Juvenile Probation and Mentoring

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1 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROFILE Examiig the Referral Stage for Metorig High-Risk Youth I Six Differet Juveile Justice Settigs Depedecy Court, Deliquecy Court, Juveile Detetio, Juveile Correctios, Juveile Probatio ad Tee Court/Youth Court Diversio Programs Juveile Probatio ad Metorig THE REFERRAL STAGE Writte by: Michael A. Joes Pamela A. Clark Roald J. Quiros 6

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3 Juveile Probatio ad Metorig The fuctio of Juveile Probatio is to provide supervisio ad moitorig to youth uder the jurisdictio of the court ad esure that youth o probatio comply with all court orders. Juveile Probatio officers have the ability, through the pre-dispositioal ivestigatio/iterview process, to idetify the services ad supports a youg perso ad his/her family may eed. The probatio officer is the i the uique positio of beig able to make whatever referrals are appropriate to meet these eeds, icludig referrals for metorig. I additio to servig as a sactio for adjudicated youth, Juveile Probatio may be used as a way of divertig status ad first-time juveile offeders from the court system. Directio, guidace ad rehabilitatio services are provided to youth o probatio ad their families i a effort to ecourage ad support behavior cosidered to be appropriate by the court ad the commuity. Rehabilitative services are provided by the probatio officer(s) ad/or commuity-based providers. Metorig Program Descriptio Metorig ivolves a o-paretal adult who plays a importat role i promotig healthy developmet for youth. There are may metorig models ad eve more programmatic differeces withi the differet metorig models. The goal of metorig programs is to provide youth with positive adult cotact ad, thereby, reduce risk factors (e.g., early atisocial behavior, alieatio, lack of commitmet to school) by ehacig protective factors (e.g., healthy beliefs, opportuities for ivolvemet, ad social ad material reiforcemet for appropriate behavior). Metors provide youth with persoal coectedess, supervisio ad guidace, skills traiig, career or cultural erichmet opportuities, a kowledge of spirituality ad values ad, perhaps most importatly, goals ad hope for the future. Geographic ad Demographic Characteristics Juveile Probatio is a commuity-based correctios program that exists i all 50 of the Uited States. The miimum ad maximum ages offeders are cosidered to be juveiles are jurisdictio specific ad guided by statute. Typical miimum ad maximum ages are 10 ad 18 years respectively. Youth placed o probatio are ofte uder-educated ad may have limited access to iformatio about opportuities available to them. Referrals of youth for probatio ted to be more heavily male tha female, as is true for the majority of juveile justice services. 1

4 Possible Challeges Facig Youth Ivolved with Juveile Probatio The overarchig goal of metorig youth i the juveile justice system is to build ad stregthe youth assets. Whe dealig with youth i this settig, oe should be cogizat of potetial challeges: 6 Coduct disorders (authority coflict/rebellious/stubbor/disruptive/atisocial) Idividual Geeral deliquecy ivolvemet Metal health issues (icludig substace abuse) Umet medical ad detal eeds Family Metal disorders/atisocial parets Family history of problem behavior/crimial ivolvemet Family poverty/low family socioecoomic status Family violece (child maltreatmet, parter violece, coflict) Family stress Paret crimiality Paretal use of physical puishmet/harsh ad/or erratic disciplie practices Poor paretal supervisio (cotrol, moitorig, ad child maagemet) Poor paret-child relatios or commuicatio School Poor school attedace Poor school performace; academic failure Learig disorders 2

5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Cosideratios for Referrig Juveile Probatio Youth to Metorig What makes a youth o probatio appropriate for a referral for metorig? Determiatios about the appropriateess of a youth o probatio for referral to metorig are made o a case-by-case basis ad iclude cosideratio of the followig: Needs of the youth ad the family, i particular youth who eed a paretal figure or carig adult. Offese with which the youth is charged. Legth of the youth s probatio. Commitmet of the youth ad family to the metorig process/program. Youth charged with violet ad/or sex offeses are ofte ot cosidered appropriate for referrals for metorig services. Referrals for metorig may be formal ad part of the youth s adjudicatio or iformal with participatio i metorig ecouraged by the probatio officer. Who is authorized to refer a youth o probatio for metorig services? Ay Juveile Probatio officer may refer a youth o his/her caseload for metorig services. I some jurisdictios, the Juveile Court judge may refer a youth o probatio to metorig services. What is the process probatio officers use for referrig a youth for metorig? The process typically begis with the pre-dispositio ivestigatio/iterview (PDI) through which the probatio officer gathers iformatio about the youth, the youth s family ad commuity coectios, the offese, educatioal history, etc., ad determies the specific eeds of the youth ad family. How referrals are made depeds o whether the probatio officer selects from a umber of metorig programs to which they may refer youth or oe specific metorig program that provides these services for probatio youth. Referrals made to commuity-based metorig programs require that youth ad family members complete whatever paperwork ad processes are required for itake ito that program, ad itake decisios are made at the discretio of metorig program staff. Referrals of youth to a specific metorig program that works directly with probatio departmet staff may ivolve metorig program staff attedig probatio departmet meetigs where cases are staffed ad the decisio to refer for metorig will be made joitly. Were youth o probatio willig to participate i metorig programmig? A requiremet for the referral of a youth to metorig program is willigess ad a commitmet to participate i metorig by both the youth ad his/her family. Formal referrals to metorig programmig become part of the court order for services. I cases where the youth ad/or family s commitmet to metorig is questioable, the probatio officer may ecourage or strogly recommed participatio i a metorig program. 3

6 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS cotiued What is the role of the probatio officer oce the referral to a metorig program is made? Probatio officers esure that referred youth are complyig with all the coditios of probatio, icludig participatio i court ordered metorig. Metorig program staff cotact the probatio officer as eeded to share ad discuss cocers about the idividual eeds of youth, as well as to provide the probatio officer with iformatio about the youth s progress. Are there ay statutory requiremets related to metorig? Related to the metorig program ad Juveile Probatio, there were o statutory requiremets to be met. WHAT S WORKING: Examples of Effective Strategies Probatio Officer Relatioships with Metorig Program Staff Probatio officers workig i close partership with metorig program staff is key i terms of the youth s successful referral for metorig services ad the youth ad family s willigess to participate i metorig programmig. Immediate cotact by probatio staff with metorig program staff regardig the referral is sigificat. Regular cotact betwee probatio officers ad metorig program staff is importat. O-site Metorig Program Staff Office I some jurisdictios, metorig program staff had office space i the juveile court or probatio office. Sharig space supported the developmet ad maiteace of collegial relatioships betwee probatio ad metorig staff. Sharig spaced supported the ability of court or probatio staff to walk referred youth ad families to the metorig program staff office where the itake process could begi immediately. 4

7 CHALLENGES AND ACTION STEPS Challege #1: For may youth o probatio, there are poor family relatioships that may keep family members from supportig the youth s participatio i a metorig program. * Actio Step Whe metorig services would appear to be of beefit to a youth o probatio, the Juveile Probatio officer should cosider court orderig these. A ivestmet by metorig program staff i buildig relatioships with the youth s paret(s)/caregiver(s) may serve to provide a support system for ecouragig the youth s ogoig participatio i metorig. It may also be beeficial to order paretig educatio ad other support services i cojuctio with metorig. Challege #2: The time it takes for a youth ad his/her metor to form a bod is variable. If the appropriate bod is ot formed before the youth s probatio eds, it is ulikely the metorig relatioship will be sustaied post-probatio. Challege #3: Chages i the youg perso s placemet ca egatively affect the ability of the metorig program to cotiue to serve these youth, particularly if the placemet is outside the commuity served by the metorig program. * Actio Step A youth for whom a chage i placemet is immiet should ot be referred for metorig services. If the chage i placemet was ot plaed, there is likely little that may be doe to mitigate the impact of this situatio. Challege #4: Some metorig programs are ot able to recruit eough metors to support referred youth ad, therefore, have a waitig list. * Actio Step #4 Referrals of youth o probatio should be made oly to metorig programs with available metors i order to avoid havig these youth placed o what may be a legthy ad log-term waitig list. * Actio Step Prior to makig a referral for metorig, cosideratio should be give to the term of the youth s probatio ad whether this timeframe is coducive to the developmet of a effective bod betwee the youth ad the metor. 5

8 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Adjudicated a court rulig of guilt or iocece. At-Risk ad High-Risk Youth The Office of Juveile Justice ad Deliquecy Prevetio (OJJDP) defies at-risk youth as those with high levels of risk i their family, home, commuities ad social eviromets to such a degree that it could lead to educatioal failure, droppig out of school or ivolvemet i juveile deliquecy ad gag-related offeses. OJJDP defies high-risk youth as those with preset or past juveile justice ivolvemet. Caretaker or Physical Custodia a perso who has physical custody but ot legal custody of a youth, such as a foster paret, placemet facility or relative without legal custody. Petitio the documet that specifies the violatio of law ad state statute umber described i the affidavit that the youth is alleged to have committed. A probable cause statemet or affidavit, usually filed by the police, accompaies the petitio. Pre-Adjudicatio the period betwee arrest ad a court rulig o guilt or iocece. Wrap-Aroud Services a method of service delivery highlighted by commitmet to create services o a oe youth at a time basis to support ormalized ad iclusive optios for the youth with complex eeds. Wrap-aroud itervetios create a youth ad family team composed of the people who kow the youth best to desig a idividualized pla. Juveile a youth uder the age of majority. The recommeded age is usually eightee (18) ad youger. Legal Guardia a adult who is ot the biological paret, or a state or licesed childre ad youth agecy, who has bee give legal authority by a court to provide care ad custody of a child/youth. Needs Assessmet oe tool i the Structured Decisio-Makig process. It idetifies the offeder s specific eeds ad provides part of the foudatio for the case pla. 6

9 TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES OJJDP Research Report o Referrig High Risk Youth for Metorig Services Full Report OJJDP Research Report o Referrig High Risk Youth for Metorig Services Executive Summary Juveile Justice Joural o Referrig High Risk Youth for Metorig Services Special Editio Memoradums of Uderstadig Six Resource Guides for Developig MOUs for Juveile Justice ad Metorig Services PowerPoit Presetatios for Six Juveile Justice Settigs ad Metorig MENTOR s Elemets of Effective Practice For Metorig, Third Editio, Checklist for Metorig Programs For free, dowloadable versios of these resources, visit: MENTOR at resources/researchig_the_referral_stage/; Global Youth Justice at ad Natioal Partership for Juveile Services at Six Techical Assistace Profiles: Examiig the Referral Stage for Metorig High-Risk Youth MENTOR s Elemets of Effective Practice For Metorig, Third Editio MENTOR s Elemets of Effective Practice For Metorig Toolkit Juveile Justice Sectio 7

10 WEBSITES OF INTEREST Boys ad Girls Club of the Teessee Valley Koxville, TN Office of Juveile Justice ad Deliquecy Prevetio Model Program Guide/Metorig Global Youth Justice Website Metorig High Risk Youth Resources Natioal Partership for Juveile Services Metorig High Risk Youth Resources MENTOR: The Natioal Metorig Partership Admiistratio for Childre, Youth ad Families, U.S. Dept. of Health ad Huma Services State-by-State Listig of Legislatio ad Statutes Regardig Juveiles Profiles.aspx Office of Juveile Justice ad Deliquecy Prevetio Metorig Resources 8

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12 6 This project was supported by Grat #2010-JU-FX-0118 awarded by the Office of Juveile Justice ad Deliquecy Prevetio, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Departmet of Justice. The opiios, fidigs ad coclusios or recommedatios expressed i this publicatio/program/ exhibitio are those of the author(s) ad do ot ecessarily reflect those of the Departmet of Justice. PROJECT PARTNERS