Iowa Girls Summit October 12, 2007 Bonnie Rose M.A.

1. IT’S A GIRL! How does our Reflection create opportunities for girls? Iowa Girls SummitOctober 12, 2007Bonnie Rose M.A.

2. A Quick Quiz • Girls get in trouble with the law for different reasons than boys • Girls are sent to lock-up facilities because local intervention and treatment services are unavailable • You can do something to improve Iowa’s juvenile justice system • Iowa leads the nation in locking up girls

3. Merging Your Role & Your Soul Reflective Practice • What do we know? • What do we need to know? • What do we do with what we know? • How does what we know inform our practice?

4. Reflective Practice(Donald Schon, 1983) Reflective Practice refers to a discipline that seeks to bridge the gap between theory and action by encouraging active reflection on such questions as “What do we know? How does what we know inform what we do? How do the things we learn through our actions reshape what we know?” The process is cyclical and builds knowledge cumulatively when applied. Because “reflective practice” acknowledges that important lessons come from both thinking and doing, it can be a useful tool both for tempering professional hubris and challenging popular wisdom.

5. Reflective Practice • Building Knowledge (facts) • Informs and improves practice • Wisdom (gain through experience) • Creates stronger outcomes • Discernment • Figuring out what to do • What matters most

6. Virtuous CycleReflective Practice Knowledge Wisdom Discernment Systematic Reflection (self assessment) Informed Practice “doing”

7. Better Outcomes Wiser Practice New Knowledge Systematic Reflection Informed Practice Knowledge Virtuous Cycle –Reflective Practice

9. What Do We Know?The Tragic Lives of Girls in Juvenile Justice • Depression: 1 in 4, 50% higher than boys(1) • Sexual Abuse: 3 times more often than boys (2) • Self-confidence: Declines with age, not for boys(1) • Victims of Violence: Up to 73% of girls involved in justice system report being victims of violence (3) • 78% of violent acts against females committed by people they know (4) • Body Image: 60% of girls report trying to lose weight verses 24% of boys (5) • (1) Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development, 1996 (4) Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995, as cited in Craven, 1996) • (2) National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1997 (5) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1995) • (3) Profiles of Delinquency Cases and Youth Referred 1995-96, DJJ

10. Girls in Juvenile Justice, No longer the Forgotten Few • Juvenile crime overall has decreased, girls entering the system has increased • Girls make up the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice system’s population • On an average day, Florida has 1,000 girls incarcerated ~ the highest in the nation. Almost double the national average

11. Rallying Call for ChangeNCCD Research Report • Girls are getting arrested at young ages: 40% of all girls reported committing their first offense before the age of 13 • 73% of girls in moderate programs and 33% of girls in high risk programs reported they were currently in their first DJJ commitment placement • Level of risk to re-offend is related to level/intensity of intervention services needed in order for girls to be successful. Findings revealed low, medium and high risk to re-offend across every restrictiveness level.

12. Three ThingsYou Value the Most?

13. The TearsThe Tragic Lives of Girls in Juvenile Justice Girls have lost or feel they have lost • Family • Home or Stable Living Environment • Opportunity for Educational Success • No Hope for a Productive Career • Spiritually Disconnected • Hope & Sense of Peace • Health

14. Pathways into the System, Information Supports Literature • 79% Emotional Factors: Depression, trauma, anger, self-destructive behavior, or other mental health/clinical diagnosis (84% non-residential) • 70% Family, History of family problems • 64% Reported Prior Abuse (All Types) • 49% Self Mutilation • 46% Substance Abuse/Addiction • 35% History of pregnancy • 34% Suicide attempts • 25% Have or are recovering from a major illness • 10% Have children

15. Trauma Drives Behavior • Suffering violence, witnessing violence • Poverty, racism, incarceration, sexual orientation stigma • Physical and sexual abuse • Trauma survivors/Re-traumatization • Skews relational experience • Hinders psychological development • Disease of disconnections • Emotions and thinking out of control • Unsafe in their own bodies

16. Level of Needs of Girls Does Not Differ by DJJ Program Level • On average, girls have three to four significant treatment needs • Pressing Needs Include: • Specialized Mental Health Services • Substance Abuse Treatment • Family Focused Services • Specialized Medical Care • Alternative, educational, and vocational services • Transitional placements and services for girls

17. Implications from Rallying Call for Change • Based upon Information collected from staff focus groups regarding gaps in services • Mismatch between the level of treatment services and treatment needs of girls in residential programs • If these needs are not met, both in treatment and by systematic policy changes, assumptions can be made that girls will continue to penetrate deeper into the JJ system by picking up new charges while in placement, re-offending after release, or violating probation

18. Incredible Resiliency, Down But Not Out ~ Rallying Call for Change • 84% articulated long-term goals for their future • 75% of the girls emphasized a positive strength • 68% wanted to continue education after high-school

19. Empathy Relationality Interdependence Perception Intuition Logic of the Heart Passion Interrelatedness Compassion Caregiver The RainbowGifts of Girlhood

20. Developmental Domains Physical ~ Connection to a Safe Space to explore changing bodies Emotional ~ All emotions are acceptable and we must give a Voice to Emotions Sexual ~Accurate information about bodies and of equal importance opportunity to explore sexual pleasure & committed relationships

21. Developmental Domains Spiritual ~ Cover emptiness with “noise” thus we must tap the souls and sacred centers Family & Relationships ~ Family is important whether they are present or not. Where do girls learn shunning? Scapegoating? Gossiping? Intellectual~Emotional reasoning. Unfair perceptions of abilities and intellect. We must make it relevant!

22. What do you Need to Know? • Iowa’s data on girls throughout DJJ system • Is the data skewed in a response to the girls’ behavior, not necessarily an increase in violent and aggressive behavior in girls? • Has there been a re-labeling of family conflicts as violent offenses and changes in police practices regarding domestic violence? Unintended consequences frequently result in the teenage girl being arrested and charged with assault and battery. She is ushered into the JJ system with felony assault and battery • Are your girls disproportionately charged with status offenses? Running away (often from abuse) is a common pathway for girls into the delinquency system

23. What Do You Need To Know? • Is there a practice of “bootstrapping”, charging girls with a delinquent offense for violation of a court order, is often applied disproportionately to girls and results in harsh and inequitable treatment • The use of contempt proceedings and probation and parole violations, increases likelihood of girls returning to detention or residential commitment. What is the risk for public safety in terms of further re-offending? • How is detention used? Are girls detained for less serious offenses than boys? • Does Iowa have Zero Tolerance Policies? Unintended consequences are: denial of educational opportunities, rise in drop-out rates; and increased rates of suspensions and expulsions for girls

24. What Do You Need To Know? • Are girls placed in appropriate settings in their communities? • Is your JJ system equipped to deal with the influx of girls so there is not further victimization for girls already scarred by years of trauma and abuse? • ??? • ???

25. What Do We Do With What We Know? • Provide a safe, nurturing gender responsive environment ~ Florida passed HB1989 mandating gender responsive services • Critical Need: identify strategies for the re-allocation of resources (funds) for girls in need of intense mental health services • Critical Need: Develop evaluation criteria to determine programs’ ability to effectively meet the needs of girls as identified by the research • Critical Need: Assess girls committed to JJ that do not pose a public safety threat (standardized assessment with staff recommendations) • Critical Need: Provider per-diem rates: review feasibility of increase thru lower level placement of risk to re-offend and public safety threat

26. What Do We Do With What We Know? • Funding for all Program levels • Support OPPAGA • Appropriate Assessment Tools • Practical Assessment Tools • Gender-Responsive Training • Collaboration • Policy Change in Community Mental Health • Conduct further research to better understand the “pathways”, identify points where girls can be diverted to least restrictive services (based on level of need and public safety)

27. What Do We Do With What We Know? • Take Bold Action, close programs that mistreat girls • Identify and re-examine policies and practices that drive girls into the system • Statewide Training: develop specialized for judges, state attorneys, police departments, and public defenders • Resources: Increase resources and expand gender responsive services in both residential and non-residential programs • If you don’t already have get outside research with recommendations supporting a blueprint for girls in JJ • Convene a “Think Tank” of national experts and Iowa stakeholders • Continue yearly Summit Meetings with a broad group of Iowa stakeholders, review and provide input on the Plan

28. Being Present for Girls to Thrive! • Recognizing inconsistencies or in congruencies in practice • Articulating guiding principles to action • Awareness of hidden agenda impacting practical application • Aiding to synthesize one’s beliefs and assumptions about staff, girls, families, self, etc.

29. Reflective Practice

30. What Matters Most? “Your Gift to Girls” Imagine that it’s one year after you have worked with or on behalf of a girl(s) in your community. You overheard this girl (or girls) talking about the legacy you’ve left as a result of how you did your work. What two or three things would you hope to hear them say?