STANFORD FORUM ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM

1. STANFORD FORUM ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice A Reformed State System within an Idealized Juvenile Justice System March 3, 2006

2. The charge of this group is reform of the state’s juvenile corrections system. It is guided by the requirements of the Farrell v. Hickman lawsuit. But the state does not operate in a vacuum. A reformed state system will influence the future shape of juvenile justice throughout California. What might that look like?

3. “The fragmentation of the juvenile justice system presents a barrier to those who would bring change to juvenile justice. Fragmentation clearly prevents juveniles from receiving just treatment under the law, because state and local units operate autonomously, with little coordination or cooperation at any level.” (Bartolas & Miller from Juvenile Justice in America)

4. HIGH LEVELS OF COORDINATION AND COOPERATION BETWEEN LOCAL (COUNTY) AND STATE JUVENILE CORRECTIONS • Ideally, the state funds local entities to treat less serious offenders at the local level • Reclaim Ohio • Pennsylvania Act 148 • Missouri Juvenile Court Diversion Program • Louisiana Act 1225

5. CONDUCT SCREENING AND ASSESSMENTS AT CRITICAL DECISION POINTS FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS • Screening at point of being taken into custody • Screening and Assessment at Court Intake • Screening and Assessment in Pre-trial detention • Screening and Assessment upon entrance into secure confinement • Reassessment prior to return to the community • Reassessment prior to revocation decision

6. ESTABLISH A DECENTRATLIZED SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM • Set up geographic regions • Establish full continuum of programs and services within each region (secure, community-based case management) • Give Regional Administrator a budget with flexible dollars to purchase programs locally • Vest Regional Administrator with decision making for all non-violent juvenile offenders • Massachusetts DYS and Missouri DYS

7. DECENTRALIZED SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM • TWO GUIDING PRINCIPLES • Placement decisions for each youth are best made by the person in the system who is closest to the youth, who knows most about the youth and is most familiar with the diverse array of programs and services in the community, i.e., the case manager • Ideally, the agency’s money should follow the youth – utilize or purchase the program and/or services dictated by the individual treatment plan

8. CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM • Establish an offense-based classification system to govern entrance into secure care • Establish a three person classification panel (CP) • CP weighs aggravating and mitigating circumstances of the presenting offense • CP determines level of placement, facility and time frame Massachusetts DYS • Establisha needs-based classification system to inform development of individual treatment plans

9. DEVELOP TREATMENT PROGRAM WITHIN FACILITIES • ESTABLISH NORMATIVE CULTURE WITHIN FACILITY – NAFI, MA • EVIDENCE-BASED CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS • Cognitive Behavioral Program: • Aggression Replacement Training • The Equip Program • Thinking for Change • Washington State Integrated Treatment Model • Texas Youth Commission Re-socialization Program

10. DEVELOP TREATMENT PROGRAM WITHIN FACILITIES • Specialized treatment interventions for youths with: • mental health problems • sex offenders – Sexual Behavior Treatment Program, Long Creek YDC, ME • substance abusers

11. TREATMENT PROGRAM • FULL-TIME SCHOOL PROGRAM • Integrated with other components of overall treatment program • Use of a curriculum that is aligned with state standards • Facility policies that ensure dependable access to educational programs • Procedures for collection, maintaining, and disseminating student records • Efforts to attract and retain a corps of well-qualified and properly-certified teachers

12. TREATMENT PROGRAM • School Program (cont.) • Academic Track • General Education (High School Diploma) • Teacher to student ratio based on state standards • Sufficient number of substitute teachers to ensure school is open and classes are held when teachers are on vacation, sick, in training or otherwise unavailable to report to work • GED • Special Education • Teacher to student ratio based on state standards

13. TREATMENT PROGRAM • Vocational Education and Career Preparation • Fully integrated into the school schedule • Access to a range of high-quality vocational courses that reflect students’ interests and local employment opportunities • Students able to obtain certificates of mastery, serve as interns or participate in state-approved apprenticeship training

14. TREATMENT PROGRAM • VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND CAREER PREPARATION (cont.) • Gulf Coast Trades Center (contract w/Texas Youth Commission (TYC) -144 youths in six dormitories; 32 on independent living • Learning Resource Center (Earn H.S. credits or work towards GED • Nine Vocational Programs • Achieve competency in vocational program to earn a vocational certificate • Successful graduates participate in Gulf Coast Youth Build Program

15. TREATMENT PROGRAM • Vocational Education and Career Preparation (cont.) • Youth Build USA • Establish a Youth Build program at each institution • Learn construction skills • Participate in leadership development program • Refer parolees to Youth Build program in their respective cities (25 throughout California) • Participate in community service by building affordable housing for homeless and low income people

16. COMPREHENSIVE REINTEGRATION PROGRAM • Prepare youths for progressively increased responsibility and freedom in the community • Facilitate youth-community interaction and involvement • Work with both the offender and targeted community support systems (e.g. families, schools, employers, peers) on qualities needed for constructive interaction and the youth’s successful community adjustment

17. COMPREHENSIVE REINTEGRATION PROGRAM • Develop new resources and support where needed • Monitor and test the youths and community on their ability to deal with each other productively (Altschuler and Armstrong – Intensive Intervention with High-Risk Youths: Promising Approaches in Juvenile Probation and Parole)

18. COMPREHENSIVE REINTEGRATION PROGRAM • Performance-based Standards Goal • Prepare youths for successful reintegration into the community while they reside at the facility through: • Individualized planning from the perspective of family and community • Program and activities that prepare a youth for transition that continue, when appropriate, after the youth leaves the facility. Facility and aftercare case manager shall provide these activities collaboratively

19. COMPREHENSIVE REINTEGRATION PROGRAM • Performance-based Standards Goal (cont.) • Linkages and activities between facility and aftercare case manager with outside service providers (e.g. mental health, substance abuse and residential placement) or key community agencies (e.g. schools, churches boys and girls clubs and recreational centers)

20. COMPREHENSIVE REINTEGRATION PROGRAM • Examples • Washington State Family Integrated Transitions Project • Massachusetts and Missouri and North Dakota reintegration approaches • Mentoring Center, Oakland, CA

21. CONTINUOUS CASE MANAGEMENT • Implementation of Continuum of Care is facilitated by utilization of Case Management Model • Assign case manager within 24 hours of commitment to the agency • Prepares initial treatment plan • Participates in facility treatment team meetings • Monitors and holds youth accountable in the community

22. CONTINUOUS CASE MANAGEMENT • Implementation of continuum of care is facilitated by utilization of continuous case management model (cont.) • Brokers services for youth (educational, continued counseling, housing, job training, and employment) • Revokes youth’s liberty only when public safety is threatened

23. CONDUCTS EVALUATION • Implements Performance-based Standards in correctional and community-based programs to measure numerous outcomes for continuous improvement- Data driven management system • Evaluates programs’ effectiveness in rehabilitating youths • Conducts recidivism studies on youths after discharge from program and/or agency