronic monitoring. They hope this new perspective will better guide the SAG and system leaders and allow them to think more critically about how to mitigate the harms of GPS monitoring in the D.C. area.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention took interest in this project and is helping the YLA track their progress. In the future, OJJDP hopes to use this project as a model for a toolkit on how young people can play an active role in reform efforts.
In addition, D.C. just elected their second Youth Co-Chair, Mylan Barnes. In 2020, D.C. created this leadership position on the SAG to elevate the voice of the YLA as part of SAG leadership. This is another way that D.C. is making conscious efforts to involve youth with lived experience in their reform efforts.
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Upcoming Webinars
Length of Stay Academy
Thursday, November 10, 2022, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. ET
Length of Stay (LOS) Policy Academy’s goal is to support jurisdictions to identify and address key factors contributing to lengths of stay for youth in post-adjudication placements from commitment through reentry. Panelists will share their experience in reviewing their systems (using data to examine and identify key factors to length of stay), research regarding length of stay, and system reform in collaboration with external stakeholders.
Presenters:
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Natalie Walker, Director of Administration, CJJA
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Michael Umpierre, Director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, where he is responsible for overseeing all of CJJR's programs, initiatives, research, and operations
To register for this webinar, click here.
Importance of Including Crime Victim Survivor Voices
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
A new report, "Smart, Safe, Fair II", by the Justice Policy Institute examines four jurisdictions around the country that reformed its juvenile justice systems by shutting down youth prisons and replacing them with community-based approaches that can assist all youth including those who have committed a violent crime. Such successful reform efforts include the creation of broad and inclusive advocacy coalitions that include crime victims/survivors. The workshop will examine the importance of including victim/survivor voices in advocacy efforts and how to effectively work with victims/survivors.
Presenters:
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Tyron Walker, Director of Reentry Services, Georgetown University
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Aswad Thomas, Vice President, Alliance for Safety and Justice National Director of Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice
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Mai Fernandez, Executive Director, of the National Center for Victims of Crime
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Kiersten Stewart, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Futures Without Violence
To register for this webinar, click here.
Healing Accountability for Youth
Thursday, December 8th, 2022, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Panelists will reflect on how addressing youth behavior through processes that center values, strengths, and goals prior to sharing concerns create a different level of engagement and dignity compared to more traditional probation practices. This positive engagement also creates tailored accountability plans by specifically building on youth strengths and goals as a way to address concerns and make right any harm caused. Panel members will discuss how experiences of the Youth Restorative Justice Disposition Program (YRJDP) affirm research demonstrating adolescents are inherently relational- their behavioral, developmental, and social-emotional wellness and growth are deeply impacted by the quality of their relationships, opportunities, and context.
Presenters:
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Cynthia Prosek, Executive Director of Restorative Justice Community Action (RJCA)
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Dr. Talaya L. Tolefree, Founder and CEO of Koinonia Leadership Academy
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Beau RaRa, Youth Restorative Justice Initiative Lead at the Legal Rights Center
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Alyssa Benson, Corrections Program Manager at Hennepin County Juvenile Probation
To register for this webinar, click here.
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Other News and Announcements |
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Events and Trainings
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October 28th, 2022 marks the 7th annual Girls’ Justice Day, a day to raise awareness during Youth Justice Action Month about the conditions that fuel the criminalization of girls across the country. To learn more, visit Rights4Girls.
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The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is holding the 2023 National Conference on Juvenile Justice from March 19th-22nd. It will take place at the Dallas Renaissance Addison Hotel. The National Conference is open to all those interested in the improvement of child welfare and the juvenile justice system.
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The National Association of Counsel for Children will hold its 46th National Child Welfare Law Conference this summer from August 10th-August 12th.
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The Helping Ending Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Prevention Coordinating Center offers informative educational and professional development opportunities to prevention researchers (especially early-career) and relevant community-based organizations in the field of substance use prevention. HEAL is starting a new webinar series: Recruiting for Youth Substance Misuse Prevention on Wednesday, November 2, 12:30-2:00pm ET!
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CJJ invites you to share news from your SAG, organization, state, or region! Inclusion and editing of submissions are subject to CJJ editorial guidelines. |
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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
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006-1631
(202) 827-9751
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