New York Juvenile Justice Initiative

NEWS:

Just a couple of days after the May 1st event, “The Close to Home Initiative: The Community Provider Experience, a panel discussion and open house at the Shirley Chisolm Residence in East New York,” This article came out in the NY Times ProgramKeeps Troubled New York Youth Close to Home..The Close to Home Initiative in the NY Times. A big thanks goes out to Good Shepherd Services for their continued excellence and to Elizabeth Walker for organizing and moderating the incredibly informative and honest panel discussion with Miles Jackson (Division Director for Court Involved Youth, GSS), Louis Moten (Senior Consultant, Missouri Youth Services Institute), Gail B. Nayowith (Executive Director, SCO Family Services), and a Close to Home Initiative participant.

Is 100 Years a Life Sentence? Opinions Are Divided..”If people who are too young to vote commit crimes short of murder, the Supreme Court said in 2010, they should not be sentenced to die in prison.” Read Adam Liptak’s article in the NY Times article HERE

Human Rights Watch releases: Raised on the Registry: The Irreparable Harm of Placing Children on Sex Offender Registries in the US. This report challenges the view that registration laws and related restrictions are an appropriate response to sex offenses committed by children.  Read the report HERE

Treating the Cause, Not the Symptom, When Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Meet.“The connection between the juvenile justice system and mental health is really the connection between prison and poverty.” Read more HERE

Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocates See Impacts from Sequester, Brace for More.. “In the lead-up to federal budget sequestration, advocates warned of dire consequences for juvenile justice and services to children and youth. Now, with sequestration in effect for nearly two months, impacts are materializing across the country, although some programs have been at least partially spared. Yet in many cases, youth-serving organizations still do not know how they will be impacted, only that there will be impacts…” Read More HERE

NEW RESOURCE!

Introducing the Juvenile Justice Resource Hub

The Juvenile Justice Resource Hub is a collaboration of the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE), the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and Models for Change. Here’s a little more about it and check it out when you can. “The Hub will offer a comprehensive source of information on cutting-edge juvenile justice issues, Models for Change publications and trends.The first topic area presented on the Hub is Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders.  The Hub breaks down the complex set of issues around mental health, the available resources for practice and policy, and levers for action. JJIE is also publishing a series of articles exploring critical questions in mental health and juvenile justice. New issue area content will be released on the Hub in phases throughout 2013. By making research and tools about critical reform issues easy to find, and linking this data to experts, the Hub can reach new audiences and deepen interest in adopting the evidence-based approaches developed through Models for Change and other reform efforts.”

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NEWS:

• At Cardozo Conference, Chief Judge Pushes for Passage of Reworked Juvenile Justice Bill. Read HERE

• Dr. Jeffrey Butts tackles mental health in the JJ system. “There Is More Than One System In Juvenile Justice” Read HERE

• “A Story That Caught My Eye”…Past NYJJI Youth Council Member Griselda Cruz pens a review about David Chura’s book, I Don’t Wish Nobody to Have a Life like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup (Beacon Press). Read HERE!

• New Therapy Proves Effective For Juvenile Sex Offenders…Read HERE

• INEQUALITY AND NEW YORK’S SUBWAY: “New York City has a problem with income inequality. And it’s getting worse—the top of the spectrum is gaining and the bottom is losing. Along individual subway lines, earnings range from poverty to considerable wealth. The interactive infographic HERE charts these shifts, using data on median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau.

• The Just and Fair Schools Fund has given $3.8 million in grants over two years to 35 community organizations winning critical reform of harsh school discipline and aggressive school policing. Watch the video to learn more:

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

May 1, 2013 1-4pm: Shirley Chisholm Residence, East New York, Brooklyn. The Community Provider Experience with the Close-to-Home Initiative

An Open House Celebration and Panel Discussion About:

• The Missouri Approach

• Infusing the Sanctuary Model for Trauma-Informed Care

• Specialized Non-Secure Placement for the LGBTQ Population

• Solution-Based Casework and Aftercare

• The Youth Experience

• Lunch will be served in the garden and transportation from Manhattan will be provided

 

Friday, May 3, 2013 at 12:30pm: Luncheon for V.O.T.E. (Voice of the Ex-Offender). 15 West 67th Street, New York NY 10023

A lunch event that the Youth Justice Funding Collaborative is sponsoring for Voice of the Ex-Offender (V.O.T.E.) – a New Orleans organization that empowers formerly incarcerated people in New Orleans and Louisiana.   VOTE, a grantee of the Youth Justice Funding Collaborative for five years, is one of the most effective criminal justice organizations in Louisiana.

For more information email: matthewagoodman@gmail.com

 

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Talking Raise the Age, A Day of Conversations…

I had the pleasure of speaking about the issues surrounding raising the age of criminal responsibility in New York State with Angelo Pinto (Campaign Manager for the Juvenile Justice Project at the Correctional Association), Gabrielle Prisco (Director of the Juvenile Justice Project at the Correctional Association), and Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee (Director Institute for Juvenile Justice Reform & Alternatives at the Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions).

Below are some highlights from the discussions. Stay tuned for a more detailed report on the issues surrounding Raise the Age.

• Efforts need to be made to continue to bring awareness to what 16 and 17 year olds experience in adult prisons.

• Angelo Pinto and Gabrielle Prisco shared these facts from Growing Up Locked Down, a report from the Human Rights Watch and the ACLU:

-Disciplinary data reported by the New York City Department of Corrections suggests that 14.4 percent of adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 spend part of their pre-trial detention in solitary confinement.

-The New York City Department of Corrections reported that a typical period of punitive solitary confinement for fighting adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 is 20 days.

-The median period of punitive solitary confinement for adolescents, overall, is 29 days; the average period of punitive solitary confinement is 43.1 days.

• Kyung-Ji Kate Rhee cited the documentary film, JUVIES, as a film that provides invaluable insight into the experience of incarcerated youth and a must see for all those thinking critically about the juvenile justice system.

• Research has shown that the effects of strict laws for juveniles do little or nothing to result in lower crime rates.

• The Correctional Association is leading a “Raise the Age College Tour”, a public education campaign on college campuses. Below are the colleges and the dates of the tour thus far.

1. Vassar College, April 4th at 3:15pm
2. Columbia University, April 5th at 4pm
3. St. Josephs College, April 17th at 5pm
4. SUNY New Paltz, April 29th at 6pm
5. Queens College, May 1st at 1pm
6. Brooklyn College, May 7th at 6:30pm
7. Berkley College, May 9th at 2pm

• In New York City, the issues surrounding incarceration that are most prominent are “Stop and Frisk” and the “School to Prison Pipeline”. Thus, an interesting question to consider is: How does the Raise the Age movement connect with those other movements, but also be clear that raising the age of criminal responsibility is unique with regards to legislation?

• What’s needed from the funding community? Due diligence, and critical awareness on the issues at hand. Here’s a brief video to help us to continue to gain information and/or begin:

NEWS:

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Gain Ground…READ HERE

With Police in Schools, More Children in Court…READ HERE

Justice For Families releases a Family Bill of Rights, “a set of five recommendations resulting from the contributions of a thousand families across the country to the “Families Unlocking Futures” report. The most successful efforts to keep children out of the justice system and on the path to safe opportunity, development, and growth include a multitude of changes along the school-to-prison pipeline…”Learn More HERE

President Obama’s Budget Proposes Spending on Youth Programs, Services…“The president’s justice programs proposals focus on efforts to support evidence-based practices and to increase awareness of what works….The proposal includes $332 million for juvenile justice programs, including $25 million to fund the Community-Based Violence initiative and $30 million for Juvenile Accountability Block Grants, meaning each program remains at its funding level from the President’s 2013 budget.  The budget also includes $20 million for Juvenile Justice Realignment Incentive grants, which aim to assist states that are pursuing evidence-based reforms that foster better outcomes for youth. And $23 million is also made available for research and pilot projects aimed on developing responses to youth exposed to violence…” READ MORE HERE

UPCOMING EVENTS:

JUVENILE JUSTICE WORKING GROUP Spring Meeting in Boston. Tuesday, April 23 from 11:30AM-4:30PM EST. RSVP to jempeterson@verizon.net

YTFG Spring Action Meeting in Boston. Wednesday, April 24 from 8:30AM-5PM EST  “Understanding Our Impact in Philanthropy, Defining Next Steps.” For more information or to register, contact Lisa McGill at lmcgill@ytfg.org

May 1, 2013 1-4pm: Shirley Chisholm Residence, East New York, Brooklyn. The Community Provider Experience with the Close-to-Home Initiative. An Open House Celebration and Panel Discussion About:

• The Missouri Approach

• Infusing the Sanctuary Model for Trauma-Informed Care

• Specialized Non-Secure Placement for the LGBTQ Population

• Solution-Based Casework and Aftercare

• The Youth Experience

• Lunch will be served in the garden and transportation from Manhattan will be provided

RSVP: matthewagoodman@gmail.com

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NEWS:

Governor Cuomo Announcea $3.4 Million In Funding For Public/Private Partnerships to Support Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Programs Statewide. Read About it HERE

New York State Senator Nozzolio sponsors Senate Bill S-4489 relating to the age of criminal responsibility:

The Animation Project Announces a New Partnership with The Osborne Association

• BRONX, NEW YORK – Today, The Animation Project (TAP) and The Osborne Association announced a partnership to provide TAP’s innovative 3D Computer Animation Groups for youth enrolled in The Osborne Association’s Justice Community program in the Bronx. The participants will create a Public Service Announcement about a community issue. The PSA will be shown and disseminated in various ways to raise awareness of the issue and be used as an advocacy tool to think of ways of addressing it. The Osborne Association’s Justice Community program offers environmental literacy, job readiness training, and career exploration opportunities for court-involved young adults between 18 and 24 years old residing in the Bronx. READ MORE ABOUT THE ANIMATION PROJECT HERE:

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

JUVENILE JUSTICE WORKING GROUP Spring Meeting in Boston. Tuesday, April 23 from 11:30AM-4:30PM EST  We will meet at Roca in Chelsea, where we will be joined by Molly Baldwin, Roca’s executive director, MA Commissioner for the Department of Youth Services, Edward Dolan, and John Grossman from Third Sector Capital Partners to discuss Roca’s Innovation Model and Social  Innovation Financing Project.  At 2PM, we will be joined by funders from Boston’s Youth Violence Prevention Collaborative for a rich discussion about collaborative grant making.  RSVP to jempeterson@verizon.net

YTFG Spring Action Meeting in Boston. Wednesday, April 24 from 8:30AM-5PM EST  “Understanding Our Impact in Philanthropy, Defining Next Steps.”  The meeting will focus on the impact and success of our collective philanthropic investments to support the successful transitions of older youth to adulthood.  We’ll get a chance to recap some of our major accomplishments, while working together to think collectively about what the next phase of our Connected by 25 framework can look like at individual foundations and within our work groups. For more information or to register, contact Lisa McGill at lmcgill@ytfg.org

May 1, 2013 1-4pm: Shirley Chisholm Residence, East New York, Brooklyn. The Community Provider Experience with the Close-to-Home Initiative.

An Open House Celebration and Panel Discussion About:

• The Missouri Approach
• Infusing the Sanctuary Model for Trauma-Informed Care
• Specialized Non-Secure Placement for the LGBTQ Population
• Solution-Based Casework and Aftercare
• The Youth Experience
• Lunch will be served in the garden and transportation from Manhattan will be provided

**RSVP: matthewagoodman@gmail.com**

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THANKS:

Thanks to Jacqueline Mann, President of the Elias Foundation, for taking the time to report back on Westchester Children’s Association’s Judging Children as Children: Raising New York’s Age of Criminal Responsibility on March 22, 2013. See below.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

May 1, 2013: 1pm-4pm: Shirley Chisholm Residence, East New York, Brooklyn. The Community Provider Experience with the Close-to-Home Initiative: An Open House Celebration and Panel Discussion:

• The Missouri Approach

• Infusing the Sanctuary Model for Trauma-Informed Care

• Specialized Non-Secure Placement for the LGBTQ Population

• Solution-Based Casework and Aftercare

• The Youth Experience

• Lunch will be served in the garden and transportation from Manhattan will be provided

RSVP: matthewagoodman@gmail.com

NEWS:

Listenbee Takes Over as Federal Head of Juvenile Justice. Read about it HERE

Westchester Children Association releases: Dreams Deferred… Reconnecting Youth to School, Work and Community,

 

REPORT FROM THE FIELD:

Bring New York Into Alignment With The 48 Other States,

Judge Michael Corriero Tells Close to 250 Invitees

-Jacqueline Mann, President of the Elias Foundation

Judge Michael Corriero, Director and Founder of the NY Center for Juvenile Justice spoke to close to 250 invitees of the Westchester Children’s Association on Judging Children as Children: Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility.

Organized and hosted by WCA, an advocacy group in Westchester County that works to ensure that every child is healthy, safe and prepared for life’s challenges. Among WCA’s accomplishments is that WCA and its Deputy director, Allison Lake, recently published Dreams Deferred… Reconnecting Youth to School, Work and Community, a report that reveals that 15,000 young people are now or are at risk of becoming disconnected in Westchester County.

Judge Corriero spoke with his usual passion about the need to bring New York into alignment with the 48 other states in the US by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18.  He cited the unusually harsh challenges to children who have been tried as adults in New York State such as qualifying for jobs, being eligible for housing, and accessing college loans, especially when compared to peers who have committed the same offenses in other states but have not been burdened with criminal records.

The Judge called on those in attendance to lobby our legislators and Governor Cuomo to make the needed changes in our Juvenile Justice system.  He pointed out the higher cost of incarceration vs. wrap-around services, the higher rates of recidivism for incarcerated youth and the shameful disproportionality in the system that seems to give white children a pass and focuses its harshest punishments on inner city youth of color.

While also calling for legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility, WCA’s Dreams Deferred… Reconnecting Youth to School, Work and Community, whose scope is wider than juvenile justice, also recommends reducing exclusionary disciplinary practices in schools, improving transitional supports for those aging out of foster care, and increasing the minimum wage.

Jacqueline Mann is the co-founder and President of the Elias Foundation – dedicated to promoting community leadership networks for progressive social change in Westchester County.  The Foundation supports organizations that amplify the voices of community members and initiatives that are grounded in and led by the communities they serve.  The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting organizations that connect their issues to a broader political, economic and social justice agenda.

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News:

STOP AND FRISK UNDER SCRUTINY:

• A Focus on 3 Encounters in a Stop-and-Frisk Trial. Read HERE
• Young Writers at Youth Communications tackles Stop and Frisk: Read it HERE
• Recording Points to Race Factor in Stops by New York Police. Read and Listen HERE

And last week’s Op-Ed by Dr. Jeffrey Butts, “Are We Too Quick To Claim Credit For Falling Juvenile Incarceration Rates” sparked this “Reform Matters: A Reply to Jeffrey Butts” from Nate Balis and Tom Woods, Senior Associates in the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E Casey Foundation.

Dr. Butts responds here: “Interpreting the Juvenile Incarceration Drop”

 

Upcoming Events:

Monday, April 15, 2013, 9:30am: Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions &  Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer: Civic Restoration: A Road to Workforce Development for People with Criminal Convictions. Adam Clayton Powell,State Office Building, 163 W 125th St, (between 7th Ave & Lenox Ave)

To register, please go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/346212

Friday, April 19, 2013: In Search of Meaningful Systemic Justice for Adolescents in New York. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 55 Fifth Avenue, NY, NY.

• Keynote Speaker: Chief Judge Jonathan Lippmann, “A Vision and Model of Juvenile Justice Reform for New York.”
• Morning roundtable panel: “Learning from Models Around the U.S.”
• Luncheon address: Judge Michael Corriero, “Judging Children’s Children: Models of Justice for Minors.”
• Afternoon panel: “Systemic Impact of Raise the Age.”

Conference cosponsored by: the Brooklyn Defender Services, Kings County District Attorneys’ Office, Neighborhood Defender Services of Harlem, New York Center for Juvenile Justice, New York Civil Liberties Union, Bronx Defenders and the Legal Aid Society.

Register to attend by emailing: youth.justice.cardozo@gmail.com

May 1, 2013: Non Secure Placement Meeting/Briefing NYJJI and Good Shepherd Services. More Info To Follow.

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NEWS:

 16 Year Old Kimani Gray shot in East Flatbush, Brooklyn…and the community reacts. Follow the story HERE

Questions to ask ourselves:

• Are we funding programs and activities to support youth in East Flatbush?
• Is there a role for NYJJI to play in creating dialogue between NYC youth, CBO’s and governmental agencies (including NYPD)?

Dr. Jeffrey Butts asks the question, “Are We Too Quick to Claim Credit for Falling Juvenile Incarceration Rates?” Read more HERE.

Shakeup Underway at Federal Office of Juvenile Justice. Read more HERE

Juvenile Justice’s Positive Trajectory…Will It Be Hurt By Harsh Gun Laws? Read more HERE

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions & Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer: Civic Restoration: A Road to Workforce Development for People with Criminal Convictions

• Date: Friday, March 29, 2012
• Time: Doors open at 9:30am, seminar session: 10am-1pm
• Location: Adam Clayton Powell, State Office Building
• 163 W 125th St, (between 7th Ave & Lenox Ave)

To register, please go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/346212

For more information, please contact the Center for NuLeadership and Urban Solutions T: (718) 484-5879 / info@centerfornuleadership.org / www.centerfornuleadership.com

Non-secure Placement Meeting with Good Shepherd Services

• May 1, 2013. Time and Location to be determined…

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