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Status of Status Offenders

NCJ Number
116086
Date Published
1986
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This booklet reports on the activities and work product (a model status offender act) of a California Transfer-Of-Knowledge Workshop on 'The Status of Status Offenders.'
Abstract
In the workshop segment on information sharing, speakers discussed the current status of status offender legislation, how to impact status offender legislation, and mental health legislation which affects status offenders. Four small groups discussed mandates to provide services to status offenders, problems with existing services, problems of unmet status offender needs, and how to expand/replicate successful programs. The workshop product, a Youth in Need of Service Act, replaces the term 'status offender' with the label 'youth in need of service' (YINS). The act ensures that a specific agency representative has primary responsibility for each YINS. Under the act, services would be based solely on the youth's needs rather than symptomatic behavior. Youths with multifaceted needs would receive multifaceted services, based on a multidisciplinary assessment. Youths whose needs are not currently being met expeditiously would be referred to a county-based multidiscipline assessment team (MAT). County MATS would report annually to a statewide agency, which would be responsible for developing information crucial to YINS services statewide. Appended workshop summary and workshop product.