1 “A child can walk around trouble if there is some place to walk to and someone to walk with.”

2 Unlocking Your Community’s Hidden Assets: A Guidebook to Community Asset-Mapping a collaborative venture by: Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs Alabama Department of Youth Services Alabama Administrative Office of Courts Jefferson County Family Court Jefferson County Children’s Policy Council Children First Foundation VOICES and many others…..

3 * Governor Bob Riley, Press Release: New Law Reforms Juvenile Justice System, May 12, 2008, available at “Alabama’s juvenile justice system is flooded with low-risk children in expensive institutions. Many of those children have never even committed a crime. -- Governor Bob Riley, 2008*

4 Incarceration is the most expensive and least effective means of addressing juvenile delinquency The average DYS commitment costs at least $20,000 per child National studies show that 50%-70% of youth released from juvenile prisons will re-offend within one year Non-residential, community-based sanctions cost far less than incarceration Community-based sanctions that focus on the family can reduce juvenile crime by up to 80%

5 Incarceration is not just expensive – it also hurts children, families, and communities Fiscal waste – consumes scarce resources that could be invested in local programs and services Crime school – exposes troubled youth to the worst possible role models Temporary fix – youth return to the same troubled families and communities Educational set-backs – schools are reluctant to re-enroll youth upon release from DYS

6 Leading up to 2006, DYS had spent millions of dollars trying to keep up with the growing demand for juvenile prisons for low-risk children. * Projected admissions rely on a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.80%, which was calculated from the actual increases in admissions from 1996 through DYS ADMISSIONS: ACTUAL & PROJECTED* If commitments had continued to rise, DYS would have hit a record high by To accommodate this trend, the state would have needed more than $15 million in new money to expand capacity.

7 The growing demand for DYS beds had nothing to do with serious juvenile crime, which had been declining for years. Statewide, juvenile arrests for serious violent crimes decreased by 45% from 1995 to Despite this significant drop in serious juvenile arrests, DYS admissions rose by 128%. ADMISSIONS TO DYS VS. JUVENILE ARRESTS Sources: Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center ( DYS Website (dys.alabama.gov), “ Youth Admitted by DYS in ”

8 In 2003, 40% of youth in DYS custody were there for probation violations and other non-criminal conduct – more than double the national average. PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH IN CUSTODY FOR TECHNICAL VIOLATIONS AND STATUS OFFENSES, 2003 % of low-risk youth in AL DYS was more than double the US average 1 Sources: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement Databook”

9 The Turning Point: Getting Smart about Juvenile Crime

10 Recognizing that our system was on the verge of crisis, state and local leaders resolved to turn things around. Governor Bob Riley asked the Annie E. Casey Foundation to help the state reduce juvenile incarceration. Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb led a committee of judges who proposed sweeping changes to the Juvenile Code. Chief Justice Cobb was also instrumental in securing Casey’s assistance. DYS Director Walter Wood echoed the Governor’s request to Casey and launched a variety of reform initiatives at DYS. Juvenile judges from around the state launched local reform efforts, including the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).

11 In 2007, the Casey Foundation made a significant investment in Alabama by launching two juvenile justice reform initiatives. Casey Strategic Consulting Group (CSCG) * Invited by Governor Riley & DYS Director Walter Wood * Focused on state level change Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) * Invited by Chief Justice Cobb & several Juvenile judges * Locally-driven, locally-controlled Both aim to improve outcomes for children while protecting public safety, reducing juvenile incarceration, and eliminating fiscal waste.

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13 The Past Three Years: Juvenile Justice Reform in Alabama

was a turning point for juvenile justice. Instead of continuing to rise, DYS admissions finally began to drop. * Projected admissions rely on a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.80%, which was calculated from the actual increases in admissions from 1996 through DYS ADMISSIONS: ACTUAL & PROJECTED* In 2007, DYS saw only 3,117 admissions -- 9% fewer than expected. In 2008, DYS saw only 2,450 admissions – 31% fewer than expected. As of September 2010, DYS projected it would admit only 1,976 youth in 2010 – 47% fewer than projected prior to reform.

15 As the number of children behind bars has fallen, so has serious juvenile crime. DECLINES IN SERIOUS JUVENILE CRIME, In the first year of JDAI, serious juvenile crime fell by 19% – three times the drop in other counties (6%). Through JDAI, counties have reduced their reliance on juvenile detention & DYS while also improving public safety. Other counties JDAI counties Source data generated by the Administrative Office of Courts on May 18, “ Serious juvenile crime ” measures all felony person charges filed in juvenile court.

16 A new DYS grant program has established a competitive, transparent, data-driven, and accountable process to ensure that grants are only used for programs that work. Because research has shown that non-residential services are the most cost-effective way to combat juvenile crime, grant funds may not be used for residential programs. Grant applications must be grounded in real data about risk factors and needs common to the children who will be targeted by the new program. To ensure fiscal accountability, grantees are required to make regular reports to DYS concerning children served by the program. Renewal decisions will be made annually, based on results achieved by the program.

17 Key Facts about DYS Grants Goal: To fund community-based sanctions for youth who would otherwise be sent to DYS Must build programs around children, not around vendors Grant applications must be based on specific risks and needs of the population that your county has previously committed to DYS Grant agreements provide that DYS is providing funds to the county in exchange for a set reduction in DYS commitments Next round to be announced by DYS in early 2011 For more information, check the DYS website:

18 By protecting funding for grants and ensuring that those grants actually result in fewer commitments, DYS and courts are creating a self-sustaining cycle that will continue to grow the grant fund. More dollars available for alternatives Fewer admissions to DYS Lower ADP Reduced bed capacity Fewer dollars dedicated to residential

19 But despite all this progress, Alabama’s residential facilities continue to be filled with children who are frustrating – not children who are dangerous. Few courts believe that DYS or detention can really “fix” a child Children are often incarcerated due to the frustration of adults, and a sense of pressure to “do something” Community asset-mapping allows Children’s Policy Councils to discover better ways to “do something” – something that could really make the difference for a child People, not courts, are the solutions to the problems that many of our children face

20 The spirit of community service is strong in Alabama. Alabamians have demonstrated time and time again their ability to step up and meet challenges together. –Tens of thousands serve in our armed forces –Multitudes went to rebuild the Gulf Coast after Katrina –Every week, millions of us gather at churches to work together, support each other, and share in celebrations and defeats.

21 That spirit of service can be directed to children in need. Hundreds of thousands of Alabamians are waiting on the sidelines, ready, willing, and able to serve their community. The only thing stopping them is that they don’t know who to help, where to go, or how to get involved.

22 What is “Community Asset Mapping”?

23 Community Asset Mapping rejects the habit of defining communities by their problems. Focusing on a community’s deficits produces an endless and defeatist cycle that does not provide solutions: No Solutions “We can’t help children adopt better behaviors because their parents are inept, their schools useless, and their peers unemployed or on drugs.” Trapped

24 This approach puts the building blocks of success into the hands of the community. Community Asset Mapping begins with the idea that you build community-based supports with what you have, not with what you’re missing. Churches Retirees Local Businesses Sports Teams Artists & Musicians Positive Programs for Children Strengths Based Model

25 Asset-based approaches recognize that every community has gifts that can be leveraged to support children. Our Community’s Assets Sports Teams Educational Supports Tutors Music, Theater, and Other Lessons Local Businesses Skills and Resources of Community Members Mentors Churches

26 How does Community Asset Mapping work?

27 Unlocking Your Community’s Hidden Assets: A Guide to Community Asset-Mapping 1.Locate and target your work by identifying the neediest areas. 2.Survey members of the Children ’ s Policy Council and court officers to centralize information already known. 3. Discover new community groups that work with children or would be willing to start. 4. Unlock new resources and connect them with children. The Guide will provide a 4-step process for asset-mapping

28 1. Locate Where are your neediest children? What do those children need to be successful? Location Sheet for Development of Community-Based Programs Where do the children who face the most risks live? Use neighborhood names, ZIP code, or any other description that works best for your community. For this question, you may want to ask which ZIP codes have the highest numbers of delinquency complaints, which schools have the most students receiving subsidized lunches, which neighborhoods have the highest percentage of residents who rely on public assistance, etc. Best Guess Based on Data* What are their top 5 needs? Mentoring? Tutoring? Job training? Internships/Work Experience? Conflict resolution and de-escalation practices? Positive activities? Role models? Best Guess Based on Data* What are some of their strengths? Music? Art? Sports? Extended family? Church Activities? Best Guess Based on Data* * Helpful data sources include ARMS ( the Alabama Kids Count Data Book ( or your local juvenile court, which may have already compiled much of this data as part of an application for DYS funding.

29 2. Survey Children’s Policy Councils and court officials are extremely knowledgeable about their communities. Because there is no sense in re-inventing the wheel, the Guide begins by taking readers through the process of interviewing stakeholders, reviewing resource lists like 211, and collecting information in charts like the one below. Program NameNeighborhoodGoalsTarget PopulationContact Info Family Advocacy Services Downtown Use trained/clinically supervised paraprofessionals to provide in-home advocacy, parent training, & family mediation skills Delinquent youth at high risk for out-of- home placement Bruce Kamradt Advocate and Director Home-based Wraparound Services Westside Keep delinquent youth in their homes by focusing on family & community strengths, providing support, supervision and asset building Court-involved youth & families at risk for increased involvement in JJ system Neil Brown Wrap Around Consultant

30 3. Discover Community asset-mapping is like rolling a snow ball down a hill: Once you begin, you accumulate more and more assets and the process gets faster and faster. Beginning, though, is difficult.

31 3. Discover (cont) The Discovering phase involves finding out what groups already exist in your community. In this phase, courts connect children with organizations like –youth groups –musical ensembles –clubs –job training organizations –support groups (e.g. AA) –other groups in the community

32 3. Discover (cont) The Guide will provide a practical step-by-step approach to discovering your community’s resources. Investigate Documentary Sources ► Start with your local phonebook ► Look in the “Community Activities” section of a local paper ► Explore al.com Go To Where Community Organizations Meet ► Parks ► Libraries ► Churches

33 3. Discover (cont) To facilitate this process, the Guide will contain sample letters to ministers and other community members. It will also supply checklists and questionnaires to help identify what resources community groups can contribute. The Guide will advise its users on how to organize the information they collect, providing example spreadsheets and forms.

34 4. Unlock Unlocking new resources is the most rewarding stage of community asset mapping. –Small business owners become trainers and mentors. –Retirees become tutors and role models. –Artists and musicians become teachers. –Members of the community step off the sidelines and contribute their diverse skills, resources, and knowledge.

35 The Guide will provide checklists to help identify the valuable skills and talents community members have to offer.  Cooking/Baking Skills  Electrical Skills  Carpentry Skills  Musical Gifts  Auto-Repair Skills Individual creativity on the part of the surveyor is exceptionally important, as the courts and Children’s Policy Councils must reach out to individuals, direct their efforts, and sustain their involvement. 4. Unlock (cont)

36 Courts & Children’s Policy Councils Connect children with the resources they need within their communities. Serve children more appropriately, in less restrictive settings, and for less cost Communities Contribute their energy, skills, knowledge, and passion. Children Learn from positive role models, avoid incarceration, and benefit from positive community supports. Grow stronger, safer, and closer through meaningful and fulfilling exchanges. Study, work, and participate in healthy and positive activities. It’s Win-Win-Win How they participate How they gain

37 “A child can walk around trouble if there is some place to walk to and someone to walk with.” Community asset-mapping can give him both. Look for Unlocking Your Community’s Hidden Assets and help build stronger, safer, and closer communities where you live.

38 Suggestions? Comments? Want to help? Contact: Danielle J. Lipow Consultant, Annie E. Casey Foundation Team Leader/Technical Assistance Provider for JDAI in Alabama (334)