Applications are now open to present at CJJ's Annual Conference! |
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Workshop proposals for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice's 2023 Annual Conference are due January 20th, 2023 at 12pm EST.
Each year, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) hosts a national conference uniquely focused on improving juvenile justice and delinquency prevention systems, services, practices, and policies. More than 300 juvenile justice practitioners and advocates from across the U.S. and its territories are expected to join together for this unique event.
This year's conference will focus on the latest research, developments, and challenges facing our field today. Specifically:
- How can we restructure current practices to ensure young people receive individualized services and supports?
- How can systems collaborate with one another to more holistically address young people's needs?
- 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 and families with lived experiences in the systems we work with?
- What role does advocacy play as communities seek to improve services and provide trauma-responsive care for children and youth?
The Lead Contact will be notified of the Workshop Review Committee’s final decision the week of Feb. 15, 2023. If you have any questions, feel free to email info@juvjustice.org
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CJJ Celebrates a Successful 2022 Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference |
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At the beginning of this month, CJJ held its annual Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference at the Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. The focus of this year's conference was "Removing the Blindfold: Investing in Young People, Communities, and Healing." The conference brought stakeholders together to fight disparities at the local, state, and national levels.
During this year's conference, we heard from voices from all over the country, including Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator Elizabeth Ryan and author Kristen Henning. Henning discussed key findings from her book “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.
During the conference, Craig Hargrow of Tennessee was presented with the 2022 Andrew Smith Award. This award is presented by CJJ to a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator who has made outstanding contributions to the elimination of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us in Louisville this year and particularly to our sponsors, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Justice Resource Institute, Georgetown University's Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, and CJJ Executive Board Members Pastor Edward Palmer and Rachel Bingham!
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CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee Presents Policy Recommendations to OJJDP |
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At the end of October, young leaders had a one-of-a-kind opportunity to share policy recommendations with Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Administrator, Elizabeth Ryan. Young leaders from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice’s (CJJ’s) Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC) and youth from the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN), had the chance to join virtually and in person in Washington, D.C., to talk about issues that are important to youth in the juvenile justice system.
During their conversation with Administrator Ryan, youth advocates were able to share and express the unique struggles that they have experienced, from dealing with immigration and juvenile justice to aftercare and the lack of resources that youth with a criminal history have. Time and time again, a central theme was: youth prisons are doing the job they were intended to do, creating spaces for youth to be sent to prisons instead of keeping families united, and youth in their communities.
Some policy recommendations that were mentioned by youth leaders from NJJN and the ELC include:
- Creating a board to determine if youth facing adult sentences have successfully been rehabilitated and giving them the chance to not have to continue their sentence at an adult facility.
- Creating independent living programs that encompass basic skills such as apartment searching, getting government-issued identification, and other skills that youth need in order to thrive post-incarceration.
- Removing barriers for youth who have a criminal background so they can pursue their chosen careers.
- Educating youth on their rights.
At the conclusion of the event, young people had the chance to answer questions from OJJDP’s senior leadership and watched a video from John Legend thanking them for their work and dedication.
To learn more about the ELC’s Policy Recommendations to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), click here. To learn more about NJJN’s Policy Recommendations to OJJDP, 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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Nevada Makes Efforts to Expand The Harbor
On October 16th, 2016, The Harbor, a unique juvenile assessment center built on community and legal partnerships, opened its doors with the goals of targeting the racial and ethic disparities apparent in Nevada’s justice system and diverting youth from the justice system. Partners in the project include school districts, police forces, local jurisdictions, the Department of Child and Family Services, Social Services, and Child Welfare.
The Harbor helps children up to age 18 who are brought to the center, mostly through misdemeanor charges, parent referrals, and self-referrals. According to Jack Martin, the Director of the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services, the Harbor utilizes two different assessment tools, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and CRAFT, to create an individualized treatment plan. After this plan is formed, the Harbor works with the child for three years. Martin reported that the Harbor has helped more than 30,000 children and experienced a 90 percent success rate- meaning the child’s behavior does not escalate into the youth justice system. This rate went well beyond the original goal of a 50 percent reduction.
The Harbor also distributes food, organizes extracurricular activities, holds a summer camp, and connects children with mentors and in-home services. According to Martin, the Harbor is looking to expand to another brick-and-mortar location, in addition to creating two mobile Harbors to reach rural locations on the state borders. This new physical location will be a multigenerational center with spaces for DFS visitation and the older community. Nevada has helped other states follow this model, such as Idaho and Georgia. In addition, multiple countries have reached out to tour the facility.
Nevada is also leading a Truancy Prevention Outreach Program (TPOP) in conjunction with the Harbor. According to the Harbor's website, this program "work[s] to eliminate chronic absenteeism by focusing on underlying youth and family needs." This program provides resources and strategies to re-engage youth and families.The program has helped about 10,000 children, who have seen a 60 percent increase in attendance.
To learn more about the Harbor and its programming, click here.
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Upcoming Webinars
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 their 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 webinar 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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The OJJDP will be holding an in-person workshop on November 30th called SHIFT Wellness Psycho Educational Program. The workshop will provide participants the opportunity to learn about the causes and symptoms of vicarious trauma and effective mitigation strategies and tools to help build resilience.
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The OJJDP will be holding an online presentation on November 30th called Interviewing Children with Disabilities. In this presentation, rates of victimization of children with special needs are provided, factors that increase risk of abuse for children with disabilities are discussed, children's abilities to recount information are described, and strategies for the investigative process are covered.
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The National Grant Foundation is holding classes in grant writing, fundraising, nonprofits, social media marketing, email marketing, and other related subjects. To learn more about course offerings, click here.
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Applications are now open for the Capital Judicial Fellowship Program, a nationally recognized public policy fellowship which offers unique experiences in policy-making and development in each branch of government. Applications close on February 6th, 2023.
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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 to End Addiction Long-Term(HEAL) Preventing Opioid Use Disorder Research Program invites you to join us for our annual (virtual) meeting on December 6th and 7th. The presentations and interactions will focus on priorities and recent advances in prevention strategies to address opioid misuse and opioid use disorder, including the role of economics and intervention registries.
New Publications and Resources
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a new report called Facility Characteristics of Sexual Victimization of Youth in Juvenile Facilities. The report describes characteristics of juvenile justice facilities related to youth-reported sexual victimization. It presents sexual victimization rates reported by youth in juvenile facilities by topics such as facility organizational structure, staff, and atmosphere.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics released a new report called Law Enforcement Agencies that Employ School Resource Officers. The report presents statistics about school resource officers, based on data from the first-time BJS Survey of Law Enforcement Personnel in Schools (SLEPS) agency survey. The report provides data on the agencies that employ school resource officers and demographics of the officers. It also describes the policies related to school resource officers, including law enforcement, mentoring, and teaching duties performed; hiring processes; and required training.
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On October 25th, The Sentencing Project released a report called Locked Out 2022: Estimates of People Denied Voting Rights.
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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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