Examples of Best or Promising Practices for Juvenile Justice Reform
Center for Young Women's Development
The Center for Young Women's Development (CYWD) is one of the first non-profits
in the United States run and led entirely by young women. From the beginning, they
have organized young women who were the most marginalized in San Francisco — those
in the street economies and the juvenile justice system — to design and deliver
peer-to-peer education and support.
Website: http://www.cywd.org/
Marlene Sanchez, Executive Director
The Center for Young Women's Development
832 Folsom Street, Suite #700
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-703-8800
415-703-8818 Fax
E-mail: marlene@cywd.org
Children's Community Mental Health Clinic
The Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center (BCJDC) operates the Children's
Community Mental Health Clinic (CCMHC). The clinic is designed to meet the unique
needs of youth who are experiencing psychiatric symptoms that markedly impair their
functioning. The CCMHC provides outpatient services with the goals of promoting
and protecting the health and safety of its clients and of keeping regional clients
in the community setting. Key components of the CCMHC include comprehensive assessment;
individualized treatment planning; psychiatrist/clinician supervision and treatment;
individual and family therapy; and case management services.
Tom Swisstack, Director
Bernalillo County Detention Center
505-342- 3740
E-mail: tswisstack@bernco.gov
Educational Advocacy Unit (Cook County, IL)
The Educational Advocacy Unit, a pilot initiative, focuses on advocating for the
educational rights of two distinct populations: (1) newly assigned cases pending
disposition and (2) minor's already on probation (referenced as existing cases)
in an effort to provide uniform educational advocacy to all minors on probation
as well as their parent(s).
Mike Rohan, Director
Cook County Juvenile Probation
312-433-6575
E-mail: mrohan@cookcountygov.com
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children (FFLIC) is a statewide
membership-based organization that fights for a better life for all of Louisiana's
youth, especially those involved in or targeted by the juvenile justice system.
Grace Bauer, State Coordinator
FFLIC New Orleans Office
1600 Oretha C. Haley Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70113
504-522-5437
504-522-5430 fax
E-mail: familiescantwait@yahoo.com
Family Integrated Transitions
The Family Integrated Transitions (FIT) program provides integrated individual and
family services to juvenile offenders who have mental health and chemical dependency
disorders during their transition from incarceration back into the community. The
goals of the FIT program include lowering the risk of recidivism, connecting the
family with appropriate community supports, achieving youth abstinence from alcohol
and other drugs, improving the mental health of the youth, and increasing prosocial
behavior.
Website:
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ms/ccs/RFP0713-021A.pdf
Eric W. Trupin, Ph.D.
Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy Department of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences
University of Washington School of Medicine
146 North Canal Street, Suite 100
Seattle, WA 98103
206-685-2085
E-mail: trupin@u.washington.edu
F.A.S.T (Finding Alternatives for Safety and Treatment) Panels
The F.A.S.T. panel is detention review committee consisting of representatives of
community agencies that include but is not limited to the Clayton County Public
School System and the Clayton Department of Family and Children Services. The goal
of the panel is to come up with possible recommendations or suggestions to present
to the judge, for services that exist in the community that would hopefully address
the child's needs while maintaining the community's safety.
Website: http://www.co.clayton.ga.us/juvenile_court/special_programs.htm
Juvenile Justice Initiatives
The Children's Services Juvenile Justice Initiative (JJI) provides intensive, evidence-based
services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The goals of JJI are
to reduce the number of delinquent youth in residential facilities; shorten lengths
of stay for those youth that are placed in residential care; reduce recidivism;
and improve individual and family functioning.
Website: http://home2.nyc.gov/html/acs/html/support_families/juvenile_justice.shtml
150 William Street 18th Floor
New York, NY 10038
1-877-KIDSNYC (543-7692)
Outside NYC: 212-341-0900
Juvenile Reception Center
A collaboration between the Portland Police Department, Multnomah County Department
of Human Services, and the Department of Community Justice (Juvenile Services Division),
the Reception Center is designed to provide a safe, non-secure environment for youth
who have been picked up by the police and need to be returned to their parents or
guardians.
Rick Jensen, JDAI Coordinator
Department of Community Justice
503-988- 5698
Email: Rick.k.Jensen@co.multnomah.or.us
Missouri Division of Youth Services
The Division of Youth Services (DYS) is the state agency charged with the care and
treatment of delinquent youth committed to its custody by one of the 45 Missouri
juvenile courts. The mission of the Division of Youth Services is to enable youth
to fulfill their needs in a responsible manner within the context of and with respect
for the needs of the family and the community.
Tim Decker, Director
Missouri Department of Social Services
221 West High Street
P.O. Box 1527
Jefferson City, MO 65102-1527
573-751-3324
E-mail: tdecker@dss.state.mo.us
Mark Steward (Former DYS director, architect of Missouri model)
Phone: 573-556-6155
E-mail: mysi@earthlink.net
North American Family Institute
NAFI/NFI's Mission is to: "Create community environments based upon principles of
dignity and respect that help children, adults and families to grow and change in
order to better their lives and the world around them."
Website: http://www.nafi.com/index.htm
NAFI Corporate Office
10 Harbor Street
Danvers, MA 01923
978-774-0774
978-774-8369 Fax
E-mail: yitzhakbakal@nafi.com
PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
PACE Center for Girls, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 corporation
that provides a non-residential delinquency prevention program in locations statewide,
targeting the unique needs of females 12 to 18 who are identified as dependent,
truant, runaway, delinquent, or in need of academic skills.
Website: http://www.pacecenter.org/index.htm
PACE Center for Girls, Inc.
One West Adams Street
Suite 301
Jacksonville, FL 32202
904-421-8585
904-421-8599 Fax
Questions? Please contact, Mary Marx, Vice President of External Affairs at
mary.marx@pacecenter.org.
Placement Screening Committee (Santa Cruz County, CA)
Launched initially in 1996, Santa Cruz County's Placement Screening Committee is
an interagency collaboration involving juvenile justice, mental health, substance
abuse, and social services, as well as community-based organizations and families.
Guided by the principle of keeping youth in the least restrictive, most home-like
setting possible, the committee meets twice weekly to craft solutions, on a case-by-case
basis, that allow youth who have been adjudicated and are deemed "out-of-home-placement-bound"
to remain in their homes and communities.
Judith Cox, Chief Probation Officer
831-454- 3800
E-mail: Prb001@co.santa-cruz.ca.us
Project Confirm
Project Confirm, a demonstration launched by Vera in 1998, prevents teens in foster
care who are arrested for being unnecessarily detained. In cooperation with New
York City's juvenile justice and child welfare agencies, Project Confirm established
a system in which policy and detention officers call a 24 hour hotline to verify
whether a juvenile is in foster care.
Website: http://www.vera.org/publication_pdf/hist_summ_insts_for_youth.pdf
Project Zero
Project Zero is a juvenile justice reform initiative of the NYC Department of Probation
that has enhanced the Juvenile Justice system's rationality, reduced its over-reliance
on costly detention and incarceration and improved public safety while serving the
best interests of children and families.
Website: http://home2.nyc.gov/html/prob/html/programs/juvenile_services.shtml
Southwest Key
The ultimate goal in the Wraparound Services, provided by Southwest Key, is for
the child to live an independent, fulfilling, law-abiding and constructive life
in the community with minimal special supports. In the provision of Wraparound Services,
Southwest Key takes a collaborative, team-based approach to service delivery and
family support planning.
Website: http://www.swkey.org/index.html
Southwest Key National Headquarters
6002 Jain Lane
Austin, Texas 78721
512-462-2181
512-462-2028 Fax
E-mail: info@swkey.org
Team Child
TeamChild makes a difference for youth in trouble by helping them get the services
they need to change their lives. TeamChild addresses the underlying causes of juvenile
delinquency by advocating for education, mental and medical health services, safe
living situations and other supports.
Website: http://www.teamchild.org/index.html
King County (Main) Office
1225 S. Weller, Ste 420
Seattle, Washington 98144
206-322-2444
206-381-1742 Fax
E-mail: questions@teamchild.org
W. Haywood Burns Institute for Juvenile Justice Fairness and Equity
The W. Haywood Burns Institute is a leading national organization working successfully
to reduce the overrepresentation of youth of color in local juvenile justice systems.
Website: https://secure.lenos.com/lenos/burnsinstitute/bihome/home.htm.asp
The W. Haywood Burns Institute
180 Howard Street, Suite 320
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-321-4100
415-321-4100 Fax
E-mail: info@burnsinstitute.org
Youth Advocate Programs
Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) is one of the largest non-profit Youth and Family
Support agencies working with high-risk youth and their families in the United States.
The Bridgespan Group recently cited YAP as one of the fastest growing non-profits
in the past 30 years.
Based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, YAP currently operates 125 programs in 15 States,
including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and
Texas, as well as the District of Columbia and features a staff comprising more
than 2,000 dedicated employees. To find a YAP organization in your state visit the
YAP website.
Website: http://www.yapinc.org/index.php
Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
2007 N. 3rd Street
Harrisburg, PA 171020
717-232-7580