Reforming Juvenile Justice A Developmental Approach (2013) / Chapter Skim
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11 Moving Forward
11 Moving Forward
Pages 321-332
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From page 321... ...
However, even in the absence of definitive evaluations of major reforms, the committee is convinced that the impressive body of research on adolescent development and the effects of juvenile justice interventions and programs is now sufficiently robust to provide a solid foundation for juvenile justice policy and for guiding policies and practices as knowledge continues to develop. In this chapter, we describe several key components of an ongoing process for achieving and sustaining developmentally based juvenile justice reform: clarification of the goals of the juvenile justice system; robust interagency collaboration; strategic commitments by state, local, and tribal governments to an ongoing, transparent, multistakeholder process of designing, 321
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From page 322... ...
Despite these historical swings of emphasis, the basic legal structure of juvenile justice has survived since it was first conceived in 1899 -- a separate noncriminal court charged with responding to juvenile offending and emphasizing crime prevention rather than punishment. Tensions lie beneath the surface, and the interactions between law enforcement agencies and child welfare agencies will always reflect some differences in mission and perspective.
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From page 323... ...
Thus, even a developmentally oriented juvenile justice system will confront challenges when it reaches across the boundaries of the child welfare, mental health, and education systems. An essential component of developmentally oriented juvenile justice reform is to establish genuine partnerships with the agencies that will be recruited to serve the needs of the youth who have become involved with the justice system or who are at risk of becoming involved (Cocozza and Skowyra, 2000; Bilchik, 2009; Shufelt, Cocozza, and Skowyra, 2010)
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From page 324... ...
Thus, in addition to OJJDP, support by other federal agencies of research on adolescent development, on racial/ ethnic disparities, and on evidence-based programs that are targeted at a variety of unhealthy and risky behaviors will also help inform juvenile justice policy and practice. Collaboration has been defined as "the process of individuals or organizations sharing resources and responsibilities jointly to plan, implement, and evaluate programs to achieve common goals"
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From page 325... ...
Given current fiscal constraints, collaboration among federal agencies should also be geared toward pooling resources and simplifying processes for the delivery of support and services. There are excellent examples of past collaboration on programs and policies occurring at the federal level.
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From page 326... ...
POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO REFORM BY STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS Given the current fiscal realities regarding the role of OJJDP and the role of the federal government in general, the immediate momentum for change will need to come from the state, local, and tribal governments. Numerous state and local jurisdictions appear to be making progress toward more developmentally appropriate juvenile justice policies and practices.
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From page 327... ...
Many reform activities have not been adequately documented or evaluated, particularly those aimed at reducing racial/ethnic disparities. State, local, and tribal juvenile justice policy makers should form partnerships with universities or other research organizations to measure performance and assess outcomes with scientific rigor.
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From page 328... ...
Strengthening the legislation will send a strong message regarding the need for state, local, and tribal governments to assume greater responsibility for complying with the requirements and achieving a developmentally appropriate juvenile justice system. It will also enable OJJDP to redirect its resources in a way that best supports the efforts of state, local, and tribal jurisdictions.
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From page 329... ...
Tremendous strides have been made in the past quarter-century to understand adolescent development and delinquency, and it is essential that OJJDP and other funding agencies continue to support research that has far-reaching implications beyond that of juvenile justice. Research on adolescent development has potential impact for a broad array of youth-related behaviors.
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From page 330... ...
Racial/ ethnic disparities experienced by minority youth prevent the benefits of developmentally appropriate policies and practices from being achieved.
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From page 331... ...
State, local, and tribal governments are dependent on a variety of data sources from the federal government and from various agencies in their own jurisdictions, including law enforcement and juvenile justice agencies and courts, as well as education, social services, and health and mental health agencies. They often lack the clout to influence the providers of relevant juvenile justice and other systems' data.
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