ARIZONA JUVENILE JUSTICE COMMISSION Annual Report 2005 The Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission works to create conditions in Arizona's communities that promote juvenile justice and the positive development of youth, to reduce youth-related problems, to advocate for youth involvement in both the planning and implementation of projects, and to increase collaboration among sectors in the community to address youth problems. Mission The Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission provides leadership to the state and local communities to develop and maintain a coordinated, best practice approach to juvenile justice prevention, intervention, and public safety. Arizona juvenile Justice commission Cecil B. Patterson, Jr. AJJC CHAIR Derrick Johnson AJJC VICE CHAIR April 2006 Dear Governor Napolitano, Members of the Arizona State Legislature, and Arizonans: On behalf of the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission, I am pleased to present to you the 2005 Annual Report. During 2005, the Commission awarded over $625,000 in Juvenile Accountability Block Grant funds to 13 Arizona communities, including eight counties, three cities, and two tribes. Over $800,000 was awarded from the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention fund to ten new programs and three program renewals. Among major statewide projects funded by the Commission were grants to the Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts to support further enhancements to the Juvenile Online Tracking System – Arizona (JOLTSaz). In addition, funds were provided to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections to address the needs to continually train staff in administering, scoring and interpreting mental health and substance use screening and assessment instruments and to enhance information systems to improve the link between screening, assessment and case planning, referral and treatment to ensure that recommended services match the specific needs of the youth. The Commission continues to emphasize the importance of upholding the core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 2002 and we are pleased to report a finding of full compliance with the requirements of the Act by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. During 2005, the Commission held several public education and community awareness events around the state to increase awareness of the Commission, the JJDP Act, and available funding opportunities. These forums also provided an opportunity to solicit feedback regarding the challenges these communities face with the core requirements and other juvenile justice issues. While we celebrate the accomplishments of the past, we recognize there remains much to be done to ensure the health and well being of youth and families of our State, we look forward the future as we work to help build a truly outstanding juvenile justice system in Arizona. Sincerely, Cecil B. Patterson Jr., Chair Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission body, the Commission has been at the forefront in providing vision and leadership within our juvenile justice system. Those efforts, and those of our partners from public safety, the Courts and the provider community, have resulted in decreased juvenile crime, safer communities, and youth and families supplied not just the life skills they need f Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission Judge Cecil B. Patterson, Jr., Chair Maricopa County Richard Bass ArmorWorks LLC (Maricopa County) Harrison Blackwell Adult Probation (Pima County) Michael Branham Director, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (Maricopa County) The Honorable Robert Brutinel Presiding Juvenile Court Judge Yavapai County Courthouse (Yavapai County) Derrick Johnson, Vice Chair Phoenix Fire Department Maricopa County Maurice Gadson (Maricopa County) Representative Steve Gallardo Arizona House of Representatives Argie Gomez Value Options (Maricopa County) Luis Ibarra President Friendly House (Maricopa County) Melissa Jagelski Youth Member (Maricopa County) Anna Maria Chavez Office of Governor Janet Napolitano (Maricopa County) Sanjay Kumar Youth Member (Maricopa County) Paul Cunningham Safe Schools Officer Juvenile Probation (Pima County) Cynthia Lindstrom Arizona Children’s Association/ Youth Member (Maricopa County) Justin Domineck Youth Member James Molina (Maricopa County) (Maricopa County) Libby Dwyer Court Mediator (Maricopa County) Judge Patricia Orozco Arizona County Court of Appeals (Maricopa County) 3 Michael Owelicio Youth Member (Maricopa County) Vada Jo Phelps Executive Director Cochise Private Industry Council, Inc. (Cochise County) Dennis Pickering BEHCON, Inc. (Maricopa County) Gerald Richard Phoenix Police Department, Legal Services (Maricopa County) Dr. Robert Thomas Chief U.S. Probation Officer, Ret. (Maricopa County) Christopher Tijerina Gold Scholar/Youth Member (Maricopa County) Margaret Trujillo Trials Courts of Maricopa County (Maricopa County) Myrtle Young Director, Juvenile Court Services (Cochise County) 4 Commission Responsibilities The Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission is authorized under Executive Order 97-6 to receive and allocate federal funds under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDP). In compliance with the JJDP Act, the Commission consists of 27 members appointed by the Governor. The members have training, experience and special knowledge concerning the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency and the administration of juvenile justice. The Commission includes representation from juvenile justice agencies, public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, locally-elected officials, as well as volunteers and youth. Arizona has also designated the Commission to serve as its Juvenile Accountability Block Grant State Advisory Board (JABG SAB), (formerly called the Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition (JCEC), as required under Title III of H.R. 3, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Act of 1997. The JABG SAG is responsible for establishing a coordinated enforcement plan for reducing juvenile crime. The Commission’s roles and responsibilities include: • Advocating for full implementation of the JJDP Act and its core protections for the funding of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs; the core protections (commonly referred to as the core requirements) are aimed to protect juveniles in the juvenile justice system from inappropriate placements and from the harm—both physical and psychological—that can occur as a result of exposure to adult inmates. • Establishing priorities for the statewide implementation of the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) program; • Advising the Governor and the Arizona State Legislature on matters related to the improvement of the juvenile justice system and its services to youth and families; and, • Providing leadership to the state and its local communities in developing and maintaining a coordinated, best practice approach to juvenile justice prevention, intervention, and public safety. 5 2005 Accomplishments During 2005, Commissioners: • • • • Held a strategic planning session to review its 2004-2005 strategic initiatives. Identified strategic initiatives for 2006 and published its 2006 Strategic Plan that will serve as a blueprint to assist in the management of its goals and strategic initiatives as well as a historical record to capture its accomplishments. Received a finding of full compliance with the requirements of the JJDP Act. Held several public education and community awareness events in Cochise County, Maricopa County, and Coconino County to increase awareness of the Commission, the Four Core Requirements, and JJDP funding. The Commission with the support and partnership of the Governor's Division for Children: 1. Received a finding of compliance with the four core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act from OJJDP. This enabled Arizona to receive the full allocation of juvenile delinquency prevention funds, distributed to community-based programs statewide. 2. Awarded approximately $800,000 in new and renewal delinquency prevention funding that resulted in 10 new Title II programs and the renewal of three Title V programs. Due to the increased outreach by Commissioners and division staff, a significant amount of these programs were to rural parts of Arizona that had never applied for or received funding through our SAG. Among the awarded programs, were two 24-hour Juvenile Alternative to Detention Centers and many best practice delinquency prevention programs. These programs are based on elements of research that show opportunities for reducing risks associated with delinquent behaviors. They provide a variety of services for youth throughout Arizona. The Commission in partnership with the Governor’s Division for Children continued to fund, monitor and provide technical assistance to existing Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) programs over the course of 2005. 3. Awarded $625,000 in 2005 Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) funds to 13 Arizona communities, including eight counties, three cities, and two tribes. Throughout Arizona, JABG funds support a variety of successful programs, including community service and restitution programming, safe schools programs, as well as technology enhancements to facilitate more effective and efficient information sharing among juvenile justice stakeholders. 4. Awarded JABG state retained funds to the Arizona Supreme Court (AOC) for the following program. JOLTSaz (Juvenile Online Tracking System – Arizona) Statewide Identifer Project The JOLTSaz is a Arizona Juvenile Courts’ existing single-point statewide data source for 6 2005 Accomplishments Cont’d information on juveniles and families that are involved in the Arizona juvenile justice system. The single state-wide JOLTS identifier project will match electronic case records among multiple counties in which juveniles have had contact with the juvenile court for delinquency matters. Currently, juveniles who cross jurisdictions have only an identifier unique to that jurisdiction. It is anticipated that the single JOLTS state-wide identifier would match juveniles through a combination of technology and human review. It is the goal of the AOC to use "best practice" methods for both the technology and the human resource components of the single (common) identifier. This common state-wide identifier is critical to the goal of state-wide information sharing with other child- serving and justice agencies. 5. Awarded JABG state retained funds to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) for the following program: Medical Records Automation . This project will support the development of an electronic medical records system in ADJC’s YouthBase and for the automation of medical records of all youth between the ages of 12 and 17 adjudicated to the AZ Department of Juvenile Corrections and residing in one of the Department’s secure care facilities or on parole. The electronic reports will allow for statistical data analysis and the ability to share clinical information and suicide status levels amongst the facilities, clinical staff at the facilities, qualified mental health professionals, administration and other staff. Community Service Work Program. The community service work program provides for work opportunities wherein youth are directly supervised, coached, and supported on job sites and during community service projects in partnerships with various public and non-profit organizations. ADJC youth are able to learn pro-social skills, as well as gain an understanding of community resources while giving back to the community. Youth also have the opportunity to develop and practice basic job skills and earn monetary credit that can be directed towards court ordered restitution. Mental Health Screening and Assessment Tools. This project will support the implementation of a uniform screening protocol and training for administering, scoring and interpreting mental health and substance use screening and assessment instruments. This project will improve the link between screening, assessment and case planning, referral and treatment implementation functions to ensure that recommended services match the specific needs of the youth. 6. Participated in the completion of Arizona’s Three Year Plan Update and formula grant application to the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The plan addresses a number of issues including the major elements of sound policy that preserve public safety and establish effective juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs. 7. Supported the completion of Arizona’s 2005 Compliance Monitoring report. This report documents and analyzes data in regard to Arizona’s compliance with the four core protections of the JJDP Act. The report was submitted to OJJDP in December 2004. 7 2006 Future Directions The Commission recognizes that a major part of its core business is to approve the award of funds and provide ongoing oversight to the juvenile justice grants that are administered through the Governor's Division for Children. To be effective in this role, the Commission continually engages in a coordinated planning process that impacts local and statewide juvenile justice policy, informs and improves practice, fosters the development of model programs, and defines consistent philosophies for how to address the needs of children both in and out of Arizona’s juvenile justice system. In addition, the Commission continues to support, as funds are available, efforts to improve information sharing across agencies involved in juvenile justice and related areas. Examples of these efforts include additional enhancements to the Administrative Office of the Court’s Juvenile Online Tracking System (JOLTS) which also links to the YouthBase database system managed by the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections. The Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission remains committed to its leadership role, providing tools to the state and local communities for the development and maintenance of a coordinated, best practice approach to decision making in the arena of juvenile justice. The Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission remains an active partner in this effort and is prepared to confront the challenges ahead in order to continually improve the quality of justice for Arizona’s youth. In September 2005, the Commission held a day-long Strategic Planning Session. During this session, the Commission renewed its commitment to advocate for youth by supporting the four core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and build upon the accomplishments made during 2004 and 2005. Based on a review of the Commission’s Strategic Initiatives, funding requirements and analysis of current needs, the Commission renewed its focus on the following topics and updated its Strategic Initiative for 2006: 8 2006 Future Directions Compliance With the Core Requirments of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Arizona’s compliance status not only has direct implications for grant eligibility, but also is reflective of the realities of policy and practice in the field with regard to how juveniles are treated within law enforcement facilities and detention centers. The Commission is committed to working to identify opportunities for the provision of training and technical assistance to Arizona’s communities, to collaborating with communities and supporting effective alternatives to detention, and to identify existing local resources to avoid compliance violations. Disproportionate Minority Contact. As dictated by the core protections of the JJDP Act, the Commission is committed to developing effective strategies and programs to address minority youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system. Essential to this effort is the establishment of an integrated and comprehensive approach to identifying opportunities for community-level change with respect to policing, developing culturally competent assessments and services, and identifying existing model programs and available resources. Prevention, Early Intervention, and Family Involvement. The Commission recognizes that rehabilitation of children who come in contact with the juvenile justice system is dependent on an approach that emphasizes effective treatment, services and prevention. Earlier identification of youth at risk, implementation of Best Practices that focus on balanced and restorative justice, and promotion of alternative approaches that will make consequences more meaningful to juveniles are ideas that should be explored and expanded. Moreover, employing a remedial model to deal with children in the juvenile justice system would be more responsive to those children who are also in the child welfare system. Public Education. The Commission has identified public education as a key component in their strategic plan. The Commission is interested in communicating accurate information about the juvenile justice system to a variety of audiences in Arizona. Other elements of a public education strategy include providing information to communities regarding available resources and tools such as JOLTS, the Arizona Youth Survey, and Social Indicator data that facilitate the development and improvement of local programs. 9 Recommendations to the Governor and the Arizona State Legislature The Commission has adopted and is currently working on the following recommendations also submits them to the Governor and the Legislature for consideration. The Commission will continue its efforts to: • Bring Arizona into compliance with all requirements and mandates of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. • Identify and address issues that contribute to Disproportionate Minority Contact in the juvenile justice system. • Develop a public education campaign around issues related to the juvenile justice system. • Coordinate the distribution of JJDP and JABG funding to meet the identified Three Year Plan priority areas of need within Arizona. • Continue to move Arizona from a punitive to a remedial juvenile justice model by developing a prevention, early intervention and accountability-based model that also promotes public safety and optimizes positive outcomes for youth. 10 Appendix A. Authorization for and Duties of the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission B. Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Grant 1. Four Core Requirements of the JJDP Act 2. JJDP Fund Description 3. JJDP Priority Areas C. Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) 1. JABG Fund Description 11 Authorization for and Duties of the Commission Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Act Arizona Executive Order 97-6 State Advisory Group (SAG) State Advisory Board (SAB) Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission Three Year Plan JABG State Plan JJDP Funding Prevention JABG Funding Intervention 12 Accountability Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) The Four Core Requirements The JJDP Act requires Arizona to demonstrate compliance with the four core protections defined in the JJDP Act in order to receive formula grant funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The Commission maintains a focus on these core protections in both their policy recommendations and funding priorities: Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO) Juveniles who are charged with or who have committed offenses which would not be criminal if committed by an adult (ie: status offenders) and non-offenders, shall not be placed in secure detention or secure correctional facilities. The following are considered status offenses: truancy, runaway, violations of curfew, underage possession and/or consumption of tobacco products, and underage alcohol offenses. Sight and Sound Separation (Separation) Juveniles alleged to be or found to be delinquent, as well as status offenders and non-offenders, cannot be detained or confined in any institution in which they have sight or sound contact with adult offenders. Adult Jail and Lock-up Removal (Jail Removal) Juveniles who are accused of delinquent acts may not be held in a secure area of an adult jail or lockup for longer than six hours, while remaining separated by sight and sound from adult offenders. Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) States are required to address juvenile delinquency prevention efforts and system improvement efforts designed to reduce the disproportionate number of minority youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system. 13 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) JJDP Fund Description The Title II Formula Grant supports a wide range of programs for prevention of, or early intervention in, juvenile delinquency. The Title V Incentive Grant focuses exclusively on preventing delinquency of at-risk youth by utilizing the Communities That Care model. This model incorporates a community risk and resource assessment and relies heavily on overall community mobilization to prevent delinquency. JJDP Priority Program Areas • Delinquency Prevention: Programs, research or other initiatives designed to reduce the incidence of delinquent acts and directed to the general youth population thought to be “at risk” of becoming delinquent. • Alternatives to Detention: Alternative services provided to a juvenile offender in the community as an alternative to incarceration. This priority area also will encompass the program area descriptions within: Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders, Disproportionate Minority Contact, Jail Removal, and Juvenile Justice System Improvement. • Native American Programs: Programs to address juvenile justice and delinquency prevention issues for American Indians and Alaska Natives. • Compliance Monitoring: Programs, research, staff support, or other activities designed primarily to enhance or maintain a state’s ability to adequately monitor jails, detention facilities, and other facilities to assure compliance with the JJDP Act of 2002. 14 Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) JABG Fund Description JABG is an entitlement grant and allocations are available to eligible units of government. JABG provides states and local units of government with funds to encourage the development of juvenile justice policies, procedures, and programs that promote juvenile accountability. The stated goals of the program include: • • • Reduction of juvenile delinquency Improvement of the juvenile justice system Increased accountability for juvenile offenders JABG Priority Program Areas • Quality in Confinement and Training Building, expanding, renovating or operating temporary or permanent juvenile correction or detention facilities; Establishing and maintaining training and programs for such personnel to improve facility practices and programming. • Risk and Needs Assessment Establishing and maintaining programs to conduct risk and needs assessments of juvenile offenders that facilitate the effective early intervention and the provision of comprehensive services, to including mental health screening and treatment and substance abuse testing and treatment, to such offenders. • Information Sharing Establishing and maintaining interagency information-sharing programs that enable the juvenile and criminal justice systems, schools, and social services agencies to make more informed decisions regarding the early identification, control, supervision, and treatment of juveniles who repeatedly commit serious delinquent or criminal acts. 15 For additional information about the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission, please contact the Governor’s Division for Children at (602) 542-3486. Visit the Commission’s website at: http://www.gocyf.az.gov/ch ______________________________________________________________________________ Report prepared and distributed by: The Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families Division for Children 1700 West Washington, Suite 101 Phoenix, AZ 85007 Telephone: 602-542-3486 Fax: 602-542-4644 http://www.gocyf.az.gov/ch