Corrections_Today_September_October_2019_Vol.81_No.5

Juvenile Justice News

trend that indicates that their juvenile justice laws are keeping communi- ties safer. Utah diverts low-risk youth from formal court process- ing and holds them accountable through swift, effective nonjudicial interventions, focusing juvenile court resources on cases that pose a threat to public safety. Nonresiden- tial programs such as substance use and mental health treatment are now available in more areas of the state due in part to reinvestment from our juvenile justice system. By working together across all three branches of government to implement their vi- sion for reform, Utah has kept more youth at home with their families while expanding effective services in the home and the community. Similar to Alabama and Utah (and many other jurisdictions nationwide), the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) is keeping justice-involved youth in the community through diversion strategies via the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) on the front end of system contact. This requires sustained collaboration between the Massa- chusetts DYS and the juvenile court, defense bar and law enforcement. Detention caseloads have dropped significantly since Massachusetts DYS engaged the JDAI process. Simultaneously, Massachusetts built a service continuum for youth who do get placed in detention that is based on the assessment of risk and includes options like shelter care and foster care — keeping lower risk youth out of secure facility placements. To enhance reentry coordina- tion, Massachusetts DYS built

out a network of small geographi- cally dispersed community offices where committed youth are con- nected upon release for support and services. Through recent Second Chance Act funding they have pi- loted a supervision approach that is anchored with a balanced response grid that includes incentives as well as sanctions. The early review of this process indicates that youth are sustaining longer in their commu- nity placements with this balanced approach. Many juvenile justice systems have developed or adopted trauma- informed and trauma-responsive the individual and systemic trauma experienced by youth in care and their families. models of care which consider One widely adopted perspec- tive which has influenced many programs and jurisdictions is the assessment of and intervention around trauma. Many juvenile justice systems have developed or adopted

trauma-informed and trauma-respon- sive models of care which consider the individual and systemic trauma experienced by youth in care and their families. This approach is ho- listic and requires an examination of the youth, their family circumstances and the environmental factors which have historically and continue to impact the youth. Several states are utilizing trauma-responsive treatment programs which have been empiri- cally validated for justice-involved adolescent populations. Such pro- grams often use cognitive behavioral strategies to teach youth emotional and behavioral self-regulations skills. Examples include the use of Dialec- tical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in the juvenile justice systems in Massa- chusetts, New York and Utah. The effective implementation of trauma-informed care includes both assessment and treatment interventions. 10 A thorough trauma assessment of the youth and their family will evaluate the existence and the impact of both individual and generational (or systemic) trauma. This assessment will examine both traumatic experiences as well as traumatic environments. Trauma- informed and trauma-responsive programmingwill typically include family and community engagement (treating youth in their community and family contexts), as well as individual interventions such as cognitive-behavioral and psycho- educational strategies. The inclu- sion of family and community resources can enhance individual youth interventions and outcomes as well as pave the way for more successful transitions from juvenile justice care to community care. →

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