Definition: While similar to that of the adult criminal justice system in many ways—processes include arrest, detainment, petitions, hearings, adjudications, dispositions, placement, probation, and reentry—the juvenile justice process operates according to the premise that youth are fundamentally different from adults, both in terms of level of responsibility and potential for rehabilitation. The primary goals of the juvenile justice system, in addition to maintaining public safety, are skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs, and successful reintegration of youth into the community.
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This report describes the implementation of PACE at the 14 centers that are participating in the evaluation. The research found that PACE successfully implemented its unique model as planned in multiple locations.
- The toolkit provides effective culturally responsive practices for prevention programs supporting Latina youth who are at risk of placement in juvenile detention including recommendations, action steps for each recommendation, and targeted resources.
America’s youth confinement rate dropped across all racial and ethnic groups during the last decade - and by 40% overall. While these numbers are moving in the right direction, there’s clear room for improvement, according to statistics from the KIDS COUNT Data Center.
This publication describes the eight essential elements of a trauma-informed juvenile justice system.
- This 7-page fact sheet delineates the path from complex trauma exposure to involvement in the juvenile justice system; describes the “survival-oriented coping” that youth adopt to manage their lives; and explores the many challenges these youth face in managing their emotions, physical responses, and impulses.
Juvenile Mental Health Courts (JMHCs) provide case management and support to youth in the juvenile justice system with behavioral health needs.
- The U.S. Department of Justice has called for the creation of trauma-informed juvenile justice systems in order to combat the negative impact of trauma on youth offenders and frontline staff. The extant literature offers relative consensus around the core domains of a trauma-informed juvenile justice system, but much less agreement on the specific practices and policies.
- This webinar highlights strategies, tools, examples, and best-practice models from across the country that juvenile justice agency managers, staff, and other practitioners may consider in adopting to effectively implement evidence-based programs and services and promote positive outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system.
- California will “become the first state to stop jailing poor children who can’t afford to pay court fines and fees. The state will scrap juvenile administrative fees altogether in an effort to protect low-income families and children from what can only be described as a neo-debtors' prison.”
Although youthful offenders account for about 18 percent of all federal offenders sentenced between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, there is little current information published about them.
Within the past decade, reliance on the juvenile justice system to meet the needs of juvenile offenders with mental health concerns has increased. Due to this tendency, research has been conducted on the effectiveness of various intervention and treatment programs/approaches with varied success.
Youth in Juvenile Hall are often at a critical crisis point. By the time a youth reaches Juvenile Hall, they have often been metaphorically “screaming for help” for a very long time.