Community Solutions for Youth in Trouble

• NCJ Number: 241620
• Author(s): Benet Magnuson, J.D.; Jennifer Carreon, M.S.C.J.
• Editor(s): Molly Totman, J.D.
• Date Published: October 2012
• Length: 88 pages
• Corporate Author: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
• Sale Source: Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report describes juvenile justice programs that have been effective in Texas counties in the following domains: mental health and trauma, pre-adjudication secure detention, community alternatives to secure facilities, family involvement, seclusions and restraints, prevention and early intervention, and reentry.

Abstract

In the domain of mental health and trauma, a number of Texas counties have been demonstration sites for the Texas Front-End Diversion Initiative, which uses specialized staff training and collaborative intensive case management to divert youth with serious mental illnesses away from secure facilities and further involvement in the juvenile justice system. Recommendations are offered for county stakeholders, and key questions are posed for community leaders in making reforms in this area. In reducing reliance on pre-adjudication secure detention, a Texas county has lowered the length of stay in its juvenile detention facility through a range of strategies, which are described; this has resulted in an annual reduction in cost of a quarter of a million dollars. Initiatives for alternatives to juvenile detention are described for other counties. Also described are the successful efforts of some Texas counties to develop and expand community-based alternatives to secure facilities in juvenile sentencing that reduce recidivism and the risk for harm to youth posed by incarceration. Successful county programs for involving youths' families in their rehabilitation are also described. For high-risk youth who must be incarcerated, proven county programs are described for eliminating and mitigating the harms caused by seclusion ("solitary confinement") and restraints (sometimes referred to as use of force). Other proven Texas county programs address prevention and early intervention, assessment, keeping youth out of the adult criminal justice system, and transitions home after placement. For all of the domains addressed, recommendations are offered for county stakeholders, along with key questions for community leaders in getting started. Appended county data sheets and 99 notes