Found 158 matches.
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Shut Down Sequel: Progress Report
Tags: Alabama | California | Michigan | Minnesota | Ohio | Oregon | Utah | Deinstitutionalization | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Privatization | Advocacy | NJJN Publications
Shut Down Sequel Progress Report, outlining progress made in our efforts to shut down Sequel facilities and advocate for systemic reforms. NJJN repeats its call for states to end ties with Sequel, but compel states to go further in implementing protections for kids by: 1) ending the use of for-profit facilities for youth, 2) banning the use of restraint, and 3) bringing youth home, prioritizing community-based care over harmful congregate care settings.
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COVID-19 Resource_CfJJ Letter to Trial Court Prob DYS CPCS
Tags: Massachusetts | Institutional Conditions
CfJJ released a letter calling for the state of Massachusetts to protect youth in custody.
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COVID-19 Resource_DC Congregate Care
Tags: Massachusetts | Institutional Conditions | Fact Sheets and Briefs
This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about the transmission and severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working closely with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide updated information about the novel coronavirus outbreak.
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COVID-19 Resource_LCCR Letter
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights sent a letter to local officials advocating for youth safety under the COVID-19 pandemic.
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COVID-19 Resource_NationalPartnershipforJuvenileServices
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Fact Sheets and Briefs
The National Partnership for Juvenile Services released a newsletter with resources for addressing COVID-19.
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COVID-19 Resource_YouthJusticeCoalitionLetter
Tags: California | Institutional Conditions
Youth Justice Coalition has drafted a letter calling for L.A. to take steps to protect youth from COVID-19. (Insert Link)
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Toolkit: Facility Closure and Strategic Downsizing of Juvenile Justice Systems July 2018
Tags: Federal | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Correctional Education | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Member Publications
This Toolkit was prepared by the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) with additional support from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Many agencies across the country are closing facilities. CJCA members have been informally helping each other through this process and wanted to collect their experiences, resources and advice in one document. In addition to juvenile justice administrators and agency staff, the information here may be useful to legislators, court officers and administrators, leaders of related agencies (e.g., education, health), advocates, and others who may be engaged in the closure process and/or supporting youth and families. This guide is intended to help juvenile justice agencies responsibly and successfully close a facility and consider closure as a component of efforts to safely reduce the use of juvenile justice placement facilities. It also shows how best to manage those closures when they occur, as well as how to redirect facility operational funds to other parts of the system, such as community‐based diversion and/or aftercare services.
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White Paper : Youth Justice in Maine : Imagine a New Future Summit
Tags: Maine | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Reports
Maine's juvenile justice system should shift away from reliance on large facilities like Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland towards a continuum of care utilizing community-based in-home services and evidence-based out-of-home services for youth, according to a new white paper from the Justice Policy Program at the University of Southern Maine's Muskie School of Public Service and the Maine Center for Juvenile Policy and Law at the University of Maine School of Law.
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California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice---Three Years of Legislative Victories: 2014 - 2016
Tags: California | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Confidentiality | Crime Data and Statistics | Detention | General System Reform | Girls | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Member Publications
Capsule summary of youth justice reform legislation NJJN member CAYCJ worked to pass 2014-2016.
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A stolen cellphone, then an odyssey through Maryland's juvenile justice system
Tags: Maryland | Aftercare/Reentry | Brain and Adolescent Development | Collateral Consequences | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Detention | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Prevention | Victims | Restorative Justice | Correctional Education | Media | Reports
A thirteen year old boy was with a group of boys who had stolen a cell phone. The counsellors and attorney argued that restorative action be administered as a best outcome. The Judge disagreed and ordered a 90 day term in a juvenile detention.
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Advocates Want Juvenile Justice Overhaul, Clash Over Direction
Tags: Virginia | Deinstitutionalization | Institutional Conditions | Advocacy | Reports | Partner Publications
Virginia, a state poised to set a national standard, is still bedeviled by some of the same problems seen in other states, thanks in part to an outdated national attitude that juvenile offenders only deserve punishment.
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Vermont - Act 153 (H. 95) - Re: jurisdiction over delinquency proceedings
Tags: Vermont | Brain and Adolescent Development | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Act 153 of 2016 relates to jurisdiction over delinquency proceedings by the Family Division of the Superior Court. Among other things, it requires DOC to house offenders under 25 in a separate facility, sets a timetable for raising the age eventually to 18 for all initial filings including felonies (except the "Big 12") into family court, and expands "youthful offender" status available to youth 12-21.
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Vermont - Act 153 (H. 95) - Summary
Tags: Vermont | Brain and Adolescent Development | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Act 153 requires DOC to house offenders under 25 in a separate facility, sets a timetable for raising the age eventually to 18 for initial filings including most felonies and moving them into family court; expands "youthful offender" status available to youth 12-21.
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Ohio Settlement Agreement to Improve Conditions in Juvenile Prisons, S.H. v. Stickrath, Case number 2: 04-CV-1206
Tags: Ohio | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The state of Ohio and Ohio Department of Youth Services settled a class action lawsuit by agreeing to widespread system reform.
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Juvenile Detention Facility Assessment 2014 Update - Annie E. Casey Foundation
Tags: National | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Since 2004, officials in JDAI sites have assessed, improved, and monitored conditions in juvenile detention facilities using a set of standards published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The materials in this volume include updated detention facility standards, a set of guidelines for conducting facility assessments, and “How To” materials covering each component of the standards.
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United Nations Human Rights Council: Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Tags: International | National | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports
In the present report, the Special Rapporteur focuses on children deprived of their liberty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
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Zero Tolerance: How States Comply with PREA’s Youthful Inmate Standard
Tags: National | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Reports | Research | Partner Publications
This report explores how states house youth under 18 in prisons in the new age of PREA compliance and enforcement. Furthermore, this report highlights national trends in juvenile arrests, crimes, and incarceration of children in the adult system.
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Locked Out: Improving Educational and Vocational Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Research
This report from the Council of State Governments analyzes survey results of state educational and vocational services for youth and makes recommendations for further improvement of those services.
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Maltreatment of Youth in U.S. Juvenile Corrections Facilities: An Update
Tags: National | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Research
This report, released as a follow-up to No Place For Kids, introduces new evidence on the widespread maltreatment of youth in state-funded juvenile corrections facilities. It tells of high rates of sexual victimization, the heavy-handed use of disciplinary isolation and a growing roster of states where confined youth have been subject to widespread abuse.
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Law Court proposes change to restraint of juveniles in court
Tags: Maine | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court seeks comments from the legal community and the public on a proposed rule change that would limit the shackling of juvenile defendants in criminal cases.
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Momentum builds to stop the automatic shackling of juveniles in court
Tags: Maine | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
In some juvenile court systems around the country, young people regularly appear at hearings in handcuffs, leg irons, or both. But 21 states (five this year alone) have reformed such shackling practices through statute, court action, or policy.
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Confining Youth for Profit | Policy Platform | PDF
Tags: National | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | Privatization | NJJN Publications
NJJN recommends ending the use of for-profit private youth confinement facilities because they encourage the incarceration of youth and the elimination of services youth need to succeed. Also, making money on keeping youth in bondage is morally wrong.
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Protecting Youth Confined for Profit - Policy Safeguards | PDF
Tags: National | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Positive Youth Development and Strengths-Based Programming | Privatization | NJJN Publications
NJJN opposes the use of for-profit private youth confinement facilities because they encourage the incarceration of youth and the elimination of services youth need to succeed; and they are morally wrong. Where they are still used, these policy safeguards help protect youth, taxpayers, and public safety.
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Maine Voices: Limit shackling of juveniles in court
Tags: Maine | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
The time is past due for Maine to have a clear and publicly accessible policy for limiting the use of shackling juveniles in court.
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Why Do We Still Shackle Kids?
Tags: Maine | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Reports
The Crime Report discusses the history of child shackling, the dangerous effect that shackling has on youth, recent efforts of reform throughout the country, and the need to end routine youth shackling.
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Ten Strategies to Reduce Juvenile Length of Stay
Tags: National | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports
The Juvenile Law Center lays out ten strategies that help states reduce the amount of time young people spend in lockup.
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Handcuffs, shackles on juveniles rob kids of their self-esteem
Tags: Maine | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
Teen testifies about how she saw herself as she assumed others saw her while she wore irons, a criminal, not a kid who had made a mistake.
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Maine Bills Would Restrict Shackling of Pregnant Women, Juveniles
Tags: Maine | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
The Maine legislature considered two bills that would restrict the use of shackling of juveniles and pregnant women in custody.
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Protections proposed for pregnant inmates and juvenile defendants
Tags: Maine | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Media
Maine lawmakers on the criminal justice committee heard two bills that deal with shackling inmates. The first prohibits restraints on youth in court in most cases.The second prohibits shackling pregnant inmates.
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U.N. Human Rights Council | Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment | Juan E. Méndez
Tags: International | National | Institutional Conditions | International and Human Rights | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Shackling | Reports
A report for the United Nations' Human Rights Council condemns the use of extreme sentencing, juvenile life without parole, shackling, solitary confinement, and youth in adult court in juvenile justice systems in the U.S.
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Missouri S.B. 36 -
Tags: Missouri | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Text of Missouri S.B. 36, 2013, or "Jonathan's Law," which provides new guidelines expanding the possibility of dual jurisdiction for youth in the adult justice system.
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An IEP for the Juvenile Justice System: Incorporating Special Education Law Throughout the Delinquency Process
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Institutional Conditions | Correctional Education | Research
In correctional institutions, the number of youth with special education needs is nearly three times the national average of all school-aged children identified as having a disability. This article encourages and attempts to demystify the use of special education law and its “byproducts” (e.g., Individual Education Programs and Independent Education Evaluations) throughout the delinquency process.
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Because Kids are Different: Five Opportunities for Reforming the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: National | Confidentiality | Institutional Conditions | Sex Offender Registries | Youth in the Adult System | Shackling | Partner Publications
This Models for Change document concisely frames five reform policy areas in light of adolescent development: adult transfer, solitary confinement; confidentiality of juvenile records; sex offenses registries; and courtroom shackling.
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Because Kids are Different: Five Opportunities for Reforming the Juvenile Justice System
Tags: National | Brain and Adolescent Development | Confidentiality | Institutional Conditions | Sex Offender Registries | Youth in the Adult System | Shackling | NJJN Publications
This Models for Change document concisely frames five reform policy areas in light of adolescent development: adult transfer, solitary confinement; confidentiality of juvenile records; sex offenses registries; and courtroom shackling.
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Class Action Litigation Involving Special Education Claims for Youth in Juvenile and Adult Correctional Facilities
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Correctional Education | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Reports
This document from the National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice lists class action litigation that has been undertaken regarding special education for youth and adults in the justice system.
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How Effective Is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go from Here?
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Institutional Conditions | Correctional Education | Research
More than 2 million adults are incarcerated in U.S. prisons, and each year more than 700,000 leave federal and state prisons and return to communities. Unfortunately, within three years, 40 percent will be reincarcerated. One reason for this is that ex-offenders lack the knowledge, training, and skills to support a successful return to communities. The RAND team conducted a systematic review of correctional education programs for incarcerated adults and juveniles. The study included a nationwide survey of state correctional education directors to understand how correctional education is provided today and the recession's impact.
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Recommendations to Improve Correctional and Reentry Education for Young People
Tags: National | Aftercare/Reentry | Brain and Adolescent Development | Institutional Conditions | Correctional Education | Reports | Partner Publications
The Juvenile Law Center offers these policy recommendations to improve education for youth in confinement and recently exiting confinement.
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California Requires Incarcerated Individuals under the Age of 22 be Considered for a Lower Security Level Placement
Tags: California | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Legislation
Assembly Bill 1276 requires the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to conduct individual assessments of every person under the age of 22 who is entering state prisons and to consider placing these youth at a lower security level than corresponds with their classification level and in a facility that permits increased access to rehabilitation programs. Previously, youth under the age of 22 were routinely sent to the highest security prison yards, known as “level IV” yards. The legislation also allows youth who did not qualify for a lower security level to have their placement reconsidered at their annual review until the age of 25. Assembly Bill 1276 was authored by Assembly Member Richard Bloom, with principal co-author Senator Hancock, sponsored by Human Rights Watch and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. A.B. 1276 was signed into law on September 26, 2014.
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Unlocking Potential: Addressing the Overuse of Juvenile Detention in Massachusetts
Tags: Massachusetts | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Partner Publications
This report from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (an NJJN partner) discusses the high rate of incarceration of youth in Massachusetts. It details the number of youth incarcerated for minor and nonviolent offenses, as well as the broad racial and ethnic disparities observable in the state's youth incarceration rates.
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Nevada S.B. 107, 2013
Tags: Nevada | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Nevada's S.B. 107, 2013, restricting the use of solitary confinement for youth.
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Alone and Afraid - Children Held in Solitary Confinement and Isolation in Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facilities
Tags: National | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Partner Publications
This paper documents how solitary confinement, often referred to as room confinement in the juvenile facilities context, can cause extreme psychological, physical, and developmental harm. As the report makes clear, juvenile facilities have been locking kids in physical and social isolation for days, weeks, and even months. Our priority should be protecting kids, helping them grow into productive and healthy adults.
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Performance-Based Standards: Reducing Isolation and Room Confinement
Tags: National | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
This Performance-Based Standards report finds that isolation should only be used in extreme circumstances for youth, and even in those circumstances should be brief and supervised. This report outlines the harms that come to youth in isolation, and encourages the reduction of this practice.
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Performance-Based Standards: What Youths Say Matters
Tags: National | Institutional Conditions | Evidence-Based Practices | Reports
Research is mounting that shows youths’ experiences while in residential programs have a significant impact on both the safety and climate within the facility as well as whether the youth continues to commit crimes when he or she returns to the community. A recent analysis of the Pathways to Desistance Study added to the growing body of findings with two conclusions professionals can put into practice: 1) Youths who have generally positive experiences in custody are less likely to recidivate when released and 2) Surveying youths about their perceptions and experiences is a cost-effective means to reduce recidivism.
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Rhode Island Training School Reduces Maximum Time Youth Can Be Confined in their Rooms
Tags: Rhode Island | Institutional Conditions | Reports
In response to a 2011 assessment of the Rhode Island Training School’s compliance with Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) standards for conditions of confinement, the Department of Children, Youth and Families amended its policy regarding the maximum time youth at the facility can be confined to their rooms. The maximum period was reduced from five to three days in order to comply with JDAI standards.
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Local Correctional Facilities Encouraged to Seek Parental Consent for Medical Treatment for Youth
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
New York passed an amendment to encourage local correctional facilities to inquire whether parents or guardians of youth under the age of eighteen committed to their facility will grant their child the capacity to consent to routine medical, dental, and mental health services and treatment. Previously, correctional facilities were authorized to administer such services to such youth without parental consent and they are still authorized to do so where no medical consent is obtained prior to commitment. However, the youth’s parent or guardian may bring legal proceedings objecting to such treatment if the youth is not yet eighteen years old. A. 5008/Act No. 437, signed into law and effective October 23, 2013.
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Trauma and Environment of Care in Juvenile Institutions: NCTSN Trauma-Informed Approaches Brief
Tags: Deinstitutionalization | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Reports
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, a program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services, released six online briefs in September, 2013. This brief outlines how the environment of secure confinement facilities can traumatize youth or exacerbate existing trauma.
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Nature and Risk of Victimization: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement
Tags: Federal | National | Institutional Conditions | Victims | Reports
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) released this bulletin on the nature and frequency of victimization of youth in residential placement. The study finds that there is an urgent need to create policy and implement programs to better prevent the victimization of youth in residential facilities.
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Nevada Limits Use of Solitary Confinement
Tags: Nevada | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Nevada restricted the use of solitary confinement of youth in detention facilities statewide and banned the use of isolation as discipline or punishment. Youth may be held in solitary confinement only if they present a serious and immediate risk of harm to themselves or others and all other options have been exhausted, and the length of their confinement must be the minimum amount required to address the risk of harm. S.B. 107/Act No. 324, signed into law June 1, 2013; effective October 1, 2013.
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Girls' Experiences in the Texas Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Texas | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
In this report by Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, a survey of girls at one Texas juvenile correctional facility shows there is a great likelihood that many traumatized girls in the Texas juvenile justice system are being re-traumatized due to current policies and procedures.
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Growing Up Locked Down: Youth in Solitary Confinement in Jails and Prisons Across the United States
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
A report from the Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union on the dangers of the practice of solitary confinement; it includes interviews from individuals held in solitary confinement and prison and jail officials, as well as quantitative data and the advice of experts.
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Emerging Findings and Policy Implications from the Pathways to Desistance Study
Tags: Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | Institutional Conditions | NJJN Publications
New research suggests providing the appropriate services can significantly change the life trajectory of youth in the juvenile justice system.
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Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice (Executive Summary)
Tags: Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
Executive summary of report from Justice for Families and DataCenter, based on more than 1,000 surveys and 24 focus groups with families of youth who have been in the justice system. The report shows the many ways justice systems have failed youth, families and communities and proposes solutions for transforming youth justice to help our youth succeed and keep our communities safe.
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Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice (full)
Tags: Family and Youth Involvement | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Youth in the Adult System | Partner Publications
Report from Justice for Families and DataCenter, based on more than 1,000 surveys and 24 focus groups with families of youth who have been in the justice system. The report shows the many ways justice systems have failed youth, families and communities and proposes solutions for transforming youth justice to help our youth succeed and keep our communities safe.
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Legislature Strengthens Licensing Requirements for Juvenile Detention Facilities
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Louisiana amended the licensing provisions for juvenile detention facilities, establishing penalties for operating a facility without a valid license and allowing the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) to develop a corrective action plan for facilities in violation of detention standards. Facilities that violate licensing standards may be fined or be subject to an injunction against any illegal or unsafe operations. Any fines collected will go into the newly established “Juvenile Detention Licensing Fund,” which will fund education and training of employees, staff, or other personnel at youth facilities. H.B. 982/Act No. 814, signed into law June 13, 2012; effective January 1, 2013.
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Legislature Aims to Improve Education for Committed Youth
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Recognizing that education is one of the most important aspects of rehabilitation, Louisiana established a policy to help ensure all youth committed to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections receive a quality education. All youth must be assessed using a research-based diagnostic tool within 30 days of placement to a secure facility. The department will use this assessment to develop an academic plan and timetable to improve the youth’s reading ability, bring the child up to grade level, or help the youth prepare for a high school diploma, GED, or a certificate of achievement from the Special School District. S.B. 156/Act No. 629, signed into law and effective June 7, 2012.
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Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 Final Rule
Tags: Federal | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Administrative/Regulatory Policies | Reports
The Department of Justice released the final rule to prevent, detect and respond to prison rape in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.
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Arizona Expands Education Opportunities for Committed Youth, S.B. 1037/Act No. 354
Tags: Arizona | Institutional Conditions | Correctional Education | Legislation
The Arizona State Legislature amended state law to require an appropriate education plan for youth committed to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) or who are supervised in the community. ADJC may assign a youth to a specific public or private educational program, if it is in the best interest of the youth and the community. S.B. 1037/Act No. 354, signed into law May 14, 2012; effective August 2, 2012.
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Mississippi Removes Youth from Walnut Grove Correctional Facility and Creates Youthful Offender Unit for Youth Convicted as Adults, H.B. 523
Tags: Mississippi | Brain and Adolescent Development | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Youth in the Adult System | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Legislation
After Mississippi advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility over conditions of confinement, provisions of a subsequent settlement agreement were incorporated into state legislation. In addition to the lawsuit, the facility was simultaneously subject to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation, which found that the conditions at Walnut Grove violated the constitutional rights of youth. The investigation revealed that staff engaged in sexual misconduct with youth, used excessive force, and were deliberately indifferent to the risk of harm youth posed to one another, youth’s mental health needs, and youth’s serious medical needs. The legislation required youth under 22 years old to be removed from Walnut Grove and directed the Department of Corrections (DOC) to establish a youthful offender unit to house youth 17-years-old and younger who have been convicted as adults; youth ages 18 or 19 may also be housed in the Youthful Offender Unit at the discretion of the DOC Commissioner. The Youthful Offender Unit opened in December of 2012; youth housed there must have interactive, structured rehabilitative and/or educational programming and recreational and leisure activities outside of their cells. All programming must be tailored to the developmental needs of adolescents. H.B. 523/Act No. 489, signed into law and effective April 26, 2012.
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Florida Bans Use of Restraints on Incarcerated Pregnant Women, S.B. 524
Tags: Florida | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Legislation
Citing the risks to women and pregnancy and the fact that the vast majority of women who are incarcerated in Florida have committed non-violent offenses, state law now prohibits the use of restraints on a pregnant woman who is incarcerated during labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. There is an exception for extraordinary circumstances, including substantial risk of flight or injury to medical staff, corrections personnel, or the woman herself. Additionally, the use of restraints is prohibited during the third trimester unless there are documented security risks that require the use of restraints. Any woman who is restrained in violation of the law may file a grievance. All correctional institutions must inform women of the rules upon entry, in the prisoner handbook, and by posting the policies and practices on the walls in visible areas. S.B. 524/Act No. 2012-41, signed into law April 6, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
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House of Representatives Letter to Attorney General Holder: Remove Youth from Adult Prisons (PREA)
Tags: Federal | Institutional Conditions | Testimony
More than 30 representatives urged the Attorney General to include in the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), a final rule that will prohibit placement of youth in adult facilities.
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American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Policy Statement Against the Solitary Confinement of Juvenile Offenders
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) takes a policy stance against the use of solitary confinement for youth in conflict with the law.
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Report on Female Offenders: Statistical Information on Girls and an Inventory of Services, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, February 2012
Tags: Maryland | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Legislation passed in Maryland required the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to create a detailed plan to provide equitable resources for girls’ services starting in FY 2013. The DJS report, which was published in February 2012, includes statewide and regional information on prevention and diversion services, alternatives to detention, and educational and vocational training services.
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Voices From the Field: Findings From the NGI Listening Sessions
Tags: Girls | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Partner Publications
“Voices From the Field: Findings From the NGI Listening Sessions” is a new report that provides insight into the experience of girls in the juvenile justice system, as well as those who care for them.
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Forrest County, Mississippi Settles Lawsuit on Conditions and Access, M.T., et al. v. Forrest County, Mississippi, 2011
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A class-action lawsuit against Forrest County, Mississippi challenged excessive shackling, physical abuse, filthy conditions, and overcrowding at the Forrest County Juvenile Detention Center. The lawsuit also challenged the facility's denial of access to the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) organization for Mississippi; under federal law, P&A organizations have a right to enter facilities, interview youth, and assess conditions.
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A Failing System Reminiscent of Tallulah, Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children
Tags: Louisiana | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Reports | Member Publications
Report charging that the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice has not effectively implemented the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (Act 1225), and that its attempt to adopt the "Missouri Model" has not worked because it has done so in piecemeal fashion, rather than embracing model wholesale. The report outlines key areas in which the state of Louisiana has failed to follow through on its plan to implement the Missouri Model: "lack of real family involvement; lack of high caliber; staff involvement; lack of productive youth interaction, placement, and services; lack of therapeutic, safe and consistent settings; and lack of transparency." The report includes recommendations for reform.
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Non-Discriminatory, Developmentally-Sound Treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Youth, New Orleans Youth Study Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Policy providing eleven procedural guidelines regarding LGBT youth, including a definition of what qualifies as discrimination, harassment, and abuse of LGBT youth; a prohibition on discriminating or threatening anyone based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, by both staff and other incarcerated youth; and a prohibition on placing LGBT youth in isolation as a "means of keeping them safe from discrimination." The policy also includes provisions regarding transgender youth, including that transgender youth will not be forced to shower or change clothing in front of staff or other youth-a situation that can be especially humiliating and terrifying for this demographic.
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Youth Study Center Becomes National Leader with Model LGBT Policy
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Press release regarding LGBT policy for New Orleans' juvenile detention center, which provides eleven procedural guidelines, including a definition of what qualifies as discrimination, harassment, and abuse of LGBT youth; a prohibition on discriminating or threatening anyone based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, by both staff and other incarcerated youth; and a prohibition on placing LGBT youth in isolation as a "means of keeping them safe from discrimination." The policy also includes provisions regarding transgender youth, including that transgender youth will not be forced to shower or change clothing in front of staff or other youth-a situation that can be especially humiliating and terrifying for this demographic.
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LGBTQ Youth Policies, New York City, July 2011
Tags: New York | Detention | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
The policies—which draw from guidelines issued by New York’s Office of Children and Family Services in 2008—cover LGBTQ identities and language, disclosure, confidentiality, cultural competency training, medical/mental health, bedroom/bathroom arrangements, personal grooming, search issues, and transition/reentry planning.
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Connecticut Youth Gain Prompter Access to Temporary Leave from Facilities, H.B. 6636
Tags: Connecticut | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Connecticut General Assembly waived the 60-day waiting period for a youth to be granted leave after his or her placement changes. Prior to this, youth could not apply for leave from a juvenile facility or residential placement to attend events such as a family gathering. The legislature also eliminated the one-year mandatory minimum stay at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, allowing youth to be sentenced to shorter stays.
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Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Develops Plan for Equitable Services for Girls, S.B. 787
Tags: Maryland | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Legislation passed in Maryland required the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) to create a detailed plan to provide equitable resources for girls’ services starting in FY 2013. The DJS report, which was published in February 2012, includes statewide and regional information on prevention and diversion services, alternatives to detention, and educational and vocational training services.
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Arizona Criminalizes Unlawful Sexual Conduct of Juvenile Court Employees, S.B. 1130
Tags: Arizona | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
An Arizona law extends to all incarcerated youth the protections of an existing law that makes it a felony to sexually exploit an individual in correctional custody.
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Louisiana Order Modifying Conditions Consent Decree at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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Colorado Requires Standards for Integrated System-of-Care Family Advocacy Programs, H.B. 1193
Tags: Colorado | Family and Youth Involvement | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
The Colorado General Assembly declared an explicit need for the development of rules and standards for family advocacy mental health juvenile justice programs, as well as technical assistance and coordination for such programs. The legislation makes permanent a demonstration program for system-of-care family advocates and family systems navigators for youth in the juvenile justice system with mental health issues.
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Vermont Increases Access to Mental Health Services for Detained Youth, H.B. 65
Tags: Vermont | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
Through the 2010 Budget Adjustment Act, the Vermont Department for Children and Families “repurposed” Vermont’s one juvenile detention facility to become a “residential treatment facility that provides in-patient psychiatric, mental health, and substance abuse services in a secure setting for adolescents who have been adjudicated or charged with a delinquency or criminal act.” By making this change, the department is now able to draw down Medicaid funding for youth placed at the facility; such funding is usually prohibited for incarcerated youth. All youth placed at the detention center are screened for treatment needs shortly after admission and may gain access to services even if they do not qualify for longer-term placement there.
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Detention Facility Self-Assessment Revised Guidelines, Juvenile Detention Alteratives Initiative
Tags: Detention | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Guidelines revising/updating 2006 report, "An Overview of the JDAI Facility Site Assessment Process."
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New Mexico Develops Plan for Gender-Responsive Services and Programs for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System, H.M. 21
Tags: New Mexico | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
In response to a House Memorial passed in 2009, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department convened a task force to develop a sustainable plan for a continuum of gender-responsive services and programs for girls in the juvenile justice system. The initial legislative request for the task force cites the complex and unique needs of girls. The task force reviewed current risk assessment tools, existing treatment options for gender-responsive services and programs, and best practice models for implementing and sustaining gender-responsive services and programs. The task force's plan recommends implementation of a gender-specific curriculum and programming for all girls in the juvenile justice system. The 2011 legislative request to implement the plan notes the need for early intervention, involvement with families and communities, staff training, and standardized data collection, and also acknowledges the fiscal prudence of early intervention.
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California Corrections Standards Authority Must Inspect Facilities Where Juveniles Are Held for More than 24 Hours, S.B. 1447
Tags: California | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
California law requires the Corrections Standards Authority to inspect and collect relevant data from any facility that may be used for the secure detention of minors.
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New Hampshire Limits Use of Child Restraint Practices, S.B. 396
Tags: New Hampshire | Institutional Conditions | Juvenile Defense and Court Process | Legislation
Schools and juvenile facilities in New Hampshire may no longer use physical restraints or containment techniques that could endanger a youth, use chemical restraints, intentionally inflict pain on a child, or unnecessarily subject youth to ridicule, humiliation, or emotional trauma. Restraints may never be used “explicitly or implicitly” as punishment for a youth’s behavior.
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Office of Children and Family Services and U.S. Department of Justice Settlement on Facility Conditions, U.S. v. New York, July 14, 2010
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
A settlement agreement between the New York Office of Children and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) applies to conditions at four New York facilities. The settlement agreement includes provisions on use of restraints, use of force, reporting and investigating of incidents, use of psychotropic medications, treatment planning, substance abuse treatment, transition planning, quality assurance, and monitoring.
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California Acknowledges Rights of Youth and Importance of Treatment, S.C.R. 40
Tags: California | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Legislation
A Senate concurrent resolution in California acknowledges the role that substance abuse often plays in the lives of young offenders and sets forth the rights of all youth in the juvenile justice system. The resolution asserts rights to rehabilitation, treatment, education, family and social services, least restrictive alternatives, reintegration, nondiscrimination, safety and security, counsel, protection from self-incrimination, evidence-based practice, and speedy review. The resolution urges each facility in the state that houses youth or is responsible for the oversight of youth to adopt these rights into the regulations and common practices of the facility.
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Louisiana Creates Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards, H.B. 1477
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Detention reform in Louisiana passed another milestone in July 2011, when the Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards submitted a final draft of proposed standards to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The task force was created by legislation passed in 2010 (H.B. 1477). The standards—informed by the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative—end the use of restraint chairs and chemical restraints such as pepper spray in facilities; mandate that staff receive increased training, including on best practices for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth; address access to required educational and other services; and create procedures for reporting complaints. Final standards were promulgated January 31, 2012, with all facilities to be licensed and in compliance by the end of 2013.
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Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to Ensure Effective Delivery of Health Services for Youth in Custody, S.B. 1012
Tags: Florida | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Legislation
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) must adopt rules to ensure the effective provision of health services to youth in facilities or programs operated or contracted by DJJ. The rules must address ordinary medical care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, and services to youth with developmental disabilities.
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Colorado Explicitly Prohibits Staff Sexual Contact with Youth in Juvenile Facilities, H.B. 1277
Tags: Colorado | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
State law now protects both youth and adults in Colorado from sexual abuse and exploitation while confined. Prior law prohibited a correctional employee or volunteer in an adult criminal justice facility from engaging in sexual activity with an inmate; but youth in detention or commitment facilities were not explicitly protected under the law.
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New York City Council Passes Incident Reporting Law, Introduction 153-A
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The New York City Council mandated that the New York City Division of Youth and Family Justice (DYFJ) collect and make public data on injuries to youth in non-secure and secure detention, demographic data of youth in detention, and child abuse reports for youth in detention.
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New York City Council Passes Incident Reporting Law, Introduction 37-A
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The New York City Council mandated that the New York City Division of Youth and Family Justice (DYFJ) collect and make public data on injuries to youth in non-secure and secure detention, demographic data of youth in detention, and child abuse reports for youth in detention.
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Lauderdale County, Mississippi Settles Lawsuit over Abusive Conditions at Detention Center, E.W. v. Lauderdale County, April 30, 2010
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Lauderdale County, Mississippi settled a class-action lawsuit that alleged abusive conditions at the Lauderdale Juvenile Detention Center. The agreement ensures that youth at the detention center can no longer be locked in cells all day; ends the indiscriminate use of pepper spray and mace; requires clean and sanitary conditions; mandates health and mental health screening and treatment; requires adequate educational, rehabilitative, and recreational programs; and ends the use of a chair with mechanical restraints.
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Mississippi Expands Authority of Juvenile Detention Monitoring Unit, S.B. 2950
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Mississippi State Legislature expanded the authority of the state's juvenile detention monitoring unit, which is now responsible for investigating, evaluating, and securing the rights of youth held in juvenile justice facilities, including detention centers, training schools, and group homes, in order to ensure that the facilities operate in compliance with national best practices and state and federal law.
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Alabama Creates Commission on Girls and Women in the Criminal Justice System, H.B. 519
Tags: Alabama | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Alabama legislature created the Commission on Girls and Women in the Criminal Justice System to study the conditions, needs, issues, and problems of the criminal justice system in Alabama as it affects women and girls in the state. Based on research, investigation, and review, the commission is charged with developing comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for how to fix the system’s shortcomings.
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Understanding the BJS Study of Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities, Center for Children's Law and Policy
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Outlines the key findings and methodology of the January 2010 federal Bureau of Justice Statistics special report entitled, “Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09.”
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Youth’s Needs and Services: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement, Andrea J. Sedlak and Karla S. McPherson, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Key findings from the first Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) about the needs and service experiences of over 7,000 youth in custody.
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Washington Limits Use of Restraints on Pregnant Women and Girls, H.B. 2747
Tags: Washington | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Washington law bans all use of restraints on women and girls who are in labor or are recovering post-delivery. No correctional personnel are allowed in the room during labor or childbirth unless specifically requested by medical staff. The law additionally states that except in extraordinary circumstances, no restraints of any kind may be used on incarcerated pregnant women or girls in transit to or from medical appointments and court during the third trimester of pregnancy, or during postpartum recovery. If restraints are ever used on a pregnant woman or girl, they must be the least restrictive available and the most reasonable under the circumstances; the use of leg irons or waist chains is never permitted on a pregnant woman or girl.
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Wyoming Develops Juvenile Detention Facility Standards, S.F.O. 9
Tags: Wyoming | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Wyoming law now requires sheriffs to develop and implement uniform standards for juvenile detention facilities, with consideration of nationally-recognized criteria. Starting in March 2013, youth may not be detained in a secure juvenile detention facility unless the facility has adopted the standards.
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Louisiana Consent Decree Aims to Improve Conditions at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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Louisiana Education Consent Decree Aims to Improve Education at Orleans Parish Detention Center
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Mental Health and Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Court Decisions and Related Documents
In February 2010, two consent decrees were finalized regarding conditions of confinement and education at New Orleans’ juvenile detention center, the Youth Study Center. The consent decrees were filed in October 2009 following twenty-two months of negotiations after a class-action lawsuit was filed in December 2007. The lawsuit included allegations of locked fire doors with no available keys, insects and rodents biting youth, children with serious conditions being denied their medication, and suicidal youth not receiving mental health services. The consent decrees’ provisions include increased staffing for the Youth Study Center; increased training of all staff on such issues as suicide prevention, behavior, and classroom management; improved healthcare, including prohibiting staff from denying medical care to youth and increased medical and mental health staffing; increased focus on programming, education, and physical recreation; and an increase of one social worker per unit.
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Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997-2008, Melissa Sickmund, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Fact sheet on numbers of youth held in residential facilities across the country.
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Juvenile Life Without Parole Chart - National Conference of State Legislatures
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Life Without Parole and Parole Issues | Youth in the Adult System | Reports
The National Conference of State Legislatures summarizes the state of life without parole laws, as applied to youth across the country.
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Louisiana Establishes Standards for Juvenile Detention Facilities, January 31, 2012
Tags: Louisiana | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Administrative/Regulatory Policies
Detention reform in Louisiana passed another milestone in July 2011, when the Task Force on Juvenile Detention Center Standards submitted a final draft of proposed standards to the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The task force was created by legislation passed in 2010 (H.B. 1477). The standards—informed by the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative—end the use of restraint chairs and chemical restraints such as pepper spray in facilities; mandate that staff receive increased training, including on best practices for working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth; address access to required educational and other services; and create procedures for reporting complaints. Final standards were promulgated January 31, 2012, with all facilities to be licensed and in compliance by the end of 2013.
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Manhattan Judge Finds Shackling of Juveniles Illegal, John F. v. Gladys Carrion, January 25, 2010
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Shackling | Legislation
A ruling from the New York State Supreme Court repealed the state’s Office of Children and Family Services’ shackling policy that had been in place since 1996. According to the decision, the current policy requiring shackling of any child in custody being transported between state facilities or from a facility to anywhere else violates the state’s law on shackling youth, which allows shackling of only dangerous youth as a last resort, and only for up to half an hour.
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Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report finding that youth in juvenile corrections facilities are sexually abused at alarming rates and are victimized significantly more often than adult inmates.
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New Mexico Develops Plan for Gender-Responsive Services and Programs for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System, H.M. 40
Tags: New Mexico | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
In response to a House Memorial passed in 2009, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department convened a task force to develop a sustainable plan for a continuum of gender-responsive services and programs for girls in the juvenile justice system. The initial legislative request for the task force cites the complex and unique needs of girls. The task force reviewed current risk assessment tools, existing treatment options for gender-responsive services and programs, and best practice models for implementing and sustaining gender-responsive services and programs. The task force's plan recommends implementation of a gender-specific curriculum and programming for all girls in the juvenile justice system. The 2011 legislative request to implement the plan notes the need for early intervention, involvement with families and communities, staff training, and standardized data collection, and also acknowledges the fiscal prudence of early intervention.
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Charting a New Course: A Blueprint for Transforming Juvenile Justice in New York State, Jeremy Travis,
Tags: New York | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports
A Report of Governor David Paterson's Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice. Report finds New York State's system of juvenile prisons to be seriously flawed. The governor-appointed task force found the facilities to have dangerous and abusive conditions as well as inadequate programming and education.
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Why Juvenile Detention Makes Teens Worse, TIME, Maia Szalavitz
Tags: Detention | Institutional Conditions | Media
Magazine article reporting on recent research on the contagious effect of delinquent behavior in juvenile detention centers.
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Report on Investigation of the Lansing Residential Center, Louis Gossett, Jr. Residential Center, Tryon Residential Center, and Tryon Girls Center, United States Department of Justice
Tags: New York | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Department of Justice exposes abuse in four youth prison facilities in New York.
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Conditions of Confinement, National Juvenile Justice Network Policy Platform
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports | NJJN Publications
In this policy platform, the National Juvenile Justice Network offers recommendations on how to improve conditions of confinement for youth involved in the justice system.
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Harrison County, Mississippi Commits to Improving Detention Center Conditions, D.W. v. Harrison County, Case No. 1:09-cv-267 LG-RHN (S.D. Miss.), Jun 24, 2009
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Harrison County, Mississippi settled a federal class-action lawsuit that sought to end the physical abuse of youth, denial of mental health care for suicidal youth, and other unconstitutional conditions in the Harrison County Juvenile Detention Center. The settlement addresses overcrowding, cell confinement, use of restraints, use of force, suicide prevention, hygiene and sanitation, and staff training.
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National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Report
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report on the status of youth in adult jails and prisons as part of a nationwide examination of sexual assault in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
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Hawaii Officials Gain Authority to Investigate Incidents at Youth Facilities, H.B. 1101
Tags: Hawaii | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Hawaii State Legislature authorized the Director of Human Services to appoint investigators to examine incidents at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF), and gave these investigators access to necessary information maintained by state and county entities. The investigations cover incidents of use of force, staff-on-youth violence, serious youth-on-youth violence, inappropriate staff relationships with youth, sexual misconduct between youth, and abusive institutional practices at HYCF.
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New York City Requires Department of Corrections to Collect Data on Adolescents in City Jails, Introduction 0937-2009
Tags: New York | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
In response to the fatal beating of a youth on Rikers Island, the New York City Council passed a bill that requires the Department of Corrections to collect data on adolescents in city jails. Rikers Island houses nearly 900 youth between 16 and 18 years old. The security-related data being gathered includes, among other indicators, the number of stabbings/slashings and fights resulting in serious injury, number of attempted suicides, and incidents of sexual assault.
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Arkansas Mandates New Education System for Youth Residential Facilities, H.B. 1932
Tags: Arkansas | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Finding the current education program of the Arkansas Division of Youth Services (DYS) "lacking," the General Assembly passed a law that requires the Arkansas Department of Education to establish guidelines for and monitor DYS' education system for youth in its residential facilities.
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Arkansas Requires Detailed Treatment Plans for Committed Youth, S.B. 776
Tags: Arkansas | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Arkansas Division of Youth Services must file with the court a treatment plan for all committed youth no later than 30 days from the commitment order or before the youth's release, whichever is sooner. Treatment plans must detail the type of programs and services to be provided to the youth; state the anticipated length of commitment; include recommendations as to the most appropriate post-commitment placement for the youth; detail any post-commitment community-based services that will be offered to the youth and his or her family; and outline an aftercare plan.
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New Mexico Prohibits Use of Restraints on Girls in Labor, S.B. 423
Tags: New Mexico | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Law prohibits the use of any kind of restraints on an inmate who is in labor, delivering her baby, or recuperating from the delivery, unless there are grounds to believe that she presents an immediate threat of harm to herself, staff, or others, or is a substantial flight risk. The law also mandates that an adult or juvenile correctional facility, detention center, or local jail use the least restrictive restraints necessary when the facility has knowledge that an inmate is in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.
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D.W. v. Harrison County, Complaint, Mississippi
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Court complaint filed against Harrison County, Mississippi to stop abuses at the juvenile detention center.
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Missouri System Treats Juvenile Offenders with Lighter Hand, New York Times
Tags: Missouri | Institutional Conditions | Media
Article highlighting successful reforms in the Missouri juvenile justice system.
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Breaking the Cycle of Abuse in Juvenile Facilities, Barry Krisberg, National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Tags: California | Florida | Indiana | Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report focusing on abuse of youth in custody in California, Texas, Florida, and Indiana. Reviews data on abuse of youth in juvenile facilities and calls attention to areas where data is lacking.
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Arizona Supreme Court Juvenile Detention Standards
Tags: Arizona | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Arizona Supreme Court developed detailed juvenile detention standards to be followed by all Arizona juvenile courts. The standards cover a wide array of topics, including personnel, monitoring, risk assessments, academic services, health services, recreation, juvenile rights, restraints, food services, and facility design. Implementation of the standards in 2010 has led to six operational reviews and improvements to policies, practices, and services provided to detained youth. Positive changes include reduction in the time frame for requesting educational and medical records; improved staffing ratios; officer training; collaborations with community agencies to improve medical and behavioral health services; development and improvement of positive reinforcement-based behavior management systems; and improvements in direct supervision of youth.
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New Mexico Develops Plan for Gender-Responsive Services and Programs for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System, H.M. 13
Tags: New Mexico | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
In response to a House Memorial passed in 2009, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department convened a task force to develop a sustainable plan for a continuum of gender-responsive services and programs for girls in the juvenile justice system. The initial legislative request for the task force cites the complex and unique needs of girls. The task force reviewed current risk assessment tools, existing treatment options for gender-responsive services and programs, and best practice models for implementing and sustaining gender-responsive services and programs. The task force's plan recommends implementation of a gender-specific curriculum and programming for all girls in the juvenile justice system. The 2011 legislative request to implement the plan notes the need for early intervention, involvement with families and communities, staff training, and standardized data collection, and also acknowledges the fiscal prudence of early intervention.
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California Passes Family Communication and Youth Rehabilitation Act, California, S.B. 1250/Chapter 522
Tags: California | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Ensures parents and guardians are notified in cases of emergency; provides for notification to families of upcoming parole hearings; allows youth to speak on the phone with family, clergy or legal counsel in their native language; requires youth facilities to provide blank paper, envelopes and pencils to youth in a manner consistent with institutional safety; allows youth to write letters to family, clergy or counsel in their native language; and provides youth with a written description of rights while in custody. The Act is expected to reduce recidivism by allowing for greater family communication.
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Missouri Division of Youth Services Wins Innovations in American Government Award, Press Release
Tags: Missouri | Institutional Conditions | Reports
The Missouri Division of Youth Services serves youth offenders in small, dormitory settings and takes a therapeutic approach, viewing youth as a direct product of their experiences and capable of turning their lives around through a step by step change process. Through ongoing group therapy, dedicated staff, relationships with the court system, and strong community support in the form of liaison councils and neighborhood advisory boards, the program cites measurable results in halting the cycle of juvenile crime. Not only does the program note significant reductions in violence while youth are enrolled in DYS, over 90 percent of youth avoid further incarceration for three years or more after graduating from the program.
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Sexual Violence Reported by Juvenile Correctional Authorities, 2005-06, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
State, local and private juvenile correctional authorities reported an estimated 4,072 allegations of sexual violence involving youth held in juvenile facilities during 2005 and 2006, about one in five of which were confirmed after an investigation. About 32 percent of the allegations involved staff sexual misconduct and 11 percent involved staff sexual harassment. The report is part of the data collection required under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 and is prepared annually.
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Louisiana Closes Abusive Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, Louisiana S.B. 749/Act 565
Tags: Louisiana | Deinstitutionalization | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
The Jetson Correctional Center for Youth, the site of widespread violence and the tragic death of a child who was just weeks away from his release, closed June 30, 2009.
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K.C. v. Nedelkoff, Complaint of ACLU on Behalf of Texas Girl Inmates
Tags: Texas | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Court complaint filed by the ACLU on behalf of female inmates in Texas in order to stop abuses at detention centers for female offenders.
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Mississippi Closes Abusive Training School for Girls, Mississippi, H.B. 244/Chapter 555
Tags: Mississippi | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
After a lawsuit filed in 2007, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill to close the Columbia Training School for girls.
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Rhode Island Sets Limit on Juvenile Facility's Population, Rhode Island, H. 7204A/Chapter 9
Tags: Rhode Island | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Sets a limit on the number of youth who may be housed at the Rhode Island Training School.
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District of Columbia's Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services Among Top 50 Innovations in Government, Harvard's Kennedy School Ash Institute Press Release
Tags: District of Columbia | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Descriptions of the Top 50 Innovations in Government submissions.
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Sex Abuse and Violence at Teen Jails, CNN
Tags: Detention | Institutional Conditions | Media
CNN article describing various instances of violence in youth detention centers around the country.
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Juvenile Justice Reform on Track in Ohio: Class Action Settlement Filed, Press Release, Ohio Department of Youth Services and Gerhardstein and Branch
Tags: Ohio | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Press release announcing settlement of S.H. v. Stickrath class action lawsuit in Ohio.
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Mississippi Sets Educational Standards and Appropriations for Detained Youth, Mississippi, H.B. 348
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Sets new standards for education and requires the annual appropriation of sufficient funds for the provision of educational services to detained youth.
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Pepper Spray in the Texas Youth Commission: Research Review and Policy Recommendations, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report highlighting key findings from research on the use of pepper spray, and making recommendations for decreasing the use of pepper spray while improving safety.
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California Passes Bill of Rights for Youth, California, S.B. 518
Tags: California | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Requires all facilities of the Division of Juvenile Facilities to provide care, placement and services to youth without discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or HIV status.
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Residential Treatment Programs: Concerns Regarding Abuse and Death in Certain Program for Troubled Youth, Government Accountability Office
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Highlights of testimony from the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) testimony about abuse in certain programs for troubled youth. GAO found thousands of allegations of abuse, some of which involved death, at residential treatment programs across the country and in American-owned and American-operated facilities abroad between the years 1990 and 2007. Allegations included reports of abuse and death recorded by state agencies and the Department of Health and Human Services, allegations detailed in pending civil and criminal trials with hundreds of plaintiffs, and claims of abuse and death that were posted on the Internet.
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Report on Private Youth Prison, Office of the Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Privatization | Reports
Report of observations from site visit to a private youth facility in Texas. Overall report consensus is that the youth at this private facility did not have the proper programming or resources.
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Site Visit Report: Coke County Juvenile Justice Center, Office of the Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Youth Commission
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report of observations from site visit to a private youth facility in Texas. Overall report consensus is that the youth at this private facility did not have the proper programming or resources.
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Lawsuit Filed Over Treatment of Girls at State Reform Schools in Mississippi, New York Times
Tags: Mississippi | Girls | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents | Media
New York Times article about a lawsuit filed on behalf of female youth offenders who were subjected to abusive conditions at their Mississippi reform school.
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Texas Creates Ombudsman's Office for Incarcerated Youth, Texas, S.B. 103
Tags: Texas | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Mandates the creation of an ombudsman's office to oversee conditions of confinement and treatment of incarcerated youth.
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Mississippi Sets Educational Standards for Detained Youth, S.B. 2818/Chapter 568
Tags: Mississippi | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Sets new educational standards for youth in detention and requires annual appropriation of sufficient funds for the provision of these educational services.
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Critical Needs of Maryland's Youth Facilities, Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, Office of the Attorney General, Second Quarter
Tags: Maryland | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report summarizing major concerns in Department of Juvenile Services residential facilities identified this reporting period, as well as deficiencies or concerns reported in earlier periods that have not been corrected.
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Maryland Expands Monitoring of Residential Facilities, Maryland, S.B. 360
Tags: Maryland | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Expands the responsibilities of the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit to include monitoring of any facility licensed by the Department of Juvenile Services.
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Report on Conditions at Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center, Vermont Protection and Advocacy, December 2006
Tags: Vermont | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Between 2007 and 2011, Vermont’s Woodside Juvenile Rehabilitation Center’s Detention Unit improved its conditions of confinement and services to youth, including provision of adequate heat and air conditioning, cleaning services, special education services, mental health treatment, and case management coordination, as well as decreases in the use of seclusion and restraint. Additionally, Woodside currently shares copies of all use-of-force reports with Vermont’s federally authorized Protection and Advocacy organization. The facility implemented the changes after five years of advocacy efforts to improve conditions at the facility.
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Dangers of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities, Justice Policy Institute
Tags: Detention | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Policy brief looking at the impact of detention on young people, their families, and communities. Brief shows that, given the new findings that detaining youth may not make communities safer, the costs of needlessly detaining young people who do not need to be there are simply too high. Policymakers instead should look to detention reform as a means to reduce the number of young people needlessly detained, and reinvest the savings in juvenile interventions proven to reduce recidivism and crime, and that can help build healthy and safe communities.
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Do You Know Where the Children Are?, Barbara Fedders and Barbara Kaban
Tags: Massachusetts | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report on youth held without bail in Massachusetts.
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Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002: Selected Findings, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Census designed to collect information on such characteristics as type, size, structure, security arrangements, and ownership. Survey also examines a range of services provided to youth in residential facilities and reports on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody. Data indicate that the number of juvenile offenders in custody nationwide decreased seven percent between 2000 and 2002; decreases averaging 13 percent were seen in 36 states, while 12 states had increases averaging 11 percent. The number of youth who died in custody also declined between 2000 and 2002, from 30 to 26. Data suggest that crowding is a problem in a significant number of residential facilities, but there are signs of improvement.
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Florida Ends Juvenile Boot Camps, Florida, H.B. 5019
Tags: Florida | Institutional Conditions | Privatization | Legislation
The Florida legislature included provisions within the state budget to close all four juvenile boot camps by July 2007.
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Oklahoma Plans for Individual Rehabilitative Needs, Oklahoma, S.B. 1799
Tags: Oklahoma | Aftercare/Reentry | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Requires the Office of Juvenile Affairs to establish a rehabilitative plan for each youthful offender.
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An Overview of the JDAI Facility Site Assessment Process, Center for Children's Law and Policy
Tags: Detention | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Overview document providing (1) a summary of the entire facility site assessment process from start to finish, (2) an extensive set of standards contained in the JDAI Facility Site Assessment Instrument (3) a set of “How To” documents that provide suggestions for assessing each major issue area involved in a facility assessment (4) additional handouts and materials presented in conjunction with trainings on how to conduct an assessment.
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Treated Like Trash: Youth in Detention Before, During and After Hurricane Katrina, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report following the journey taken by youth offenders in New Orleans post-Katrina. Report has three objectives: (1) to allow the children held at OPP to tell the story of what happened to them inside that prison before, during and after Hurricane Katrina; (2) to identify the institutional failures present long before the storm which allowed for these events to take place; and (3) to begin the discussion on how to reform the city's juvenile justice system.
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Colorado Aligns with JJDPA Requirements, Colorado, H.B. 06-1112
Tags: Colorado | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Amends the state's Juvenile Law to align with requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The law now limits temporary detention to a maximum of six hours and requires separation from adults in prison.
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Conditions of Confinement Memorandum of Agreement Between U.S. and Hawaii, February 7, 2006
Tags: Hawaii | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Hawaii State Legislature authorized the Director of Human Services to appoint investigators to examine incidents at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF), and gave these investigators access to necessary information maintained by state and county entities. The investigations cover incidents of use of force, staff-on-youth violence, serious youth-on-youth violence, inappropriate staff relationships with youth, sexual misconduct between youth, and abusive institutional practices at HYCF.
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Hawaii to Improve Conditions in Detention Facility, Memorandum of Agreement
Tags: Hawaii | Detention | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
The Hawaii legislature provided emergency funding to make improvements at the Youth Detention Facility in line with the Department of Justice recommendations.
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Maryland Improves Conditions of Confinement, Maryland, S.B. 502
Tags: Maryland | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Requires private residential facilities serving youth to have an educational program that is subject to approval by the Maryland State Department of Education.
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Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2004, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
First-ever national survey of administrative records on sexual violence in adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Although data are limited to incidents reported to correctional authorities during 2004, the survey provides an understanding of how administrators respond to sexual violence. The survey also collects basic counts of substantiated incidents, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, and sanctions imposed.
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Montana Allows Detained Youth to Maintain Cultural and Religious Heritage, Montana, H.B. 696
Tags: Montana | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Requires that whenever a youth is removed from the home, the youth is entitled to maintain their ethnic, cultural or religious practices.
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Mississippi Improves Monitoring and Conditions in Training Schools, Mississippi, S.B. 2366
Tags: Mississippi | Institutional Conditions | Legislation
Improves monitoring of conditions at training schools and requires individualized care for youth with serious emotional disorders.
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New York Combats Discrimination and Harassment of Youth, New York, A. 6502
Tags: New York | Racial and Ethnic Disparities | Institutional Conditions | LGBTQ Youth | Legislation
Prohibits discrimination and harassment against youth by employees in a facility; directs the Office of Child and Family Services to create policies and guidelines to be used in facility training curricula to create an environment free from harassment and discrimination; outlines the responsibilities of the Commissioner to develop model anti-discrimination policies and to create a procedure for reporting incidents of discrimination and harassment; and, provides for the protection of people who report discrimination or harassment.
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Report on the Reform Initiative at the Connecticut Juvenile Training School, The Justice Education Center
Tags: Connecticut | Institutional Conditions | Reports
Report providing an historical context of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School reform initiative, describing the facility and clientele prior to and after the reform, and documenting and analyzing the activities of the first five months of the reform: the issues that were addressed; the planning of the reform initiative; and the changes that have been made thus far. The report also identifies internal and external factors that influenced change-those that presented obstacles to reform and those that enabled reform-and explores the challenges that lie ahead
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Reforming Juvenile Delinquency Treatment to Enhance Rehabilitation, Personal Accountability, and Public Safety, Douglas E. Abrams, Oregon Law Review
Tags: Institutional Conditions | Reports
Article describing the widespread violence, beatings, and abuse the U.S. Justice Department has found in the nation's juvenile prisons. Article discusses the Missouri's Division of Youth Services, which is considered the national model of sound practices, and concludes with recommendations for national reform.
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Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections
Tags: Federal | Aftercare/Reentry | Community-Based Alternatives and Supervision | General System Reform | Institutional Conditions | Fact Sheets and Briefs
A toolkit that speaks to how to better support and improve the long-term outcomes for youth with disabilities in juvenile correctional facilities.
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T.I. v. Delia, Consent Decrees and Orders, Washington State Superior Court, King County
Tags: Washington | Institutional Conditions | Court Decisions and Related Documents
Landmark settlement over suit on conditions of confinement in Washington State.
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Louisiana Law Helps Ensure Education of Youth in Juvenile Justice System
Tags: Louisiana | Institutional Conditions | School-to-Prison Pipeline | Correctional Education | Legislation
Louisiana now allows students who are expelled from school for offenses involving weapons or controlled substances to attend alternative education programs. Such students were previously excluded from these programs. Law also now requires the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish provisions for agreements between school authorities and education service providers that ensure the education of students who are adjudicated delinquent, adjudicated in need of service, placed in a juvenile facility, assigned to a community based-program, or suspended or expelled for weapons or controlled dangerous substance offenses. These rules and regulations must provide for academic, behavioral, and mental health interventions that focus on positive reinforcement, mentoring, experiential learning, employability, and success in the community. H.B. 1209/Act No. 831, signed into law and effective June 14, 2012.