Printer-Friendly Version (March/April 2007) OJJDP and Office of the Surgeon General Convene Experts on Health Care in the Juvenile Justice System
In his opening remarks, OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores stressed the importance of a partnership between the juvenile justice and public health communities. He noted: When I look at the system, one of the things that is clear to me is that at this point in time we have tremendous control over the youth in our custody. We tell them when to go to bed, when to wake up, when to go to school, and when they can watch TV. We need to look at this not only as an opportunity to provide basic health care, but also as an opportunity to educate youth on how to maintain better health practices. Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, III, currently rector of the George Mason University Board of Directors, welcomed workshop participants to the university. Rear Admiral Kenneth Moritsugu, Acting U.S. Surgeon General, was the keynote speaker; excerpts from his remarks appear at the end of this article. The workshop was facilitated by Charles Curie, former Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. During the workshop, participants examined questions such as:
The performance of OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Programs was recently rated on ExpectMore.gov, a U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Web site that distills information from the Federal Government's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) accountability system. PART was developed in 2002 to assess Federal programs in four major areas: purpose/design, strategic planning, management, and results/accountability. Launched in February 2006, ExpectMore.gov seeks to provide the public with information for evaluating how effectively tax dollars are being spent. The site has reported on 977 programs to date—about 96 percent of all Federal programs. PART results are often used by OMB in making determinations for inclusion in the President's budget. For the assessment, OJJDP responded in detail to 25 PART questions and analyzed multiple years of performance measure data provided by formula grant, block grant, and discretionary grant recipients. Results of the assessment, which were released on ExpectMore.gov in February 2007, indicate that OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Programs are "performing," with an overall rating of "adequate." The assessment also notes the following: The programs have developed a number of resources, including an online registry of effective programs, for States and localities to promote the implementation of effective practices and program models. In addition to the overall rating and scores, the ExpectMore.gov report for OJJDP presents updates on program improvement plans, trend data for six performance measures, and detailed responses to each of the 25 PART questions, including explanations, evidence, and percentile score. Juvenile Justice Program grantees and funding applicants will find the latest information on performance measurement at OJJDP's Performance Measures Web site. OJJDP played an active role in the 34th National Conference on Juvenile Justice, held March 4–7, 2007, in San Diego, CA. Cosponsored by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National District Attorneys Association, the conference explored the theme "Different Roles, Common Goals" and addressed topics such as the following:
In a session titled "OJJDP Report," Administrator J. Robert Flores said that OJJDP "covers the waterfront when it comes to serving youth and children." He then highlighted a number of OJJDP programs, including efforts to establish youth courts, combat gangs, address online sexual exploitation of children, and meet the needs of tribal youth. Ron Laney, Associate Administrator of OJJDP's Child Protection Division, spoke about the Internet and child exploitation trends and developments, current issues in juvenile and criminal courts, and emerging trends in school safety. OJJDP is sponsoring two major national training events for juvenile justice professionals in the coming months—Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice: A National Training, and Federal Youth Court Program: National "Double Track" Training on Youth Courts. Graduated Sanctions in Juvenile Justice: A National Training, Cosponsored by OJJDP and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, this program will take a comprehensive look at graduated sanctions. It is designed for a broad audience: juvenile court judges, other juvenile justice system professionals, service providers, and others interested in or already using graduated sanctions—and anyone seeking new strategies for rehabilitation and competence development for youth and families. Attendees will learn how the graduated sanctions philosophy is changing the way the courts do business. Workshop sessions will offer information on implementing graduated sanctions, refining sanctioning systems, and finding effective programmatic approaches in areas such as youth courts, gang interventions, drug abuse interventions, programming for girls, and reentry. Marilyn Roberts, OJJDP Deputy Administrator for Programs, will address the conference on drug courts as a model for specialty courts. To register online, visit www.ncjfcj.org and click on "Conferences." Federal Youth Court Program: National "Double Track" Training on Youth Courts, This two-track event is designed to assist jurisdictions in developing and implementing youth court programs and also to provide experienced youth court personnel with advanced training. Track One, for those interested in establishing a local youth court and for new staff and key stakeholders in the program, will address topics such as funding, legal issues, applying restorative justice principles, volunteer recruitment and retention, developing a community service component, and planning for program evaluation. Track Two will offer experienced youth court coordinators and administrators, volunteers, and stakeholders opportunities to hear the latest ideas from local and national experts, enhance skills, learn about "what works," and increase their program's effectiveness. The event is cosponsored by OJJDP, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. To register online, visit www.youthcourt.net.
Efforts to protect children from computer-facilitated exploitation were described by Ron Laney, Associate Administrator of OJJDP's Child Protection Division, in a presentation to participants in the Institute for Governors' Criminal Justice Policy Advisors meeting in Seattle, WA, on March 9, 2007. The meeting, sponsored by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, was supported by funds from the National Institute of Justice, a component of the Office of Justice Programs. Justice policy advisors gathered to learn state-of-the-art approaches in areas such as gangs, guns, and youth crime; cost-benefit tradeoffs of different crime-fighting strategies; and effective reentry strategies for high-risk populations such as sex offenders.
Mr. Laney also described the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program established by OJJDP in 1998 to help State and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to cyberenticement and child pornography cases. In addition, he discussed the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood, a multipartner, collaborative initiative to investigate and prosecute crimes against children facilitated through the Internet or other electronic media and communications devices. Mr. Laney concluded with the message that State and other government officials and policymakers can build on the framework of the ICAC program to promote cross-jurisdictional coordination, remove regulatory and statutory impediments to effective law enforcement, and strengthen resources (including trained investigators, computer forensic experts, and prosecutors). For an article on the December 2006 Project Safe Childhood National conference, see the January/February 2007 issue of News @ a Glance. All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded at ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications. Print publications may also be ordered online at puborder.ncjrs.gov. New Online: Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit OJJDP is offering an online resource for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program provides comprehensive information and resources to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy. Print copies are also available (NCJ 217271). The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the Federal Government. The Council's primary functions are to coordinate Federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, Federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and Federal programs relating to missing and exploited children. The Council met most recently on March 2, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Education. At that meeting, it approved Council pursuit of two recommended efforts: (1) a pilot project to assess the value of coordinating Federal efforts to support communities relative to at-risk youth, and (2) an inventory of comprehensive community initiatives and the associated technical assistance. The meeting also featured a panel discussion of New Orleans juvenile justice and education systems in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (see special report below). Following this discussion, the Council heard a presentation by Martha Snyder, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Education, on the Administration's proposal for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. The next Council meeting is scheduled for June 8, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For meeting summaries, information about the Council's mission, and links to related resources, visit the Council's Web site at juvenilecouncil.gov. Special Report: New Orleans Juvenile Justice and Education Systems In their presentation at the March 2, 2007, meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, David Bell, Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, and Monique Preau, Recovery School District, described "Recovery in the Gulf Coast—Nexus of Juvenile Justice and Education," providing to the Council's member agencies a first-hand account of some of the pending local challenges in addressing the needs of the juvenile justice system that are due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In particular, Judge Bell said that 80 percent of the city is "unoccupiable," and 80 percent of businesses have not reopened since Hurricane Katrina. In the wake of Katrina, 70 percent of the city's juvenile justice employees were laid off. Five juvenile detention centers were destroyed. He said an unknown number of children and youth are homeless, and that many are living in situations unsupervised by adults. According to Judge Bell, there is an enormous shortage of beds in juvenile detention centers and emergency shelters. He said that youth, many of whom are not going to school, are suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome, and substance abuse among this population is on the rise. In addition, Monique Preau said that the school system in New Orleans had a number of schools up and running by fall 2006, but it continues to face enormous challenges, including the need to open another 20–25 schools in the next year. Ms. Preau described some of the challenges, noting that many school buildings had been open for months before inspections were conducted, and the damage was far greater than anticipated. She said that people were living in the schools, and drug and alcohol abuse was rife. She also said mushrooms were growing between the tiles of abandoned schools, termites had destroyed whole floors and window frames, and faulty wiring was a fire hazard. During their efforts to rebuild, contractors were victims of theft, vandalism, looting, and attacks. Both Ms. Preau and Judge Bell expressed concern about what will happen this summer when schools close. Currently, school is the only structure in many of these children's lives, and according to Ms. Preau, "we need to try and find every way, shape, or form to get children into schools and keep them there." "One of the most difficult problems we face," she said, "is the destruction of school records. Our population is shifting constantly, and trying to keep up with it is anybody's guess. Children are scattered across the country, often living with relatives and neighbors, leaving no paper trail of ages, grades in school, academic records, or medical or mental health needs." To date, the Bush Administration has provided to the State of Louisiana more than $110 billion toward the recovery effort in New Orleans. At the Council meeting, member agencies discussed possible ways to offer other types of assistance to local officials in New Orleans in addressing the city's immediate juvenile justice needs. Specifically, OJJDP has offered to provide training and technical assistance to the Louisiana State Advisory Group (SAG), which is charged with recommending to the Governor how to use formula and block grant dollars administered by OJJDP. Additionally, OJJDP has provided experts on the construction and development of juvenile detention centers.
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