Save the Date

The next formal JDCAP Board Membership meeting will be held on June 19, at the CCAP office (2789 Old Post Road, Harrisburg, PA 17110).

Additional Information

Funding Opportunity To Support Youth Violence Prevention Technical Assistance

OJJDP has announced the fiscal year 2014 Youth Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Program funding opportunity. This program will provide technical assistance to communities, tribes, and agencies funded under the Defending Childhood, National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, and Community-Based Violence Prevention Program. Applications are due by July 7, 2014.

National Center for Juvenile Justice Launches Web Site To Chart Juvenile Justice Change

The National Center for Juvenile Justice has launched Juvenile Justice GPS-Geography, Policy, Practice & Statistics (JJGPS), an online resource that the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation funds. This Web site features national and state statistics on state laws and juvenile justice practice to help policymakers and stakeholders chart juvenile justice system change. Six juvenile justice reform sections will be launched this year. The first section-jurisdictional boundaries-examines laws governing the transfer of juvenile offenders to criminal court to be tried as adults. Subsequent sections will focus on juvenile defense, racial/ethnic fairness, juvenile justice services, status offense issues, and systems integration.

The National Center for Juvenile Justice is the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

OJJDP Bulletin Examines Behavioral Health Problems, Treatment, and Outcomes in Youth Offenders

OJJDP has released "Behavioral Health Problems, Treatment, and Outcomes in Serious Youthful Offenders," the latest bulletin in the Pathways to Desistance series. This bulletin assesses the overlap between behavioral health problems and the risk of offending behavior in a sample of serious youthful offenders, the delivery of mental health and substance abuse treatment in juvenile justice settings, and continuation of care in the community after release. The authors also discuss the implications for juvenile justice policy and practice and recommend ways to direct mental health and treatment services to reduce future offending.

The findings are the result of the OJJDP cosponsored Pathways to Desistance study, which investigates the factors that lead serious juvenile offenders to cease or continue offending.

Resources:

View and download this bulletin and others in the Pathways to Desistance series.

Council of State Governments Releases School Discipline Consensus Report

On June 3, 2014, the Council of State Governments Justice Center released the School Discipline Consensus Report, a comprehensive set of policy statements and recommendations that public schools and others can use to move beyond discipline and law enforcement responses that inappropriately remove students from the classroom. The report addresses how to improve conditions for learning and use graduated responses to address misbehavior. The Council of State Governments Justice Center worked with a core group of more than 100 experts over the past 3 years to identify evidence-based recommendations to reform disciplinary systems in public schools. Researchers interviewed more than 700 people, including school administrators, justice officials, educational organizations, advocates, students, and parents to develop this comprehensive national roadmap for school discipline reform.

This report was developed with financial support from OJJDP, the Atlantic Philanthropies, the California Endowment, Novo Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations.

National Gang Center Releases Video on Youth Gang Joining

OJJDP, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the National Gang Center have released the online video "Why Youth Join Gangs." The video features gang researchers and practitioners providing their perspectives on gang joining plus youth sharing their gang experiences. This presentation highlights individual, family, school, peer, and community risk factors that may play a role in a youth's decision to join a gang. The video also addresses behaviors and circumstances that might be observed when interacting with youth at high risk of joining a gang.

Webinar To Examine School Discipline Laws and Regulations

On June 11, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. ET, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education will present "School Discipline Laws and Regulations." This 90-minute presentation, sixth in the 2014 Supportive School Discipline Webinar series, will provide an in-depth review of the Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations, a key document in the School Discipline Guidance Package. Presenters will highlight policymaking trends related to school discipline and the implications for implementing new policy at the local level. Participants will learn:

• How to find and use state laws and regulations related to school discipline.
• The latest trends in school discipline policymaking.
• About states and districts that are implementing laws and regulations that align with the supportive school discipline principles.
• How school discipline laws and regulations can be effectively implemented at a local level via the school board.

Resources:

Registration information is available online.

Brief Explores Supervision Strategies for Justice-Involved Youth

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) has released "Supervision Strategies for Justice-Involved Youth." This policy brief describes strategies to improve supervision of low- and moderate-risk youth on probation, parole, or under community supervision to keep them out of the juvenile justice system. Key strategies explored include reducing supervision of youth who do not need it, avoiding unnecessary revocations, and engaging youth with families and service providers.

This brief is part of a series based on NCCD's national study on youth deincarceration.