|
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|
Rising=
caseloads and
costs highlighted the need to examine practices and identify effective
strategies for resource utilization and cost containment. While we were n=
ot
yet in an “overcrowding crisis” at our local detention and
treatment facility, overpopulation days were on the rise. A crisis would soon occur if we =
did
not take action.
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|
|
|
The Ju=
venile Court
embarked on an internal “brainstorming” process to begin
addressing the situation. We
identified the following needs:
|
|
•A need to keep community safety the highest priority
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|
•A need to enhance and diversify program and treatment options
|
|
•A need to have a comprehensive system from first contact to case
closure – a “Continuum of Care” model
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|
•A need to incorporate “best practices”
|
|
•A need to shift court and community attitudes from reliance on s=
ecure
treatment to prevention strategies and community
based treatment
|
|
•A need to educate the community so that it would support the cou=
rt in
placing delinquent youth in the community
|
|
•A need to better assess a juvenile’s risk before deciding =
to
keep the youth in the community
|
|
•A need to enhance pre-trial services
|
|
•A need to develop a seamless re entry programs and strategies to=
help
support the youth and family after court jurisdiction ends
|
|
•A need to base decisions on accurate data
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|
•A need to accurately measure and evaluate our progress
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|
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|
Frankl=
y, the task
seemed overwhelming! We mad=
e a
decision to seek expert advice and at the same time engage the community =
for
help. The National Juvenile Detention Association (NJDA) and its Center f=
or
Research and Professional Development (funded in part by the Ann E. Casey
Foundation) agreed to help us. They needed a pilot site and we needed the
help.
|
|
|
|
In 200=
1, the NJDA
team came to Monroe County to meet with over 80 community stakeholders wi=
th
the purpose of educating our court and community on the benefits of strat=
egic
jurisdictional planning and utilizing best practices in delinquency
prevention and treatment. An important part of the process was gathering
reliable data to assist the research team in developing a computer simula=
tion
tool to help predict the financial impact of moving a juvenile from one
program to another. Monroe =
County
may have been one of the first jurisdictions in the country to use a comp=
uter
simulation relying on accurate community data to forecast outcomes. This
process assisted us to make informed decisions on how to best utilize our
resources. We could clearly=
see
the benefit, including cost savings, of expanding community based
programming.
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|
|
|
The pa=
rticipants of
the educational forum decided to continue a broad based community effort =
to
address prevention and treatment strategies. The Juvenile Justice Strategic
Planning Forum emerged. A
visioning process helped us identify an ideal community that worked toget=
her
to foster positive behaviors and discourage negative behavior. We developed groups to work on
mentoring; parent education; substance abuse treatment. We analyzed services available a=
nd
identified gaps in services. This
group was adopted as a workgroup of our County’s Human Services
Collaborative Network (HSCN).
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|
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|
The st=
rong
motivation and collaboration demonstrated in our Strategic Planning Forum=
was
the foundation for our successful pursuit of grants. We received planning=
and
implementation grants for Building Restorative Communities, which has evo=
lved
into our current “Active Balanced Community” initiative.
|
|
|
|
We hav=
e made
considerable progress, as demonstrated by our objective and outcomes
slides. We still have many
objectives to achieve. It i=
s a
work in progress.
|
|
|
|
We are=
proud of the
efforts of our community. T=
he
results have exceeded our expectations and the benefits continue.<=
br>
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