getting out of the “kitchen sink”

GETTING OUT OF THE “KITCHEN SINK”:

EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS FOR LOW RISK YOUTH

ALICIA HENDERSON, LANCASTER COUNTY ATTORNEY

AMY HOFFMAN, DIRECTOR OF JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAMS

AMOREENA BRADY, OFFICE OF PROBATION ADMINISTRATION, JUVENILE JUSTICE

SPECIALIST OF CASE MANAGEMENT

SESSION OBJECTIVES

• HIGHLIGHT OF DIVERSION PROGRAMS IN NEBRASKA

• RISK, NEED, RESPONSIVITY AND DOSAGE PRINCIPLES

• TARGETING INTERVENTIONS FOR LOW RISK YOUTH

• LANCASTER COUNTY SCREENING PROCESS OF CANDIDATES FOR

DIVERSION

Diversion

LANCASTER COUNTY EARLY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Referrals

Police

Assessment Specialist

interviews youth and parent(s).

Completes NYS Assessment

Makes intervention

recommendations

Children under 12 assessed at Child

Guidance

County Attorney

reviews police reports AND assessment information.

Makes intervention

decision

Child Guidance

File

No File

WHY?

• TO ASSESS RISKS/ASSETS OF REFERRED YOUTH TO

DETERMINE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF INTERVENTION (USING

NEBRASKA YOUTH SCREEN ASSESSMENT TOOL)

• PARENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE

INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CHILD AND FAMILY

SITUATION TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY IN A TIMELY

MANNER

OUTCOMES

Evaluation of Lancaster County Early Assessment Process (Hobbs, 2010, 2012)

FINDINGS

•REDUCED court filings.

•INCREASED “No Files.”

•DECREASED referrals to Diversion.

•CHANGED County Attorney decision for 136 youth.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

• WHILE JUVENILE CRIME IN LANCASTER COUNTY

DECREASED 30%, JUVENILE FILINGS HAVE DECREASED

BY 40%.

• YOUTH WHO PARTICIPATE IN EARLY ASSESSMENT ARE

LESS LIKELY TO RECIDIVATE LONG-TERM (LONGER

THAN 24 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETING PROGRAM)

WHEN COMPARED TO YOUTH WHO PARTICIPATE IN

DIVERSION PROGRAMMING.

Evaluation of Lancaster County Early Assessment Process (Hobbs, 2010, 2012)

TYPES OF DIVERSION IN LANCASTER

• EARLY ASSESSMENT

• PROJECT SUCCESS

• TRUANCY DIVERSION

• DIVERSION

• INTENSIVE DIVERSION

DIVERSION IN NEBRASKA

• AUGUST 2013:

• 50 COUNTIES REPORTED HAVING A JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAM

• 25 COUNTIES REPORTED DATA INTO JDCMS

• JANUARY 2014:


• 43 COUNTIES REPORTED DATA INTO JDCMS**

• JANUARY 2015:



• JANUARY 2016:



• WINNEBAGO WELLNESS COURT DIVERSION PROGRAM AND SANTEE SIOUX TEEN COURT PROGRAM NOT

INCLUDED IN DATA.

**Some counties with zero referrals; some counties not complying with reporting

requirement.

Winnebago Tribe

Santee Sioux


• WE CONTINUE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN DIVERSION BEING OFFERED

STATEWIDE.

• IN 2015:

• MORE THAN 4,000 YOUTH WERE REFERRED TO DIVERSION

• 78% OF YOUTH REFERRED TO A JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAM IN CY2105

ENROLLED AFTER REFERRAL (3,505 YOUTH).

• 82% (2,365 YOUTH) OF THE CLOSED DIVERSION CASES SUCCESSFULLY

COMPLETE THE DIVERSION PROGRAM, AND 17% (500 YOUTH) OF THE

CLOSED CASES DID NOT SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE DIVERSION

PROGRAM.

• NOT CAPTURED ARE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF YOUTH THAT WERE SCREENED OUT

OF BEING REFERRED TO DIVERSION WITH LITTLE TO NO SERVICES. IS THIS OKAY??


• MUST USE SCREENING TOOLS FOR USE IN CREATING A DIVERSION

PLAN UTILIZING APPROPRIATE SERVICES FOR THE JUVENILE

• MUST BE DESIGNED TO FURTHER THE GOALS OF:

• PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE TO ADJUDICATION

• REDUCING RECIDIVISM

• REDUCING COSTS AND BURDENS ON JUSTICE SYSTEM

• COLLECTING RESTITUTION TO THE VICTIM.

Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-260.04


• SO…DIVERSION PROGRAMS SHOULD PROVIDE SCREENING TOOLS

TO CREATE A DIVERSION PLAN, WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING

RECIDIVISM!

• TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM AND IMPROVE OUTCOMES, YOUR PROGRAM

MUST:

• OBJECTIVELY ASSESS RISK AND NEED

• TARGET THE RIGHT YOUTH!

MUST!!

• ASSESS FOR RISK AND NEED

• TARGET HIGH RISK YOUTH

• ADDRESS GREATEST CRIMINOGENIC NEEDS

• UTILIZE EFFECTIVE SERVICES

• COORDINATE SERVICES ACROSS SYSTEMS

• ENGAGE FAMILIES AND YOUTH

• SUPERVISE YOUTH IN A DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE MANNER

• PRIORITIZE IMPLEMENTATION QUALITY AND EVALUATION

HOW CAN WE BEST SERVE YOUTH ASSESSED AS LOW RISK TO

REOFFEND?

WHAT DOES TARGETED INTERVENTIONS MEANS?

• RISK PRINCIPLE FOCUSES SUPERVISION AND SERVICES ON YOUTH MOST LIKELY

TO REOFFEND. PRIORITIZE SYSTEM INTERVENTIONS FOR YOUTH AT HIGH RISK TO

REOFFEND CAN LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN RECIDIVISM.

• CONVERSELY, INTERVENING WITH YOUTH WHO ARE LOW RISK TO REOFFEND HAS A

LIMITED IMPACT AND CAN EVEN LEAD TO ADVERSE OUTCOMES

• NEED PRINCIPLE ADDRESSES THE YOUTH’S GREATEST CRIMINOGENIC NEED.

• SYSTEMS CAN HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON RECIDIVISM WHEN THEY ATTEND TO

SPECIFIC, INDIVIDUALIZED NEEDS THAT ARE THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF YOUTH’S

DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR

*RISK, NEED, AND RESPONSIVITY ARTICLE, AMERICAN PAROLE AND PROBATION ASSOCIATION, AUGUST 2013

COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENT, WHITE PAPER ON CORE PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING RECIDIVISM AND IMPROVING OTHER OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE

SYSTEM, 2014

WHAT DOES TARGETED INTERVENTIONS MEANS?

• RESPONSIVITY PRINCIPLE IDENTIFIES A YOUTH’S BARRIERS TO LEARNING AND

IMPROVING HIS OR HER BEHAVIOR AND TAILOR SERVICES TO HELP OVERCOME

THEM.

• THE RESPONSIVITY PRINCIPLE CAN ENHANCE THE IMPACT OF SERVICES BY ADDRESSING

NEEDS OR CONDITIONS, SUCH AS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS, THAT INTERFERE

WITH SERVICE ENGAGEMENT

• THE DOSAGE PRINCIPLE REFERS TO HOW TO STRATEGICALLY STRUCTURE A

YOUTH’S TIME AND PROVIDE THEM WITH APPROPRIATE QUANTITIES OF SERVICES

*RISK, NEED, AND RESPONSIVITY ARTICLE, AMERICAN PAROLE AND PROBATION ASSOCIATION, AUGUST 2013

COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENT, WHITE PAPER ON CORE PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING RECIDIVISM AND IMPROVING OTHER OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN THE

JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, 2014

MATCHING RISK OF REOFFENDING WITH SUPERVISION DECISIONS

Low Risk

Removal from System

Diversion

Probation

Medium Risk

Probation

High Risk

Probation

Residential Treatment

Confinement

Council of State Government, White Paper on CORE PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING RECIDIVISM AND IMPROVING OTHER OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN THE

JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, 2014

MATCHING RISK OF REOFFENDING WITH SUPERVISION DECISIONS

• FOR THOSE YOUTH WHOSE OFFENSES ARE MINOR AND WHO SHOW LIMITED

RISK FOR FUTURE OFFENDING• THE JUVENILE COURT SHOULD AVOID ANY ACTION BEYOND A WARNING

• FOUND THAT DIVERSION FROM COURT IS MORE EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING

RECIDIVISM THAN THE TRADITIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

• DIVERSION WAS SUPERIOR TO COURT PROCESSING• WHETHER DIVERTED YOUTH RECEIVED ONLY A CAUTION

• OR WERE REFERRED TO A COUNSELING

• OR AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM

• IN FACT, LOW-RISK YOUTH RECEIVING ONLY A CAUTION FARED BETTER THAN

THOSE REFERRED TO A DIVERSION INTERVENTION

*ARTICLE: THE EFFECT OF YOUTH DIVERSION PROGRAMS ON RECIDIVISM, A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW BY HOLLY A.

WILSON OF RYERSON UNIVERSITY AND ROBERT D. HOGE OF CARLETON UNIVERSITY, SEPTEMBER 2013

PROGRAMMING OPTIONS FOR LOW RISK YOUTH

• RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

• VICTIM OFFENDER MEDIATION

• COMMUNITY SERVICE

• EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING FOCUSED ON SKILL BUILDING

• DECISION MAKING CLASS

• VICTIM EMPATHY CLASS

• ON LINE EDUCATION COURSES

• MINIMIZE TIME ON DIVERSION TO INCLUDE:

• MINIMAL CONTACT WITH YOUTH

• FOCUSED CONDITIONS OF DIVERSION THAT RELATE TO THE HIGHEST CRIMINOGENIC

AREAS.

IN CLOSING

• DIVERSION IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM

• PLANS FOR YOUTH SHOULD MATCH THEIR RISK LEVEL AND INCLUDE

TARGET INTERVENTIONS THAT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:

• RISK, NEED, RESPONSIVITY AND DOSAGE PRINCIPLES

• LOW RISK YOUTH CAN BENEFIT FROM SCREENINGS TO DETERMINE IF

AN INTERVENTION FROM A JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IS EVEN

NEEDED.

QUESTIONS?

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING!

getting out of the “kitchen sink”

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