By The Council of State Governments Justice Center Staff
Despite the rapidly declining juvenile arrest and incarceration rates that have marked the past two decades, juvenile recidivism rates have remained stubbornly high: rearrest rates for youth on probation are 50 percent or greater in many states. This is largely because probation—the most common disposition in the juvenile justice system—has remained largely unexamined and fundamentally unchanged.
To address this gap, Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR) and The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, developed a training program to help jurisdictions transform their juvenile probation practices away from prioritizing surveillance and sanctions toward a more developmentally appropriate approach that focuses on promoting positive behavior change and long-term success for youth.
Today, the seven sites selected to participate in this Transforming Juvenile Probation Certificate Program were announced; they range from cities to entire states. They are:
- Cado Parish, Louisiana
- Charlottesville, Virginia
- Marion County, Indiana
- Multnomah County, Oregon
- The State of New Hampshire
- San Diego County, California
- Stark County, Ohio
Cross-disciplinary teams from these jurisdictions will complete a weeklong intensive training onsite in Washington, DC. Alongside experts from CJJR, the CSG Justice Center, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, these teams—comprising chief probation officers, field probation officers, judges, prosecutors, and other officials—will collaboratively develop a capstone project and strategic action plan that details the specific changes they plan to enact upon completion of the training that will improve their system and the opportunities for youth within it. For one year following the certificate program, each locale will receive further support and assistance to implement this plan.
The training will take place in Washington, DC from November 4-8, 2019. For more information, visit the certificate program page.
Source: JusticeCenter