1. Reducing Recidivism Among Serious and Violent Youth
Megan C Kurlychek and Alysha Gagnon
University at Albany/New York State Youth Justice Institute

2. Politics and Panic Lyndon B. Johnson first to declare “war on crime”
A war to be carried across administrations
Taking Aim at Juvenile In late 1980’s
The Juvenile “Superpredator” myth
Do the Crime, Do the Time

3. From Rhetoric to Reality
State Responses to Serious and Violent Juveniles
Transfer to Adult Court
Introduce Blended Sentencing
Remove Confidentiality Protections
Introduce Victim Presence/ Impact Statements

4. Who is the Serious Violent Juvenile Offender

5. The Truth about Serious and Violent Youth
Chronic Juveniles about 5 to 8% of population
Serious Violent juveniles less than 1% of arrestee population
About 13% of juvenile arrests for violent crime estimated to be gang members

6. Definitions: What do we mean by Serious Violent?
UCR Violent Crime Any Felony? Just Chronic offenders—those we see again and again and again

7. The Truth about Serious and Violent Youth
Act ≠ Maturity
Premise of Juvenile Justice System
Seriousness of crime ≠ punishment
Needs of youth = treatment

8. Understanding the Serious Violent Juvenile Offender

9. Pathways to Delinquency
The true serious, chronic and violent offender develops along a progressive pathway
Behaviors emerge early and escalate over time
These youth have multiple problems that span systems

10. Example: Moffitt’s Taxonomy

11. Example: Loeber’s Pathways

12. The Role of Gangs SELECTION FACILITATION ENHANCEMENT
*Most gang-involved youth self-report having committed acts of violence

13. Responding to the Serious Violent Juvenile Offender

14. RNR (Andrews, Bonta and Hoge, 1990)
Risk—what places this youth at risk of further crime
Needs—what needs does the youth have (education, health, etc.).
Responsivity—what type of program will work best for which youth?

15. The Comprehensive Strategy Howell, Lipsey, and Wilson 2014
Strengthen families
Support core social institutions
Prevention prevention prevention
Intervention
Interagency teams to conduct in depth assessment and craft comprehensive case plans

16. What did I skip?
Institutionalization

17. The Problem with this Approach
We “give up” on some kids
Studies find community based programs to be at least as effective as incarceration
Institutionalizing youth in adult jails and prisons increases recidivism

18. Evidence Based Practice
What works:
Holistic approaches
Family involvement
Community engagement
Mentoring/Credible Messengers
Evidence Based Practice

19. EBP continued Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches
Education and Skill-Building Approaches
Restorative Practices
Mixed Services

20. Future Directions and a Call for Action

21. Beyond Treatment
The best way to prevent recidivism is to prevent the initial act
ACEs—and trauma informed care
Communities of Healing—moving to strength based approaches

22. Beyond “holistic” care to multimodal care
Fragmented systems must work together
Education
Health Care/Mental Health
Social Welfare
Juvenile Justice

23. Avoid the “cycle” of juvenile justice
Maintain Leniency: The Kid is a Kid (Barry Feld)
Integrate Assessments
Expand Treatment
Ensure Sufficient Funding
Continue to Grow Evidence –Based Knowledge and Practice