December 21, 2012

News and Advances from the Field
A Flash Mob, Family Engagement, and MOre
Update from Youth Justice Leadership Institute Alumna, Rukia Lumumba 

As the 2012 Youth Justice Leadership Institute Fellows settle in, the 2011 Fellows continue to make an impact. Below, Institute alumna Rukia Lumumba shares what she has been up to since the end of her Institute fellowship. -Ed.

I continue to push forward toward juvenile justice transformation in New York City. In an effort to continue my advocacy project work around family engagement in the juvenile justice system, I assisted in the coordination of the New York City release of Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice, released by Justice for Families and DataCenter. As a result of the report and the work of families and advocates, I, along with a small committee of organizations and parents, meet monthly with the Department of Probation to reform their policy and practices around family engagement in the juvenile justice system. I give tremendous thanks to my mentor, Liane Rozzell of [NJJN member] Families & Allies of Virginia's Youth, for her continued guidance.

Where's the flash mob? Read on!
Models for Change Relaunches Website, Releases New Publications
The Models for Change initiative of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation just revamped its website, at www.modelsforchange.net. 

The result is beautiful and highly functional, making it easy to find information and publications connected to this initiative. (Many of NJJN's own publications are featured there, along with those of our partners.) Why not take a tour?

Plus, the newest "innovation briefs" from the Models for Change are now available! Nine new briefs cover a wide range of topics, including automatic transfer laws, reducing school juvenile justice referrals, addressing mental health needs, reducing racial and ethnic disparities, and family engagement.

 

In addition, Models for Change also released an update on Pathways to Desistance research - the well-known, long-term study of youth who committed serious offenses - and a "headlines" document that provides a useful overview of the significant role Models for Change has played in shifting paradigms and policy affecting juvenile justice systems in various states around the country, along with examples of progress in specific communities.

 

 Tour the new Models for Change website!  

 

Download the latest publications from Models for Change now!
Members in Motion
TeamChild Releases Report on the Effects of Exclusionary Discipline
In 2010, aware that youth in the state of Washington were not exempt from the pushout occurring in schools across the country due to exclusionary disciplinary practices, advocates began sifting through public records and collecting data on the effects of the state's school discipline policies.  
 
Now, after two years of work, NJJN member TeamChild--together with Washington Appleseed--has released Reclaiming Students: the Educational and Economic Costs of Exclusionary Discipline in Washington State. The report focuses on five key findings and recommendations, based on qualitative and quantitative data. It also includes the stories of youth across the state. 
 
� Download TeamChild's Reclaiming Students report. 
 
�  VIDEO: "Labeled," by TeamChild, in which youth tell their own stories of being pushed out of school by exclusionary discipline policies.

Engaging Families: Tune in to the Podcast

  

Last week, Liane Rozzell of Families & Allies of Virginia's Youth, an NJJN member, joined a panel of guests for an episode of "Spotlight on Youth." The panel, which included Margaret diZerega, Director of the Family Justice Program at the Vera Institute of Justice, and Rebecca Garza, Family Liaison Coordinator at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, met to discuss the role of family engagement and case management, highlight different approaches being implemented across the country, and to share the experiences of those working closely with system-involved youth and families. 

 

� Listen to "Spotlight on Youth" on demand.

In This Issue
A Flash Mob, Family Engagement, and More
New Website & Publications from Models for Change
NJJN Members in Motion
Eyewitness Recap of Senate Hearing on School Pushout
Webinar: How to Calculate the Cost of a Youth Arrest
NEW! NJJN Policy Update on Juvenile Diversion

eyewitness summary of the First-Ever U.S. Senate Hearing on Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline

  

juvenile-justice-reform_school-discipline Over 400 people were in attendance at last week's first-ever hearing on ending the school to prison pipeline, led by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. 

 

Betsy Clark of the Illinois Juvenile Justice Initiative, an NJJN member, attended the hearing and summarized the event.

  

Click here to read her full summary or listen to recorded coverage.

 

Photo: PoliticalActivityLaw

reminder! REgister now for Jan. 9 Cost-of-Arrest WEbinar
Do you know what it costs to arrest a youth in your community? Do policymakers?

Let NJJN's Fiscal Policy Center help you answer these questions. In our upcoming one-hour webinar, staff from our Fiscal Policy Center will walk through our new cost of arrest toolkit and answer all of your questions.

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, January 9, 2013, at 11 am PST / 1 pm CST / 2:00 PM EST.

� Sign up now!

Photo: 401K, under Creative Commons License.  
NEW! NJJN policy update on juvenile Diversion 
Juvenile diversion programs result in improved outcomes for youth, cost-savings, and increased public safety. But they could be more widely used -- and existing programs could be improved.

A new policy update from NJJN, "Diverting Youth From The Justice System: Why and How," briefly summarizes some of the research on diversion and the contents of The Juvenile Diversion Guidebook, a resource from Models for Change that offers users practical insight, advice, and direction in developing and improving diversion programs. 

 

STAY CONNECTED
email
Get Email Updates
Support NJJN
Your support is an invaluable part of NJJN's work!

NJJN MEMBERS BY STATE