EDJJ National Conference: Achieving Positive Outcomes for Court-Involved Youth

EDJJ National Conference: Achieving Positive Outcomes for Court-Involved Youth Key Points from Learning Café Peer Discussion Groups Moderators: Mary Quinn & Jeffrey Poirier June 26, 2004

P1 -- Considerations and recommendations for preventing minority representation • Have a department of prevention rather than just a department of corrections • All groups need to take ownership for youth • After-school mentoring programs are essential • Centralize resources for family and youth within schools—ensure youth in all areas have access • Use the community-care model • Have more advocates that can relate to minorities and also have political standing • Merge efforts of individual initiatives • Communicate for the child’s family in pre-court meetings

P1 -- Considerations and recommendations for preventing minority representation • Provide more proactive services such as early intervention (rather than being reactive and waiting until many more services are required) • Provide more access to resources (e.g., spiritual, mentoring, diversion programs) • Change the “norm” of acceptable behavior • Make better use of early intervention services by identifying and targeting at-risk youth and families – begin at hospitals when youth are born • Educate many groups (e.g., police officers) about what we’re trying to do and about diversity (cultural differences) and disabilities • Educate both students and teachers • Have a community liaison to connect community needs/desires with programs that are available by communicating more effectively

P2 -- Considerations and recommendations for preventing disability overrepresentation • Better equip teachers to work with diverse, challenging populations – address teaching disability • Provide in-service training for various groups and agencies • Accurate, complete early identification of youth with mental health problems • More alternative programming and support systems • Use litigation as a tool • Appropriate services for children and families (e.g., transportation) • Appropriate placement and treatment • Support parents so they can advocate for their children • Collaboration between agencies – information sharing • Raise awareness of the availability of funds to support programs

P2 -- Considerations and recommendations for preventing disability overrepresentation • Develop alternatives to suspension and expulsion • Education for all stakeholders (police officers, parents, students, staff, etc.) • Examine overlap of clients in various agencies • Stop excluding students from classrooms because of their behavior • Identify and treat the right issues (e.g., ADHD, PTSS)

P3 -- Preventing risk factors • Shared efforts across schools and communities to develop and implement programs – integrate services across agencies and get education involved • Eliminate overlap and barriers since kids are involved in multiple systems • Community-based resources and mentors – provide organized lists for youth and their families (e.g., National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice) • Provide community resources and recreation programs and educate them about the benefits – given inspiration, people and communities can accomplish great things • Promote higher education and voc rehab for parents • Put children first in budgets • Support families • Get policy makers to buy into prevention…no child left behind bars

P3 -- Preventing risk factors • User-friendly system of care • Parent and student sensitivity to differences in culture • Increase public awareness of the issues • Clients of one agency are eligible for services from all agencies • Recognize that we are working with the same kids • Give fair and culturally competent consequences (e.g., school punitive and exclusionary disciplinary consequences) for inappropriate behavior • Identify student sensitivities to race, gender, culture • Stakeholders (e.g., police, probation offices, churches) need to ask what they can do to help • Parents become self advocates • Go outside the box – create a system of care with one-stop shopping (e.g., put agencies in one building)

P4 -- Prevention efforts in public schools • Educate v. isolate • Schools need to feel ownership of their students • Help youth identify community mentors • Improve communication – ensure behavioral expectations are clear • Mixing of staff (e.g., probation officers in schools as liaisons) • Emphasize literacy – remediate at time of problem rather than waiting until the child is older • Keep youth engaged in school and make school environments more caring • Use alternative education programs more proactively • Recognize that students will become adult members of the community • Make evidence-based decisions rather than decisions based on cultural perceptions

P4 -- Prevention efforts in public schools • Use school-based probation • Implement conflict resolution programs • Increase support staff • Implement programs (e.g., after-school programs) that will be of interest to students and provide new and exciting activities • Give students multiple chances – don’t automatically label them as “bad” when they return to school – end “no tolerance” policies • Identify and be familiar with programs that can provide needed services to students • Ensure basic needs of students are met

E1 -- Provide appropriate education services for a diverse population • Development of flexible curriculum relevant to ethnicity and educational levels • Need a centralized website to share information and have a forum for online discussion groups • Require agencies to enforce policies, procedures, and programs specific to diversity • Individualized supports for education • Provide gender-based programming • Acknowledge students in public schools are similar to youth in facilities in terms of abilities • Brief assessment tools • Provide credit for courses • Balanced curriculum—creativity

E1 -- Provide appropriate education services for a diverse population • Multicultural studies foster pride in one’s culture and understanding others (e.g., use literature, printed media such as Time magazine) • Foster open communication (e.g., between educators, detention/security staff, probation staff) • Have effective assessment tools (initial testing may be inaccurate due to emotional instability) • Find ways to replicate services provided in schools • Internet access as long as safeguards are in place • Diverse, high quality staff • Respect the certification and expertise of teachers – don’t just put them in a slote • Develop a curriculum flexible to educational levels and ethnicities – hire and train staff in issues of diversity

E1 -- Provide appropriate education services for a diverse population • Provide unique delivery of services to youth who haven’t been in school for more than two years • Teachers should advocate for students • Paid therapists for girls • Use technology for curriculum and assessment • Look to people who are laid off but are highly qualified professionals (e.g., engineers) and retirees • Tailor instruction to learning styles • Adequate assessment and/or compilation of data obtained by other schools or facilities • ESL assessments, provide reading instruction, teach study skills, teach computer/keyboarding skills, have audio recordings of textbooks, offer virtual science labs

E2 -- Providing appropriated education and related services • Training of staff must be ongoing • Encourage or require teachers to have special education endorsements • Individualized instruction • Have a district liaison and a system to obtain IEPs from public schools • Provide additional supports for special education students in the regular education classroom • Mental health • Ensure all teachers are aware of IEPs • Follow federal and state mandates – good programs will never find this to be an issue, bad programs will be confronted with these mandates • Obtain records from previous placements

E2 -- Providing appropriated education and related services • Have a form to request records that notes law and need to be done quickly • Professionals that work with youth need curriculum-specific training • Engage in activities that open up closed corrections systems to include spec education • Daily progress of students in special education • Remove ineffective employees • Statewide database with student information • Create a snapshot of each youth’s needs—initial assessment and formative evaluation • Integrate IEPs with service and treatment plans • Obtain vaccination records from schools • Use online courses to train staff and for students

E2 -- Providing appropriated education and related services • Determine if student will be leaving before 10 days prior to completing IEP • Ensure students who need IEPs have them • Ensure teachers are highly qualified – use online courses as needed • Assess, diagnose, classify – appropriate placement is key • Childfind must be ongoing • School principals need to have mental health team, medical, etc. accountable to him/her to effectively address special education needs and mandates • Training of institutional staff must be ongoing to build understanding of kids in special education • Teachers must see students as individuals

E2 -- Providing appropriated education and related services • Question the identification process and focus on student needs • Create a snapshot of youth educationally early on and continually during confinement • Have continuous assessment • Encourage and require all teachers to have special education endorsement • Have certified special educators

E3 -- Enhancing collaboration with public schools • Align with state standards and curriculum • Build an understanding among public and officials • Enact legislation to ensure documentation travels with students • Invite public school personnel into facilities to observe programs and issues • Establish a model or continuum of transitional services • Identify where student will transition to and provide relevant information (e.g., IEP, transcript, credits earned while in facilities, assessment results) • Create liaisons • Transition needs to start on day one – put supports in place all along the process • Ongoing contact with district special education programs

E3 -- Enhancing collaboration with public schools • Hire a transition coordinator • Statewide computer access to student records • Reform the dual system in juvenile justice by creating state residential schools administered by certified school administrators – public schools will more likely interface with a state school than a correctional facility • Statewide database available at the practitioner level that allows secure access to data through the internet (e.g., juvenile staff can begin an IEP for a student and a public school teacher can finish the IEP by accessing the database) • Leaders needs to collaborate with school systems – establish relationships and trust and let the local schools know what we are doing • Juveniles sentenced as adults have an especially difficult time finding jobs and gaining life skills

E3 -- Enhancing collaboration with public schools • Build understanding among public education officials about what happens in facilities • Streamline paperwork – move away from separate requests (liaison appointments in each entity will help streamline records exchange) • Create a form stressing the law and the need for quick access to high school records • Collaboration between leaders in mental health, health services, and social services to create true wraparound services • A continuum of services must exist in the transition plan

E4 -- Enhancing collaboration within facilities • Attend monthly or regular staff meetings about students • Leadership is key to make collaboration happen • Form teams that wraparound students (e.g., correctional officers meet with teachers and give updates) • Training is essential • Hire the good and fire the bad • Ongoing staff development – train together • Train – update – train - update • Active team-building and team meetings (including management) • Include education staff in facility management meetings • Create a learning environment that all staff (e.g., therapists, security) are expected to be a part of

E4 -- Enhancing collaboration within facilities • Establish that everyone is responsible for these kids • Reach decisions about youth through a multidisciplinary approach • Have high expectations for all employees • Establish common behavioral codes, mission, and goals for all staff • Use teleconferencing as a tool • Create flexible scheduling • Create links between education and treatment topics (e.g., health, substance abuse) • Ensure dignity and respect for juveniles and staff

T1 -- Transition planning before release • Identify and build a relationship with community resources, partners, and supporting agencies prior to release– formalize this process • Develop a team • Use a common assessment that is strength based • Provide a continuum of competency-based vocational programs to match employment opportunities • Begin and maintain transition dialogue prior to release • Involve family and caregiver in assessment process • Policy and procedure (i.e., consistent protocol) that is basic to all students • Consistent members of reintegration teams that stay within youth from DOC to community

T1 -- Transition planning before release • Connect with judges and courts for transition back to home states if youth is placed in out-of-state facilities • Identify funding streams to increase effectiveness—creative use of streams • Systematic sequential action plan • Link with faith-based activities and other community-based programs • Link with recreation, leisure activities • Create an individualized support system for release (e.g., a portfolio with skills and needs and contact names/numbers for resources) • Have a database of services – a menu from which to individualize

T2 -- Professional development activities and transition training • Cross-training to understand the roles of others both within and outside the facility to foster understanding of each other’s role, expertise, etc. • Minimum standards for transition programming with measurable outcomes that cuts across all agencies • Faith-based and other community agencies training • Various modes for training—e.g., distance learning, teleconferencing • Build professional development into contracts and link to funding sources • Access specific training • Identify one program and provide training and provide continuity • Training incentives

T2 -- Professional development activities and transition training • Spokane, WA – CLN, 747 sites • Identify why some people don’t show up to conferences – identify needs and obstacles • Ongoing, system-wide workshops with follow up to support common language, ideas

T3 -- Developing and enhancing communication, coordination, and commitment • Develop a common mission statement among agencies to serve as a foundation • Ongoing systematic tracking of kids in transition • Coordinate balance between legal rights, transition needs, and sharing of records • Identify resources available in each state • Front-line workers network and report back to administrators • Align coursework with local schools • Have purposeful, scheduled meetings to address issues – and involve key stakeholders • Backward mapping—identify needs and then determine who needs to be there

T3 -- Developing and enhancing communication, coordination, and commitment • Focus on student needs during the transition process – keep this as the central focus • Cross-site visits to familiarize transition staff with programs • Sending complete information (e.g., assessments, education, mental health) with youth as they travel through system • Use teleconferencing to share information • Impact legislation around competing laws that preclude delivery of a comprehensive transition/reentry plan

T4 -- Mentoring and youth engagement in school and work • Find realistic vocations with realistic community potential for employment • Parole advocates to work with employers and allow for successful employment • Job mentors – help successful integration into job site • Active engagement and active support • Engagement – to have wraparound and follow-up support for the time period after the students is in the community, and then gradually taper off • To facilitate guidance • OJJDP (funding source) – restorative justice • JUMP – mentoring program

T4 -- Mentoring and youth engagement in school and work • Establishing relationships while youth are inside and continuing relationships after release • Employment/job counseling and independent living • Social skills • Mentoring.org – manual for training mentors and expected outcomes • To promote activities that incorporate and support positive character, thinking, and decision-making that manifests positive consequences

A1 -- Opportunities for families to become effective advocates • Provide peer key information on the system: language of the system (e.g., fact sheets, talking points that are succinct), function of the system, how to navigate the system • Ensure that parents have access to trainings, provided by professionals, that focus on enhancing and empowering family involvement and communication between parents and agencies • Ensure legal representation • Ensure parents are actively involved in the procedures and decision-making process, or have the opportunity to be so, from the beginning and every step of the way • Training programs for parents • Special education representation for all kids • Special education and disabilities information—access

A1 -- Opportunities for families to become effective advocates • Use extant parent centers as resources • Encourage parents to get involved early—e.g., school boards, legislatures • Provide rural access through technology • Think about how we can change the environment the child is expected to function in • Examine risk factors that are identified by various, appropriate agencies • Ensure collaboration between all agencies • Look at parents as allies, not adversaries • Address cultural differences and overrepresentation in all systems (e.g., classrooms) • Communicate – educate --effectuate

A2 -- Resources and training needs of professionals • Special education and disabilities information • Conference and/or workshops that provide opportunities to network and share information (e.g., knowing the roles of different agencies and seeing how each responds to different/similar situations) • Court-appointed lawyers trained in special education • Train “youth development approach” • More time, smaller case loads • Cultural simulations of youth moving through juvenile justice system • Systems accountability and data collection • Representation at interrogations – or taping of interrogation • Risk assessment upon intake

A2 -- Resources and training needs of professionals • Information on identification of disabilities and child development • Community education—everyone involved needs more information • Communicate, educate, “effectuate” • Certification to practice in juvenile court • Social workers/probation officers who understand disability law, programs, and protection/disability rights

A3 -- Juvenile court awareness and response to disability needs • Educate by presenting at meetings of professional organizations and professional development events • Effective interagency communication and collaboration • Youth developmental approach • Functional Behavior Assessments • Juvenile court needs access to student information and a clear understanding of the child’s life • Conduct home visits – talk to care providers • Reduce the power of judges – jury trial? • Keep juveniles in juvenile court • Minimize number of beds – less lock up and lock up serious offenders only

A3 -- Juvenile court awareness and response to disability needs • Look at reasons for behavior – not just the behavior • Failure to provide services results in kids falling through the cracks

A4 -- Promoting self-advocacy • Ensure students have the opportunity to reconnect with the various agencies • Provide information about their disability framed in their language • Build coping skills and self-esteem • Help educate parents in working with youth to support efforts • Focus on social skills – awareness through curriculum • Basic quality education • Social Q’s • Accommodations under ADA: translate, time limits—submit questions, use IEP • Support positive behavior – catch them being good • Responsibility for behavior – relevant consequences – restorative justice

A4 -- Promoting self-advocacy • Coaching behavior – teach by example • Train youth-led presentation of information on IEP

Synthesis of key points will be posted on the EDJJ website: www.edjj.org THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION

EDJJ National Conference: Achieving Positive Outcomes for Court-Involved Youth