NCJ Number
170916
Date Published
1996
Length
39 pages
Annotation
The Nevada Juvenile Justice Commission's Work Study Group recommends a community approach to juvenile justice that emphasizes accountability, encourages competency development for both youth and parents, develops a continuum of services, and assigns responsibilities for delivering services.
Abstract
The front end of the continuum suggests significant neighborhood and community development of the activities and supports that aid youth competency, strengthen families, and individualize justice. The other end of the continuum reserves punishments, accountability, court sanctions, and rehabilitation options for the youth and/or parents whose actions threaten the safety of others and the community. The approach seeks a balance between community and public agency responsibility and youth/parent accountability and the opportunity to develop competency. Prevention is the linch-pin of the community approach. The approach builds on existing strengths in youth and their families and the enhancement of skills development rather than focusing on individual deficits. In preventing formal involvement of law enforcement, courts, and public agencies, community/family resource centers play a key role. These centers should continue to be developed as visible and easily accessed places for a broad range of family services. When prevention services alone are not sufficient to meet family needs, some form of case management is required. The community approach recommends creating highly integrated case management systems that use generalists and create a "seamless" experience for families as they move through an otherwise complex array of community services. It emphasizes interagency collaboration rather than sending a family from place to place in search of the help they need. For serious youthful offenders, Nevada must develop a consistent program of graduated sanctions. These sanctions must include a variety of detention alternatives, intermediate community programs, and secure correctional settings.