Register Now for CJJ's 2021 Youth Summit |
|
CJJ's Youth Summit brings together young people from across the country who are interested in reforming the youth legal system. The summit aims to cultivate and empower the next generation of leaders by providing them with the tools they need to leverage their passion and lived expertise. Participants will learn about juvenile justice policy and have the opportunity to delve into key topics in the field. The summit's theme, agenda, and content are created by the CJJ Emerging Leaders Committee.
Attendees will have the option to travel in person to Tacoma, Washington OR enjoy the conference virtually via livestream.
In person attendance is limited. The summit will take place at the Hotel Murano. To make hotel reservations, click here.
To register for the summit, click here. A draft of the agenda can be viewed here.
|
|
Late Registration
Now - Jul 31
$110/ Member
$130/ Non-Member
$50/ Virtual
|
|
Join us for CJJ's Racial and Ethnic Disparities Conference |
|
-
To register for the conference click here.
-
To make your hotel reservations click here.
-
To view a draft of the agenda click here.
Unsure about traveling?
Choose our livestream registration option to receive virtual access to a limited conference agenda including conference plenaries, the awards ceremony, and one workshop session per time slot. To register for our livestream click here.
|
|
R/ED Conference Workshop Proposals:
For submission guidelines and instructions, click here. To submit your proposal directly, click here.
Andrew Smith Award Nominations:
Each year, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice honors a Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator who has made outstanding contributions to the elimination of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the youth justice system.
The 2021 Andrew Smith Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator Award is named to honor Andrew Smith, an incredible voice for youth and a pivotal agent of change. Mr. Smith served as New Hampshire's Racial and Ethnic Disparities Coordinator and was responsible for the creation of the Mirror Project, an effort to bring together law enforcement and youth. He served on CJJ's Executive Board as the Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee Chair.
Do you know an R/ED Coordinator who should be recognized in 2021?
To nominate them for the Andrew Smith Award click here. All nominations are due Wednesday, September 1.
|
|
House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Budget Released for Fiscal Year 2022: On Tuesday, members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies released their Fiscal Year 2022 funding proposal. The package includes $494 million in funding for the youth legal system and related programs. This is an increase over the current $359 million in funding for these programs. It would increase current allocations for Title II programs, and reinstate funding for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program.
The House is anticipated to send forward a minibus in the next two weeks to avoid a government shutdown this Fall. CJS, however, is not expected to be included in that package, as it is one of the more contentious funding bills.
A full breakdown of the CJS proposal is below:
- $80,000,000 for programs authorized for Title II: Provided, That of the amounts provided under this paragraph, $500,000 shall be for a competitive demonstration grant program to support emergency planning among State, local, and Tribal juvenile justice residential facilities;
- $110,000,000 for youth mentoring grants;
- $60,000,000 for Title V delinquency prevention programs of which, pursuant to sections 261 and 262 of the 1974 Act— (A) $6,000,000 shall be for grants to prevent trafficking of girls; (B) $14,000,000 shall be for the Tribal Youth Program; (C) $500,000 shall be for an Internet site providing information and resources on children of incarcerated parents; (D) $9,000,000 shall be for competitive grants focusing on girls in the juvenile justice system; (E) $12,000,000 shall be for an initiative relating to youth affected by opioids, stimulants, and other substance use; and (F) $10,000,000 shall be for an initiative relating to children exposed to violence;
- $40,000,000 for programs authorized by the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990;
- $109,000,000 for missing and exploited children programs, including as authorized by sections 404(b) and 405(a) of the 1974 Act
- $5,000,000 for child abuse training programs for judicial personnel and practitioners, as 22 authorized by section 222 of the 1990 Act;
- $10,000,000 for a program to improve juvenile indigent defense;
- $50,000,000 for an initiative relating to alternatives to youth incarceration;
- $10,000,000 for a community violence intervention initiative; and
- $20,000,000 for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program.
|
|
Third Quarter:
Join us Monday, August 2, 2021 from 3pm-4pm Eastern for a conversation with author Sherri Jefferson about her book, The Houses That Raise Our Girls, which is a smart and practical examination of the 6Ps (parents, pastors, principals, police, prosecutors and prison) that house girls in America.
To purchase the book click here. To register to join click here.
|
|
Fourth Quarter:
To purchase the book click here. To register to join click here.
|
|
Rebuilding Positive Relationships Between Justice System Professionals, Youth, and Communities
Wednesday, August 18, 2021 at 4pm-5pm ET
Join us for a conversation on the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships between law enforcement, child-serving agency practitioners, youth, and communities. Positive relationships can serve to eliminate implicit biases in decision making and foster empathy. This webinar will discuss how rebuilding these relationships can ultimately work towards accomplishing our main goal of keeping youth out of the justice system.
Presenters:
Jill Ruggiero, Co-Founder, We Are the Gatekeepers, Inc.
Andre Parker, Co-Founder, We Are the Gatekeepers, Inc.
This webinar is free for CJJ members. To become a member click here.
To register for this webinar click here.
|
|
Removing Youth From Adult Jails: Learning from Successes in the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and North Dakota
Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 3pm-4pm ET
The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 calls on states and territories to ensure that young people who are awaiting trial in adult court are not held in adult jails and lockups unless it is in the interest of justice to do so. Join us to hear from three jurisdictions about how they navigated this change, including programming and financial planning. The session will also explore the nuts and bolts of the planning process and practical steps taken to complete the transfer of youth to juvenile facilities, as well as the importance of both legislative and executive actions in making this transition.
Presenters:
Peter Forbes, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Youth Services
Lisa Jahner, Program Manager, North Dakota Association of Counties
Melissa Milchman, Grants Management Specialist, D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants
Marcy Mistrett, Senior Fellow, The Sentencing Project
Cecely Reardon, General Counsel, Massachusetts Department of Youth Services
This webinar is free for CJJ members. To become a member click here.
To register for this webinar click here.
|
|
Member Spotlight: Kentucky |
|
Kentucky Continues to Actuate Reforms in Juvenile Justice
Since 2014, Kentucky has implemented progressive juvenile justice system reforms to improve outcomes for youth, and this year is no exception. Lawmakers eliminated the mandatory transfer of youth ages 14 and older to adult court for situations involving a firearm (2021 Senate Bill 32). This change allows Kentucky’s judges to respond more effectively to cases with the goal of ensuring appropriate services and supports are provided within the juvenile justice system instead of the adult court. The Kentucky Court Designated Worker (CDW) Program, housed within the Administrative Office of the Courts, was extremely excited to see this change because they conduct intake on all complaints filed against youth. They see firsthand the complexity of these cases and how prosecutorial and judicial discretion can circumvent a life of incarceration.
The hope is that this legislative change will also reduce racial and ethnic disparities. In FY 2021, Black youth made up 11% of Kentucky’s youth population yet they make up 58% of the youthful offender referrals. This is five times their representation in the population. In FY 2021, Black youth made up 77% of the youthful offender referrals in Jefferson County, Kentucky’s largest urban area. These alarming outcomes provided the legislature with the necessary data to make an informed decision around eliminating mandatory transfers.
By participating in a National Center for State Courts’ Implementation Lab Initiative, the Kentucky Court of Justice and court partners are going a step further by developing two pilot court diversion processes for youthful offenders: one at the District Court and one for the Circuit Court (see Kentucky Court of Justice - Kentucky Court of Justice ). Within the current statute, Kentucky’s youthful offender process straddles both District Court and Circuit Court. Providing a diversion process for youthful offenders could also directly impact the disproportionate number of Black young people seen at this stage of the system and improve their overall outcomes.
This legislative change continues Kentucky’s work toward addressing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. As the innovation continues, we look forward to sharing Kentucky’s future initiatives.
|
|
Would You Like to Blog for CJJ? |
|
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.
|
|
Other News and Announcements |
|
Events and Trainings
The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice is hosting the Transformation of Youth Justice Symposium (September 8-9, 2021) and supplemental half-day Training Institutes (September 10, 2021) in the vibrant heart of Downtown Nashville at the Doubletree Hotel. The two-day symposium is designed for multi-disciplinary professionals and youth-serving stakeholders seeking to learn, network, and become part of the nationwide movement to effectively transform youth justice and improve outcomes for children and families. The Symposium will feature five plenaries and 30 workshops focused on current and significant cross-cutting issues impacting the youth-serving field.
Participants seeking to expand their knowledge may also register to attend a supplemental half-day Training Institute session following the Symposium. Focused on six critical topics, these deep-dive sessions will highlight opportunities and methods to significantly enhance current practice to improve system performance and ensure the highest likelihood of achieving positive outcomes for youth and families. The Symposium and Training Institutes will emphasize the importance of peer-to-peer learning and collaboration to identify common challenges and solutions that lead to meaningful, sustainable, and measurable policy and practice change. To learn more, please visit: www.rfknrcjj.org/events.
New Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Transforming the Youth Justice System
The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, in partnership with the Center for Children's Law and Policy, has released a Request for Applications for a new program: Transforming the Youth Justice System: Promoting Equity, Community, and Wellbeing for Youth of Color Breakthrough Series Collaborative (BSC). This BSC is designed to address issues of racial equity and justice for youth who are involved or are at risk of becoming involved with the youth justice system. The BSC methodology is aimed at helping jurisdictions impact the disparities youth of color experience in the youth justice system by shifting the long-standing differentials in power that exist in the system improvement process – rebalancing that power to give equal weight to youth, families and communities as improvements are considered and ultimately adopted.
In this regard, participating jurisdictions will be required to partner with communities most deeply impacted by the system as they develop, test, and implement evidence-informed strategies for diversion and other community-based alternatives and approaches. This is not just a training or planning initiative; it will require jurisdictions to move to action as they test practice and process changes in real time across six domains vital to achieving racial equity and justice over an 18-month period of time. The use of the BSC methodology is particularly critical to achieving the goals of this program, as it allows for ideas to grow from the community-, youth-, and family-level up into system-level policies and practices.
Additionally, selected teams will participate in a weeklong Certificate Program exploring issues related to race, equity, and socioeconomic disparities. Participants in this Certificate Program will receive an official Georgetown University Executive Certificate.
|
|
New Publications and Resources
|
|
Job Postings
The Children’s Law Center in Kentucky is seeking a new Executive Director to progress the mission of CLC and provide leadership, insight, and direction for the future. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for CLC’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. The Executive Director will also refresh and activate a recently completed strategic plan. To read more, click here.
The State of Connecticut is looking for a Juvenile Detention Superintendent. To learn more click here.
|
|
CJJ invites you to share news from your SAG, organization, state, or region! Inclusion and editing of submissions are subject to CJJ editorial guidelines. |
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
