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missing the mark: reforming the juvenile justice system

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missing the mark: reforming the juvenile justice system

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    1: 1 Missing the Mark: Reforming the Juvenile Justice System Prepared by Yvonne C. Hunnicutt Voices for Ohio’s Children

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    3: 3 Model Juvenile Justice System A system that is committed to: Fundamental fairness; Individual, community and system accountability; and Recognition of young people’s individuality and potential

    4: 4 Core Elements of System Accountability of public and private systems Qualified staff Safe environment An overarching comprehensive system Smaller regional facilities Effective and consistent admissions and screening, and ongoing assessments Engagement of families Appropriate discipline and intervention strategies Quality behavioral health treatment Individualized, dynamic treatment planning Application of skill-building in daily living activities with therapeutic Appropriate education Strong re-entry efforts, facilitated by a fair and effective release process, Access to competent and committed advocates/lawyers Systemic flexibility Shared responsibilities through collaborative partnerships

    5: 5 Why JJ Reform? JJ IS NOT SEXY!!!! Eliminate “adultification” in juvenile system. Allows individuality of youth Decrease recidivism Decrease DMC Reduce reliance of institutionalization Access to community-based programs/options Outlasts administrations

    6: 6 Timeline for Implementation Educate and inform candidates and lawmakers Introduce comprehensive legislative package Continue to work with ODYS on system reform Work with Ohio General Assembly for inclusion of certain elements in SFY 2010-2011 budget Advocate, advocate and advocate!

    7: 7 HB 235 Representative Tracy Maxwell Heard The intent of the proposed legislation is to restore judicial discretion to Ohio’s juvenile justice system, allowing juvenile courts to once again, provide individualized justice and intervention in delinquency cases. Recognizing that kids are different from adults, the juvenile court system was founded to focus on treatment, supervision and control rather than punishment.

    8: 8 Legislative Priorities Ask: Eliminate mandatory transfer to adult court (“bindover”) Need: Currently youth are required to be transferred to the jurisdiction of adult court for certain serious offenses and/or a prior offense record. Limits judge’s options to look at the individual youth. Research shows higher recidivism among youth bound over to adult court.

    9: 9 Legislative Priorities Ask: Eliminate mandatory SYO (Serious Youth Offender) dispositions Need: SYO dispositions allow the juvenile court to blend a juvenile disposition with an adult sentence for serious offenses. Limits judge’s options to look at the individual youth. Combines past record and mandates an SYO disposition.

    10: 10 Legislative Priorities Ask: Raise the age of eligibility for an SYO disposition from 10 to 14. Need: Children aged 10 to 13 have between 8 to 11 years to be treated and rehabilitated within the juvenile system. Contradicts brain research and development that suggests that children are more amendable to treatment than adults.

    11: 11 Legislative Priorities Ask: Make only felony offenses of violence eligible for bindover and SYO. Need: Bindover and SYO should only apply to violent youthful offenders, not property offenders.

    12: 12 Legislative Priorities Ask: Eliminate mandatory gun specifications (1-3 years added time for offenses committed with a gun). Need: Gun specs do not promote the rehabilitation of juveniles in Ohio, but contributes to the record-high levels of Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) in ODYS facilities. Directly modeled after the adult system.

    13: 13 Legislative Priorities Ask: Allow the juvenile court to release a child who is serving time for a specification. Need: Currently, this “specification” time refers to gang related or gun offenses is a mandated period of time. Allowing the court to release a youth early will promote positive behavior in the institution and reduce the amount a youth serves when he/she has gained maximum benefit.

    14: 14 Legislative Priorities Ask: Allow both the juvenile court and ODYS to release a child after the expiration of the child’s minimum term. Need: Currently, the court can only release a youth up until the expiration of the youth’s minimum sentence. This policy would increase the court’s involvement with that youth.

    15: 15 So…what’s missing?.... REFORM Individuality of youth Authentic family engagement Non partisan, legislative support Advocacy Voices of and for YOUTH!

    16: 16 YOU can be a Voice for Change Sign up for the JJI Write policy briefs Meet with legislators Testify; provide testimonies Engage families Share/receive information on jj issues Assist with research Advocate for change Be an expert for jj issues Raise your VOICE for youth!

    17: 17 Voices for Ohio’s Children Contact information: yhunnicutt@vfc-oh.org Office: 216.881.7860 Fax: 216.881-7863 3634 Euclid Avenue, Suite 101 Cleveland, OH 44115 www.vfc-oh.org

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