Arizona Bet-C conference March 2015 A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH FOR KEEPING YOUTH OUT OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM! Dr. Gail Jacobs Alternative Education.

Arizona Bet-C conference March 2015

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH FOR KEEPING YOUTH OUT OF THE

JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM!

Dr. Gail JacobsAlternative Education Consultant

Jeffery StuderArizona Department of Education

SESSION TOPICS

• National Statistics on Juveniles in the School to Prison Pipeline• Characteristics of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System• School Yard or Prison Yard: Barriers to Improving Outcomes for Youth• Communication between Schools, Families, and Agencies• Strategies for Success and Evidence based practices (EBP) • Who is Responsible?

The High Cost of Juvenile Crime

The U.S. incarcerates more that 6 times the number of youth as any other nation.

Justice Policy, 2014

Youth in the Juvenile Justice System and the High Cost of

Confinement • 93,000 youth held in juvenile facilities across the United

States

• The average cost per youth is about $250.00 + per day ($88,000 per year)

• $5.7 billion is spent annually imprisoning youth

• No evidence that locking up youth improves public safety

• Statistics show that 92% of youth incarcerated are classified as delinquent, while only 8% are juvenile offenders (Correctional Association, 2008).

Justice Policy Institute, May 2009.

Profile of Youth Who Enter the System

An estimated 1.6 million youth are referred to juvenile court each year!

• Over one third of those youth have a disability...emotional disturbance (ED) or learning disability (LD)• Have Poor Academic and Social Outcomes• Most are at least three years behind academically• Have been expelled or suspended more than twice• Have serious mental health needs • Students of color are more overrepresented• Crossover Youth

“Crossover Youth” in the Juvenile Justice System

“Crossover youth” are those children who are dually involved in both the foster care/welfare system and in the juvenile justice system

• 60 to 80 % of foster youth have at least one psychiatric diagnoses or developmental disability• Crossover Youth may often float between systems• Often are exposed to poor experiences in school settings• Often have moved from one school to another numerous times• A high percentage have severe emotional and behavior problems• May be taking more than one psychotropic medication

P

Source Dr. Peter Leone and Dr. Lois Weinberg 2013, Dr. Sandy Stein

THANK YOUGail L. Jacobs, Ed.D.,

Alternative Education Consultant

[email protected] or [email protected]

Phone: 602-499-6096

Juvenile Delinquency and Crime

Crimes and behaviors youth may be arrested for include the following:

Violent CrimesAssaultHomicideRapeRobberyArsonAuto theftBurglaryLarceny/TheftVandalismWeapons possession

Lawershop.com

Juvenile Delinquency and Crime

Drug and Alcohol ViolationsDriving under the influence (DUI)

Drunk and disorderly conduct

Drug abuseLiquor law violationsDrug PossessionIntent to Sell Drugs

Sexual Offenses Rape

Drugs/Commercialized Vice

Prostitution….drug trafficking

Status Offenses

Status offences are those offences that only apply to juveniles:

Curfew violationsIncorrigibility (refusal to obey

parents)Running awayTruancyUnderage alcohol consumption

Arrests Decreasing After 2000

• Roughly half of all youth arrests are made on account of theft, simple assault, drug abuse, disorderly conduct, and curfew violations. OJJDP statistics show theft as the greatest cause of youth arrests. • In 1999, 2,468,800 juvenile arrests were recorded;

380,500 were arrests for theft. In 2000, 2,369,400 arrests were recorded; of these, 363,500 were for theft. • Drug abuse violations accounted for 198,400 of the

1999 arrests, and 203,900 of the 2000 arrests. • In the past decade, juvenile arrest data has decreased. In 2011 arrest were down 11% from 2010 and 31% since 2002.

School Yard or Prison Yard?Data on School to Prison Pipeline

Consequences and Alternatives

“There are no more distinct institutions in a society that schools and prisons. One, the school, is considered an institution that builds capacity that can serve as a ticket out of poverty and a gateway to a better future.

On the other hand, the prison, is used to contain those who society considers a threat to social well being and cements poverty and diminishes opportunities.”

Marsha Weissman (The Link)2014

Barriers to Improving School Outcomes in Juvenile

Facilities• Education programs in juvenile facilities often do not meet state standards and often are not evidence based• Correctional schools suffer from inadequate fiscal and administrative support and constant disruption to the school days are common• Constant disruptions occur in these facilities due to disciplinary segregation, mental health services, protective custody and lock downs• Reading and Mathematics in corrections programs often consist of worksheet-based drill and practice

U.S. Department of Justice, 2010

TROUBLING STATS

“There are 600 districts in the U.S. that suspend less than 3% of students with disabilities. There are 300 districts that suspend more than 25% of students with disabilities.

“The difference between these places is not the students. The difference is in the training of staff and the discipline policies.”

-- Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan

Troubling Statscont.

▪Nearly six in ten public school students were suspended or expelled at least once between seventh and twelfth grades.

▪Students involved in school disciplinary system averaged 8 suspensions and/or expulsions during middle school years, while 15% of involved students were disciplined 11 or more times.

▪Students who were suspended or expelled for discretionary violations were nearly three times as likely to be in contact with the juvenile justice system the following year.

Purpose of Zero Tolerance in Schools

▪To keep drugs and weapons out of schools▪To emulate retributive justice interventions

such as mandatory minimums and structured sentencing

▪To provide consistent consequences in proportion to the harm caused

What the Data Says

▪There is no evidence that zero tolerance results in safer schools or increase in academic achievement.

▪Zero tolerance punishments put students at greater risk for:

Decreased connectivity to school

Increased participation in risky or illegal behavior

Poor academic achievement and school drop out

Mara Schff, PH.D Peace Works Consulting, Inc. 2014

21

America is undergoing a National crisis!

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.

-Carl Bard

What is Restorative Justice?

Viewing crime as harmful, but primarily as a violation of individuals, relationships, and communities that create obligations of the youth to make things right

“Justice” is about repairing the harm caused to victims, offenders, and community

To the greatest extent possible, restorative processes seek to rebuild relationships damaged by crime and other conflicts

Best Practices for Interventions

•“The implementation of best practice interventions for maltreated youth would decrease the chances that a person will be involved in criminal activity by promoting emotional health, decreasing homelessness, substance abuse, teen birth rates, and school dropout rates.”

~ Joseph Doyle, “Child Protection and Child Outcomes: Measuring the Effects of Foster Care,” American Economic Review, MIT Sloan School of Management, 2007

Positive Social Investments

Rather than putting money into prisons and the criminal justice system, communities would benefit from stronger education systems, job training, youth-oriented programs, and other community-based initiatives.

Investments in programs and services like these can prevent justice involvement, improve community well-being and save money in the long run.

What Creates Protective/Resiliency in At-risk

Youth?•Family Milieu including a positive relationship with at least one parent or parent figure such as a mentor

•Community availability of caring and supportive adults and community activities

•High Expectations of youth: Incentive programs for graduation rates, Scholarships, School Attendance and Student involvement in school activities

“Four Pillars”A Framework for Reform

1. Narrowing the Front Door: Keep Families together through an increase of differential response, kinship care and community supports and temporary Safe Transition into adulthood2. Safe Haven: children who come into care are placed for shortest period of time. Allowing continued connections with family, community, and school3. Promote Child Well-Being: collaboration between education, mental health systems and physical health systems to promote healthy development. Teen parenting supports, prevention of teen pregnancy, promote high school graduation and evidence based interventions for physical health, chronic mental health, including trauma.

4. Exit To Positive Permanency: Youth who exitcare, should have life long connections in place and be prepared with stability, supports and skills needed for a succe

In Washington D.C., There are five independent, nonprofit Family Support Collaborative, providing

neighborhood-based prevention services and support to families. Each Collaborative provides unique services and supports tailored to meet

the needs of their respective communities, such as youth violence prevention and intervention

and workforce development

Evidence Based Interventions for all Students

•Tiered Instruction and Intervention in Response-to-Intervention Model (RTI)•Positive Behavior Support System (PBIS)•Universal Design for Learning (UDL)•Restorative Justice•“Four Pillars”•Collaboration between schools and agencies

“Teaching carries with it the obligation to understand the

people in one’s charge to teach subject matter and

skills, but also to inquire, to nurture, to have a sense of

who a student is”.

- Mike Rose

Evidence Based Practices in Education

• Education programs that engage students, have high expectations with support and innovative structure• Students enrolled in career academic programs are less likely to drop out, more likely to attend school, have more opportunity to set goals and reach academic objectives• Long term support programs in grades 9 through 12 from school councilors, health officials, teachers, administrators• Fostering a Mentoring Program for students that are at-risk of dropping out• Good instruction in every classroom with targeted interventions is KEY

Source: Keppel and Snipes 2000

Response to Intervention (RTI)

PBIS

36

Structure produces behavior. Changing underlying structures can produce different patterns of behavior. Redesigning our own decision-making redesigns the system structure.

38

UDL

www.udlcenter.org

39

40

What Can Schools do?

Interventions that are Evidence Based

• Collaborate with school districts, child welfare agencies, mental health and probation • Effective Literacy Programs for students who are at-risk

(i.e. Read 180, Read-On, blended learning techniques)• Enrolling more students into school to work and CTE

classes• Out of School Programs, tutoring and mentoring

programs, shared data bases (i.e. Boys and Girls Club) • Professional training for teachers and administrators on

identifying a child with problem behaviors and who may be at-risk for serious school failure…delinquency

Who is Responsible?

We All Are!• Anyone that can interact with youth to reduce the influence on violence and at-risk behavior: school administrators, school districts, teachers, parents, juvenile agencies, communities' and welfare/foster care agencies• Partnerships with caretakers/parents, child welfare staff, community programs, school staff and juvenile correction/detention agencies.• A system of care and joint programing, planning for transitioning youth

“It takes a village to raise a child”OJJDP.com

Thank you ! Questions?

Resources• Justice Policy Institute; [email protected]• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Assistance

Center www.juvenilejustice-tta.org (STTAC) Center

• Supportive School Discipline Communities of Practice (SSDCOP) http:ssdcop.neglected-delinquent.org

• The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for Education of children and Youth who are Neglected, Delinquent or At-Risk (NDTAC) http:www.neglected-delinquent.org

• Roosevelt Institute www. rooseveltinstitute.org

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) www.ojjdp.gov