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REENGAGING YOUTH FROM JUVENILE JUSTICE Heather griller clark & Sarup R. Mathur

REENGAGING YOUTH FROM JUVENILE JUSTICE Heather griller clark & Sarup R. Mathur. Overview of Session. Characteristics of youth in the juvenile justice system Defining Engagement Evidence-based Strategies to Promote Engagement of JJ Youth Research findings related to reentry and engagement

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REENGAGING YOUTH FROM JUVENILE JUSTICE Heather griller clark & Sarup R. Mathur

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  1. REENGAGING YOUTH FROM JUVENILE JUSTICE Heather griller clark & Sarup R. Mathur

  2. Overview of Session Characteristics of youth in the juvenile justice system Defining Engagement Evidence-based Strategies to Promote Engagement of JJ Youth Research findings related to reentry and engagement Resources

  3. Characteristics of JJ Youth • The most vulnerable youth • Higher prevalence of special education needs (35-50%) • More ACEs (1/3 report exposure to multiple types of trauma each year) • More mental health issues (65-70%) • Higher level of involvement in child welfare and foster care (25-70%) • Histories of disengagement and school failure

  4. Post-release Education • 66% do not return to school after release from secure custody • Youth who return to school and maintain an adequate level of attendance are 26% less likely to recidivate within 12 months, and 15.3% less likely at 24 months • Less than 20 percent of formerly incarcerated youth have diplomas or GEDs, and only about 30 percent of these youth continue to stay engaged in school or work a year after their release (Osgood, Foster, & Courtney, 2010).

  5. Post-release Employment • 5.5 million U.S. youth ages 16 to 24 are neither in school nor have a job, and this number of disconnected youth continued to grow. • The unemployment rate for young adults between the ages of 16-24 is more than twice the national unemployment rate. • 55 percent of formerly incarcerated adults reported any earnings one year post-release, and the median annual income of those who were employed was only $10,090 (Looney & Turner, 2018). http://uscmwdc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-1-25YouthEmploymentResolution2018.pdf

  6. Defining Engagement Engagement as a protective factor    Engagement is not static, but rather multidimensional and fluid over time Productive engagement is the goal of reentry programming Productive engagement is “a global construct of the motivation to engage in a variety of actions that have a positive valence and the behavioral expression of that motivation” (Zaff et al. 2014, p. 527).

  7. Defining Engagement • Engagement as a philosophy: • Youth and the community need to be active participants in reentry planning • Productive engagement as a positive youth outcome: • School • Job training • Employment • Sports • Volunteer/Community service • Church/youth groups • Recreation center activities • Tutoring program • Mentoring programs

  8. Tier 1 Strategies to Improve Engagement • Designate a Transition/Reentry Specialist • Mathur, S. R., Griller Clark, H., LaCroix, L., & Short, J. (2018). Research-based practices for reintegrating students with emotional and behavioral disorders from the juvenile justice system. Beyond Behavior, 27, 28-36. doi: 10.1177/1074295617728508 • Transition/Reentry Plan • Transition programming/Merging Two Worlds Curriculum • Griller Clark, H. & Mathur, S. R. (2015). Merging Two Worlds: A Tier Two Model to Promote Transition of Youth from Residential Settings to the Community. Residential Treatment for Children & Youth, 32 (4), 280-298. • Academic & Vocational Programming • Address gaps in core content • Youth with better reading skills are more likely to be employed, earn a high-school diploma, and avoid incarceration (Gagnon & Barber, 2015)

  9. Tier 1 Strategies to Improve Engagement • Listening to Youth Voice • Mathur, S. R., Clark, H. G., Hartzell, R. I., LaCroix, L., & McTier, T. S. (2019). What Youth With Special Needs in Juvenile Justice Say About Reentry: Listening to Their Voice. Youth & Society https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X19826423 • Providing Professional Development • Griller Clark, H., Mathur, S. R., & Jolivette, K. (in review). Divergent perspectives on educational research in juvenile justice. Behavioral Disorders. • The IRIS Center (2017). Youth with disabilities in juvenile corrections (Part 2): Transition and reentry to school and community. Available at https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/jj2/

  10. Tier 1 Strategies to Improve Engagement • Improving Community Awareness & Engagement Mathur, S. R. & Griller Clark, H. (2014). Community engagement for re-entry success of youth from juvenile justice: Challenges and opportunities. Education and Treatment of Children, 37(4), 709-731. • Monitoring/Collecting Data • Adequate Funding

  11. Tier 1 Strategies to Improve Engagement • Training for High-Demand Occupations • Youth-Employer Matching • CTE pathways • Soft skills • Partnerships with local employers • Supports and follow-ups with youth and employers • Employer visits to JJ facility/classrooms Griller Clark, H., Mathur, S. R., Ott, M., & McTier, T. (in review). Employer Perceptions of Hiring Juvenile Offenders. Criminal Justice and Behavior. • Engage Employers

  12. Tier 2 and 3 Strategies to Improve Engagement • Merging 2 Worlds Curriculum • Cognitive processing strategies, such as positive self-talk, and goal setting • Soft skills training • Relationship Building • Small Group CTE programming • Individualized transition planning • Personalized community supports • Job search, coaching • Supported employment • Enrollment assistance, tuition assistance

  13. Why Focus on Engagement? • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

  14. As Many Americans Have Criminal Records As College Diplomas https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/just-facts-many-americans-have-criminal-records-college-diplomas

  15. Research Findings • RISE (Reentry Intervention and Support for Engagement) • OSEP Model Demonstration Grant • Transition Specialist/Case Management/Community Engagement • RISE-IT (Reentry Intervention and Support for Engagement through Integrating Technology) • BJA Second Chance Act Grant • Career & Technical Education

  16. Table 1 Demographic Characteristics by Study Group RISE Comparison Study

  17. The 30 Day Rule Mathur, S. R., Griller Clark, H., & Gau, J. (in review). A cross comparison study of Reentry Intervention and Support for Engagement (RISE): Findings on youth with disabilities. Behavioral Disorders.

  18. RISE Results • RISE Participants Survival Rates in Comparison Study

  19. RISE-IT Results • Post Release Statistics • Number of youth who obtained vocational training/employment: 228 • Number of youth who participated in post-secondary education: 168 • Release Boards Outreach (18+) • Number of young adults supported through release board outreach and services: 85 • 18 young adults(21%) are in post-secondary/vocational education • 9 in vocational or trade program • 7 in Community College • 2 in college • 39 youth (46%) are currently employed • 21 in labor/manufacturing related field • 14 in retail related field • 4 other

  20. RISE-IT Results • Pre Release Statistics • Number of youth receiving services from RISE-IT : 1010 • Number of completed CTE courses: 1222 • Number of youth who received a GED/HSD: 181 • Number of youth who participated in the M2W intro: 538 • Number of youth who participated in the M2W curriculum: 117 • Number of youth who obtained a vocational certification: 709

  21. RISE-IT Employer Survey • 69.64% chance of interviewing candidate with no criminal history • 61.70% chance of interviewing candidate with a non-violent offense • 39.94% chance of interviewing candidate with a violent offense • Industry sector differences: • Financial industry less inclined to consider either offender for employment • Education-related organizations more willing to extend an interview

  22. RISE-IT Employer Survey • Qualifications, trainings, or credentials that would improve the chances: • Passing a drug test • Possessing a high school diploma • Having references from other professionals in their industry • Prior work experience

  23. New Initiatives to Promote Engagement • Pell Grants • Ban the Box • INSITE (INtegrating STEM Into Transition Education) • NSF Education & Human Resources Core Research • App-based UDL STEM Curriculum/Career Readiness/Supported Employment

  24. Resources US DOJ/DOE Transition Guidance Package 2016 The Transition Toolkit 3.0 for practitioners and policymakers, Meeting the Education Needs of Youth Exposed to the Juvenile Justice System A website for educators, families, facilities, and community agencies, Improving Outcomes for Youth With Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections A resource guide designed for incarcerated youth reentering the community after leaving a juvenile justice facility, You Got This: Educational Pathways for Youth Transitioning from Juvenile Justice Facilities A fact sheet describing new data on correctional education from the Civil Rights Data Collection

  25. More Resources • sarup.mathur@asu.edu • hgriller@asu.edu • http://www.njjn.org/our-work/improving-education-for-youth-in-juvenile-justice-snapshot • https://cjjr.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Lifeline-for-Justice-Involved-Youth-August_2016.pdf • Osgood, D.W., Foster, E.M., & Courtney, M.E. (2010). Vulnerable populations and the transition to adulthood. The Future of Children, 20(1), 209-229. doi:10.1353/foc.0.0047

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