1. Juvenile Justice Technical Assistance
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Webinar
October 23, 2014

2. The Pew Charitable Trusts is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public, and stimulate civic life.
Pew’s public safety performance project works with states to advance data-driven, fiscally sound policies and practices in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.

3. Holding juvenile offenders accountable
Public Safety Performance Project
Works with states to examine their juvenile justice systems to get a better public safety return on their juvenile justice spending. States are focusing on:
Protecting public safety by improving outcomes for youth, families and the public
Holding juvenile offenders accountable
Controlling juvenile justice costs

4. Process of Pew’s Technical Assistance
State selection
Task force facilitation
Legislative assistance
Implementation
support

5. State Selection: Alignment of Goals
Undertake a comprehensive analysis of West Virginia’s juvenile justice system and data, and develop system-level recommendations, including proposals for statutory, budgetary, and administrative changes, to protect and promote public safety by
–Improving outcomes for youth, families, and communities
–Enhancing accountability for juvenile offenders and the system
–Containing taxpayer costs by focusing system resources on serious juvenile offenders

6. Task Force Facilitation: Membership
Executive branch
Governor/Governor’s Designee
Juvenile Justice agency director
Children and Families agency director
Judicial branch
Chief Justice/Designee
AOC Director
Judges
Probation
Legislators
Stakeholders
Education
Prosecutor
Defense attorney
Law enforcement
County officials or local government

7. Task Force Facilitation: Key Components
State selection
Task force facilitation
Legislative assistance
Implementation
support
Step 1: Data analysis and system assessment
Step 2: Policy development
Step 3: Consensus building
Ongoing: Stakeholder engagement

8. Task Force Facilitation: Report
“The task force was vital to the process because it gave us that credibility and that unified voice to speak with when rolling out a package of legislative reforms.” John Tilley, Kentucky House of Representatives Judiciary Chair, Task Force Co-Chair

9. Legislative Assistance
Georgia: HB 242
House: 173-0
Senate: 47-0
Governor signed on May 2, 2013
Reinvestment: $5 million
Hawaii: HB 2490
House: 50-0
Senate: 24-0
Governor signed on July 2, 2014
Reinvestment: $1.26 million
Kentucky: SB 200
House: 84-15
Senate: 32-6
Governor signed on April 25, 2014

10. Key Information Pew Provides
Data Analysis
Research
State Examples

11. Data Analysis: Findings
For example, in Georgia, the data revealed
Low-level youth in out-of-home placement: 45 percent of youth in nonsecure residential beds were misdemeanants, 8 percent were status offenders;
Increasing length of stay: Between 2002 and 2011, designed felon length of stay increased 13 percent;
Poor outcomes: 65 percent of youth released from those beds recidivated after three years; and
High taxpayer costs: Each secure bed cost Georgia $90,000 per year.

12. Data Analysis: Implications
“It was a surprise to learn the facts about our juvenile population because you want to think that you are just committing those ‘bad’ kids and the fact is we really weren’t.” Judge Lisa Jones, District Court judge, Daviess County, Kentucky
“When I started to look at the type of kids that we had at the correctional facility, I realized that the overwhelming majority of them were not a risk to public safety. So why did we have them in a correctional facility? Which got me looking at our entire system, and realizing that reform was just a must.” David Hipp, Executive Director, Office of Youth Services, Department of Human Services

13. Research: High Cost, Low Return of Residential Placements, Importance of Community Options
Generally fail to produce better outcomes than alternative sanctions,
Cost much more, and
Can increase reoffending for certain youth.
Community programming and practices are effective when systems:
Use evidence-based tools,
Match placement, supervision, and treatment to risk and need,
Include treatment with surveillance, and
Ensure quality service delivery
Kentucky was spending its money in all the wrong ways. We were spending a lot of money on detention, particularly for low-level offenders, when we see that that's not a productive or an effective way to invest in the lives of those kids.” Whitney Westerfield, Kentucky Senate Judiciary Chair.

14. State Examples: Focus Out-of-Home Facilities on Higher-Level Offenders
Georgia
Creates a two-class system within the Designated Felony Act
Prohibits status offenders and certain misdemeanants from residential commitment
Kentucky
Establishes an alternative, pre-court process for status cases
Restricts commitment of lower-level felony offenders and misdemeanors
Limits the length of out-of-home placement and length of supervision based on seriousness of the offense and risk to reoffend
Requires graduated sanctions for probation violations and limits out-of-home to 30 days.
Hawaii
Prohibits misdemeanants from HYCF placement

15. State Examples: Build Community Options that Reduce Recidivism
Georgia
Establishes a voluntary fiscal incentive grant program
Require evidence-based practices and assessments
Allow lower level youth onto administrative caseloads
Kentucky
Requires use of objective, evidence-based tools in decision-making  
Create fiscal incentive program
Increases engagement and accountability of families
Hawaii
Require validated risk and needs assessment, case planning, sanctions and incentive system
Allow earned discharge from probation

16. State Examples: Enhance Oversight and Ensure Performance
Georgia
Continue oversight with GA Council on Criminal Justice Reform
Require performance-based contracting
Require uniform data collection and tracking
Kentucky
Requires improved data collection and reporting to measure outcomes
Establishes an Oversight Council
Increase training and education  
Hawaii
Requires enhanced data and outcome reporting
Creates a Juvenile Justice Oversight Advisory Council

17. Anticipated Results Over First 5 Years
Georgia:
Population: Reduced by 31%
Savings: $85 million
Hawaii:
Population: Reduced by 60%
Savings: $11 million
Kentucky:
Population: Reduced by 37%
Savings: up to $24 million
“…the most important change was ensuring that judges only send a kid to our secure facility, the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, if he is a threat to the public. Period.” Judge Mark Browning, Hawaii Family Court Judge.

18. Exploring Whether this Process is Right for Your State
What’s the problem/issue your state would tackle?
Is this the right time for state leaders to address that problem/issue?

19. Contact: Robin Olsen Manager, State Policy, Public Safety Performance Project The Pew Charitable Trusts (202)