1. The second chance act Helping Youth succeed
Naomi Smoot, Esq.
Executive Director
Coalition for Juvenile Justice

2. Second chance act
Purpose: reduce recidivism and improve outcomes by addressing:
Housing
Reentry supports
Employment
Funded through: Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Since passage in 2008, grants have been given to help support more than 700 state, local, and tribal programs in 49 states.
Available to help exonerees and those who are leaving prisons, jails and juvenile detention facilities.
Talk here about importance of prevention! Recidivism deeper in more likely to reoffend both as a youth and as an adult.

3. Where are we now?
June 13 Rep. Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced H.R to update and reauthorize the Second Chance Act. The legislation has 14 bi-partisan cosponsors and aims to:
Provide separate planning and implementation grants to make sure projects are well developed at each stage and based on research and best practices;
Continue targeted funding for 5 years for reentry programs at the state and local level to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for those released from prison and detention.
Adds greater accountability to grantees, including audits.
Correctional education programming would be permissible use for states, local jurisdictions and nonprofits!!
Would reduce federal allocation for the programs from $168 to $100 million.

4. Juvenile Justice Involvement In the United States
Each year 1 million children will have contact with the juvenile justice system. Even among adults- youth are the predominant group of incarcerated folks. Highest incarceration rate in the developed world Contact with the system makes future contact more likely and presents serious dangers. Prevention is key.
Dangers of detention (including recidivism, poor educational outcomes, cost and more likely to reoffend/go deeper in the system.
JJDPA – Second chance is one of many grnat programs that can be used in conjunction with one another (Byrne JAG; JJDPA and RHYA also play important role)

5. Status offenses
An estimated 109,000 child in need of services cases were petitioned in juvenile courts in 2013.
Of these, 7,300 involved detention.
The National Census of Youth in Residential Placement found that in 2011 alone, more than 2,000 children were estimated to be incarcerated each day for behaviors such as running away from home, skipping school, or coming home after curfew.
An estimated 109,000 child in need of services cases were petitioned in juvenile courts in 2013.
Of these, 7,300 involved detention.
The National Census of Youth in Residential Placement found that in 2011 alone, more than 2,000 children were estimated to be incarcerated each day for behaviors such as running away from home, skipping school, or coming home after curfew.

6. Juvenile Justice Involved Youth And Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates that 380,000 people younger than 18 will be homeless and alone for some period of time. Not all homeless youth are justice system involved, but there is overlap between the populations.
Of 654 youth in 11 cities:
Nearly 44% had stayed in jail, prison, or juvenile detention
Almost 78% had at least one interaction with the police
Nearly 62% had been arrested
Kentucky numbers: in 2015, there were 21,315 unique complaints filed against juveniles. Filing a complaint with the Court Designated Workers is the starting point for KY’s JJ system. Some will get diverted, others will go on to court. Please cite data source as: Kentucky Youth Advocates’ analysis of data provided by the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts.
·         In KY in 2015, there were 168 unique commitments to the custody of the Dept. of Juvenile Justice, which is a deep-end disposition option. This compares to 254 in 2014 and 296 in 2013; the numbers have been falling for the past 10 years. Please cite data source as: Kentucky Youth Advocates’ analysis of data provided by the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice.
Kentucky – Kids Count survey indicates that 4,327 people in Kentucky were experiencing homelessness. Of those, 706 were unsheltered, 20% of whom were under 24. There were 221 youth who were considered unaccompanied. 73 of the youth who were without a home were also parents themselves.

7. Risk factors for juvenile justice involvement
Drug abuse, mental health issues, and lack of access to services Length of time homeless/disconnected equals greater frequency/likelihood of criminal justice involvement Most effective services include housing, employment, and behavioral health supports
Overall takeaway is that 50 to 75% of homeless youth have been arrested, while 50 to 60% have been incarcerated.
Studies conducted between 2006 and 2014
Arrests
Ferguson et al %
Thrane et al %
Chen et al %
Yoder et al %
Incarceration
Ferguson et al %
Yoder et al %
Furthermore, this appears to be a conservative estimate because all of the research used self-reported surveys and interviews, which tends to lead to underreported arrest / incarceration data. Consequently, the percentage of homeless youth that have been arrested and incarcerated is likely even higher than these results suggest.

8. True or False
Research shows that in some states children become homeless because no one picks them up from a detention facility when they are released.
True; washington state – 2015 report entitled Falling Through The Gaps: How a Stay in Detention Can Lead to Youth Homelessness.

9. Juvenile justice and homelessness
Some young people are homeless before they enter the system. This can include children who ran away from home or were forced out by their parents.
Some youth are forced out by parents as a result of system involvement.
Some are not picked up when they are released from incarceration.
Places young people at heightened risk of falling pray to human trafficking. (41 percent in one recent study in Louisville, Ky.)
Thorough and well-developed transition plans and family-based services are essential to helping make sure youth exit the justice system with a safe, secure, and accessible place to live.

10. Transition planning “Targeting release from the juvenile justice
system as a point to combat youth homelessness
can both benefit youth who are at risk of
displacement and reduce rates of youth recidivism.”
Alone Without a Home, September 2012, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, and National Network for Youth
Back up plans, and back up to the back up plans. Night 1 and night 1,000. Transition plans are one of the many points where we see overlap between federal protections for young people- JJDPA, second chance act, tvpa. (discuss each role here- prevention, reentry, protection and ensuring that young people are not criminalized… doesn’t mean they aren’t criminalized for related behaviors like trespassing, curfew, theft, etc.).

11. Principles for Change www.juvjustice.org/homelessness
Services: for youth and their families
Reentry planning is crucial!!
Keeping records confidential can keep families housed together
Youth collaboration – should be led by youth and focus on what works for youth.
Ensuring that programs work for populations that they are meant to serve- culturally competent and gender responsive.
Essential to ensure that young people are not criminalized for behaviors that stem from lack of housing or from trafficking!
Importance of being able to access identification! Louisville’s YMCA- job prep program, drop in center, housing connections- unique challenges for young people under 18 (Wyoming addressing this through new legislation that they just passed).

12. Contact Information
Naomi Smoot, Esq. Executive Director Coalition for Juvenile Justice (202) ext. 113
To learn more about CJJ, including how to become an
individual or organizational member, visit