FEBRUARY 2014, VOLUME 4, NUMBER 2
 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Safe Passages for Children 

Mental Illness Behind Bars 

Announcements & Upcoming Events 

• Funding Opportunities 

• Training Opportunities 

News & Views 

• Reports, Guidelines, and Briefs 

• News 

• Other Resources 

TWO OF EVERY THREE 

YOUTHS IN U.S. 

RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES 

HAVE AT LEAST ONE 

MENTAL HEALTH 

DIAGNOSIS 

by Elizabeth Spinney 

Youths involved in the juvenile justice system face 

numerous challenges, and one of the most 

difficult has to do with mental health. 

SAFE ROUTES SEND KIDS TO 

SCHOOL WITH CONFIDENCE 

by Dave Marsden 

Communities send many messages to citizens in an effort to solve 

problems. Prevention activities to protect children send positive 

messages of support to kids and to their families—and messages 

about vigilance to those who might do them harm. The Safe 

Routes initiative (known by several different names) undertaken 

by several Forum cities is an example of an activity that sends 

messages supportive to the community and its families. 

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a federally sponsored initiative 

adopted in many communities. The program aims to make it 

possible for all kids to transit to school safely and without fear. 

Each state participating in SRTS has a designated coordinator 

who, according to the SRTS Web site, can assist in establishing 

that these "programs are sustained efforts by parents, schools, 

community leaders, and local, state, and federal governments to 

improve the health and well-being of children by enabling and 

encouraging them to walk and bicycle to school." 

SRTS programs examine conditions around schools and conduct 

projects and activities that work to improve safety and 

accessibility. They also reduce traffic and air pollution in the 

vicinity of schools. In so doing, SRTS programs help make 

bicycling and walking to school safer—and more appealing as 

transportation choices—thus encouraging a healthy and active 

lifestyle from an early age. 

Forum cities also use this concept to create volunteer monitoring 

of children on their way to school to protect them from violence 

and emotional harm, and from exposure to crime and other 

activities that are inappropriate to the mission of helping these 

young people concentrate on their education. 

A Change for the City of Small Neighborhoods 

Philadelphia, Pa., has perhaps the largest SRTS program in a 

Forum city. It is called Safe Corridors and is coordinated in the 

Office of Public Safety with the Philadelphia Police Department, 

the Mayor's Office, the School District of Philadelphia, and SEPTA 

(for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), 

according to Philadelphia Forum Coordinator Julie Wertheimer. 

There are 750 Town Watch citizen groups in Philadelphia. 

Together they are the key to and the most essential part of this 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2010, some 1.6 million juveniles were arrested, 

1 and on any given day there were roughly 

71,000 youths being held in residential placement 

facilities, either as part of court-ordered 

dispositions after adjudication or while they 

awaited trial in detention centers.2 Although the 

youth confinement rate in the United States is 

declining, the nation still leads the industrialized 

world in locking up young people.3 About half of 

the nonresidential juvenile justice population and 

between 65 percent and 70 percent of all youths 

in residential facilities have at least one mental 

health diagnoses.4 Additionally, about one fourth 

of the juvenile justice population has a severe 

mental illness, which means that their ability to 

function is significantly impaired and that their 

disorders are serious enough to require 

significant and immediate treatment.5 

Are Their Needs Being Met? 

Given the high need for mental health services 

among this population, one would hope that the 

level of services available would be meeting this 

need. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case. Most 

studies find that the percentage of juvenile justice 

system–involved youths who receive services is 

much lower than the percentage who need 

them.6 Exacerbating this problem, disparity exists 

in who receives these much-needed services, 

and often mental health needs alone do not 

determine who gets treated. Recent studies find 

that juveniles who are younger,7 white,8 female,9 

or who already have a history of treatment10 are 

more likely to be referred, even when taking into 

account psychosocial functioning and mental 

health needs. Other studies find that even when 

services are provided, they are often inadequate 

and inappropriate.11 

Some Enter the System to Receive Services 

While access to quality mental health services in 

the juvenile justice system is often lacking, the 

troubling reality is that in many places, there is 

the perception that these services are more 

accessible there than in the community. 

Sometimes, youths are intentionally placed into 

the juvenile justice system to receive mental 

health services. Too often, parents who 

desperately want their children to be treated 

appropriately turn to the juvenile justice system as 

a last resort.12 In other instances, given the lack 

of treatment in the community, many children 

become physically aggressive or violent, which 

results in forced placement into the juvenile 

justice system in response to the symptoms of an 

untreated mental health problem.13 

Are There Risks to Involving Youths With 

Mental Health Issues in the Juvenile Justice 

System? 

Involvement in the juvenile justice system can 

collaboration. Because of the recent closing of 23 schools, the 

program has been reinvigorated as the "Walk Safe Program," an 

expansion of Safe Corridors. This was significant to the 

Philadelphia Forum effort in that five of the closed schools were in 

the 22nd Police District, the focus area for Forum activity. The 

problem Philadelphia had to address was to create new routes to 

schools that fell outside of the traditional neighborhoods that Safe 

Corridors had traditionally addressed. "These new routes had to 

be monitored more closely," she added, "as this was a change 

from the concept of Philadelphia as a city of small 

neighborhoods." There was fear of children walking in unfamiliar 

neighborhoods and problems were anticipated. However, nothing 

unfortunate has happened as yet. "It is too soon to tell whether 

the Walk Safe program is responsible but it appears to be 

working," according to Ms. Wertheimer. 

More than 200 Walk Safe Volunteers were recruited and trained in 

Philadelphia. Between 120 and 180 of these volunteers are on the 

job every day to keep young people safe as they walk to school. 

About $50,000 was spent on this new initiative to upgrade radios 

and repeaters used by volunteers, as well as identifying safety 

vests. Flyers were distributed to inform citizens about the 

program, and signs established to let children, families, and 

perhaps those who would bully or harass transiting children, that 

they were on the job. 

In addition, owing to the closures, three schools in the 22nd 

District were designated as welcoming schools, which took on 

students displaced by the closures. Walk Safe helps ensure that 

the walk is part of the welcome, and children can feel completely 

safe in their new environment. 

A Lesson From a City With a Big Footprint 

Detroit, Mich., has a different approach to the concept of safe 

routes to school. Its Safe Routes to School program addresses 

the problem somewhat differently. Detroit is a city that has been 

dramatically depopulating in recent decades, dropping from more 

than 1.8 million people in 1950 to just over 700,000 today. 

Combined with the fact that its geographic footprint (its total area) 

is one of the largest in the United States, covering entire routes to 

school was almost impossible. 

"What we've done is establish a student safety framework that is 

compatible with the surrounding community needs and safety 

efforts," says Detroit National Forum Coordinator Annie Ellington, 

adding that such a framework "maximizes school related-travel 

safety and security." 

Detroit's Safe Routes to School partnerships include 

Regular volunteer and paid patrol coverage of Safe Routes 

to School in selected areas 

Coordinated efforts between the City of Detroit, Detroit 

Public Schools, and community partners to address blight 

and business code enforcement 

Development of a software application to report threats of 

safety for students traveling to and from school 

Last spring, a peer-to-peer conference call was convened at the 

request of Philadelphia to examine what Detroit was doing, since 

Philadelphia was undergoing changes caused by the 

aforementioned school closures. Philadelphia city leaders learned 

from Detroit the wisdom of concentrating on key schools and 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

have devastating effects.14 For example, given 

the stress of being placed in secure detention, 

even juveniles with mild symptoms can act out in 

ways harmful to themselves, to staff members, 

and to other youths.15 Additionally, some 

treatments, such as group therapy, can actually 

lead youths to become worse if delivered in the 

juvenile justice system—given the negative 

influence of others in the groups.16 There are 

also legal issues, trust issues, and other 

challenges to effectively treating youth in the 

juvenile justice system.17 

What Can Be Done? 

In the past few years, some important reports 

have been published which present helpful 

information on how we can better serve youth 

with mental health needs who are involved in the 

juvenile justice system.18 These reports make 

many of the same recommendations, including 

1. Increase access to quality mental health

services within the community to

prevent involvement in the juvenile 

justice system. Access to services in the 

community for at-risk youths can prevent 

involvement in the juvenile justice system 

given the intentional use of the juvenile 

justice system to access services as well 

as the use of the juvenile justice system in 

response to the physically aggressive 

symptoms of some untreated mental health 

problems.19 

2. Implement systematic strategies for

identifying mental health needs among 

youths who come in contact with the

juvenile justice system. To better respond 

to mental health treatment needs, we must 

be able to systematically identify these 

needs. The development of a sound 

screening and assessment capacity in 

juvenile justice systems is imperative. A 

recent study showed that detention centers 

that introduced mental health screening 

were more likely to increase their efforts to 

obtain services such as clinical 

consultations and to take suicide 

precautions for those who needed them.20 

Over the past decade, new research-based 

mental health and screening assessment 

tools and protocols have been developed, 

which can help the juvenile justice system 

improve their response to youth with 

mental health needs.21 

3. Whenever possible, divert youth from 

the juvenile justice system into effective

community-based mental health 

treatment. Study after study show that 

youth respond better when treated in the 

community as compared to being detained 

intersections (street corners) to enhance the safety of students as 

they made their way to school. 

Not Every City Is Suited to Safe Routes 

A useful program, certainly, but all Forum cities' educational 

circumstances are different and some may not benefit from this 

particular type of program. New Orleans, La., Forum Coordinator 

Chris Gunther reported that his city does not have a Safe Routes 

program. After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 the structure of 

education in New Orleans was altered drastically. In a Forum 

listening session conducted last year, when the city was added to 

the Forum family, this author learned that there were several 

decentralized school systems operating in New Orleans as part of 

its recovery from the storm. These consisted of the Recovery 

School District that operated outside of the School Board, the 

charter school system, and the recently reestablished public 

schools under a newly elected school board. According to 

Gunther: "The city allows open enrollment in school regardless of 

neighborhood. As a result, many students travel several miles by 

bus to their school every day." 

Safety is a feeling as much as a reality. When young people feel 

protected and secure, they can develop in appropriate ways and 

concentrate on education and on simply being kids. Safe Routes 

to School are a credit to the Forum and to the hard work the 

Forum cities are doing. A city that provides this level of safety 

sends a message to its citizens that violence prevention and 

protection are a priority. 

NEWS 

& VIEWS 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

or confined, especially youth that are at 

lower risk to the community.22 Youth with 

mental health needs should be treated with 

the same consideration. 

4. Make effective treatment available 

within the juvenile justice system for 

youth who cannot be diverted. Some 

youth are not appropriate for diversion but 

still need treatment while securely detained 

or confined. For some youth, this may be 

the first time a mental health problem is 

diagnosed and is an important opportunity 

to treat it appropriately. 

To achieve these goals, there must be improved 

collaboration between agencies serving youth— 

especially between the juvenile justice and mental 

health systems—from initial contact with law 

enforcement through reentry and aftercare. 

Additionally, evidence-based strategies should be 

used. Several evidence-based practices and 

programs have been identified as successful in 

treating youths in the juvenile justice system, 

including cognitive–behavioral therapy, 

wraparound, Multisystemic Therapy (MST), 

Functional Family Therapy (FFT), and 

Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care 

(MTFC).23 

MST targets youths between the ages of 12 and 

17 who present with serious antisocial and 

problem behavior and with serious criminal 

offenses. Through intense involvement and 

contact with the family, MST aims to uncover and 

assess the functional origins of adolescent 

behavioral problems. It works to alter the youth's 

ecology in a manner that promotes prosocial 

conduct while decreasing problem and delinquent 

behavior. There are different versions of MST 

depending on the population. For example, the 

Multisystemic Therapy–Family Integrated 

Transitions (MST–FIT) program provides 

integrated individual and family services to 

juvenile offenders who have co-occurring mental 

health and chemical dependency disorders. 

These services are provided during a juvenile's 

transition from incarceration back into the 

community to provide necessary treatment to 

youth, thereby reducing recidivism. The overriding 

goal of MST is to keep adolescents at home, in 

school, and out of trouble. 

FFT is a family-based prevention and intervention 

program for high-risk youth ages 11 to 18. 

Targeted youths generally are at risk for 

delinquency, violence, substance use, or other 

behavioral problems such as Conduct Disorder or 

Oppositional Defiant Disorder. FFT addresses 

complex and multidimensional problems through 

clinical practice that is flexibly structured and 

culturally sensitive. The FFT clinical model 

concentrates on decreasing risk factors and on 

Reports 

New Report Shows That 4–H Youths Excel Beyond Their

Peers 

4–H is the nation's largest youth development organization 

program and serves more than 7 million youths in urban 

neighborhoods, suburban schoolyards, and rural farming 

communities across the United States and throughout the world. 

A report on the impact of 4–H, titled The Positive Development

of Youth: Comprehensive Findings From the 4–H Study of

Positive Youth Development, was published in December 2013. 

This report shares the findings of a longitudinal study that began 

in 2002 that surveyed more than 7,000 adolescents across 42 

U.S. states. The study found that, compared with their peers, 

youths involved in 4–H programs were more likely to excel in 

several areas of health, education, and civic engagement. For 

more information about the study and to access the report, look 

here. 

Youth Confinement Decreased by 32 Percent Nationwide 

Between 2001 and 2010 

The National Juvenile Justice Network and the Texas Public 

Policy Foundation recently authored a report titled The 

Comeback and Coming-From-Behind States: An Update on

Youth Incarceration in the United States. This report examined 

youth confinement reduction trends nationwide, in nine 

"comeback" states, and in four "coming-from-behind" states. This 

report updates the information in a previous report, titled The 

Comeback States: Reducing Youth Incarceration in the 

United States, and expands the scope of the research to include 

the "coming-from-behind states," which are states that have not 

experienced sharp declines in their reliance on youth 

incarceration but have adopted significant incarceration-reducing 

policies in recent years. 

New Book Available to Help Policymakers and Practitioners

Prevent Youth Gang Involvement 

In fall 2013, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) together published 

Changing Course: Preventing Gang Membership. This free, 

online book offers evidence-based principles to prevent and 

reduce the impact of gangs on youth, families, neighborhoods, 

and society at large. The goal of the volume, which was written by 

some of the nation's top public health and criminal justice 

researchers, is to help policymakers and practitioners understand 

what the research says about keeping young people out of gangs. 

Study Links Young Men's Recreational Sedative Use to Some

Sexual Victimization 

Daniel J. Snipes, Brooke A. Green, Eric G. Benotsch, and Paul B. 

Perrin. 2014. "The Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs and 

Lifetime Experiences of Sexual Victimization Among College 

Men." 

A study published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence found 

associations between recreational use of illicit and prescription 

drugs and experiences of sexual victimization among college 

men. Daniel J. Snipes and colleagues (2014) found that 17 

percent (about 1 in 6) of a sample of 253 undergraduate men who 

chose to take on online survey examining drug use and lifetime 

sexual victimization experiences reported having been sexually 

victimized in their lifetime across four domains: being coerced, 

threatened, physically forced, or taken advantage of while 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

increasing protective factors that directly affect 

adolescents, with a particular emphasis on 

familial factors. 

MTFC is a behavioral treatment alternative to 

residential placement for youth who have 

problems with chronic antisocial behavior, 

emotional disturbance, and delinquency. There 

are three versions of MTFC, each serving specific 

age groups ranging from ages 3 to 17. The 

intervention is multifaceted and occurs in multiple 

settings. Activities include behavioral parent 

training and support for MTFC foster parents, 

family therapy for biological parents, skills training 

for youth, supportive therapy for youth, schoolbased behavioral interventions and academic 

support, and psychiatric consultation and 

medication management, when needed. 

More information about these programs and 

practices can be found at CrimeSolutions.gov. 

Some other helpful resources: 

The National Center for Mental Health 

and Juvenile Justice 

The Mental Health and Juvenile Justice 

Collaborative for Change 

The MacArthur Foundation's Models for 

Change initiative 

OJJDP's Model Program Guide 

(See References, bottom at right.) 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

& UPCOMING EVENTS 

Funding Opportunities 

National Institute of Justice to Fund 

±$15M in School Safety Research 

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) will make 

available about $15 million for multiple grants to 

address school safety nationwide, under the 

Comprehensive School Safety Initiative. The 

grants will fund research to examine the root 

causes of school violence, develop new 

technologies, apply evidence-based approaches, 

and test pilot programs to enhance school safety. 

Visit NIJ's funding Web page for grant 

opportunities. Read about the Supportive 

School Discipline Initiative, launched by the 

U.S. Departments of Justice and Education. 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (of the U.S. 

incapacitated. Across all domains of sexual victimization, 

nonmedical sedative use was robustly associated with sexual 

victimization in a multivariate model controlling for recreational 

drug use and demographics. Implications for interventions for 

male sexual victimization survivors are discussed. Read the 

report. 

News 

February Is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

Data show that almost 1 high school student in 10 was hit, 

slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend 

in the past year. To bring awareness of and to promote action in 

addressing teen dating violence, Break the Cycle hosts the Teen 

Dating Violence Awareness Month Web page, which provides 

information on teen dating violence data, resources, and 

recommendations for taking action. Additionally, the National 

Criminal Justice Reference Service also has a special feature on 

teen dating violence this month. 

Massachusetts Launches Pay for Success Initiative to

Reduce Recidivism Among At-Risk Youth 

The commonwealth of Massachusetts recently announced the 

launch of the nation's largest financial investment in a Pay for 

Success initiative. The goal of the Massachusetts Juvenile 

Justice Pay for Success Initiative is to improve outcomes for atrisk young men and reduce recidivism in the state by providing 

intensive outreach, life skills, and employment training. In 

partnership with Third Sector Capital Partners and funders from 

the commercial and philanthropic sectors, this program will allow 

Roca, a community-based nonprofit service provider, to serve 

more than 900 high-risk young men in Boston and other urban 

areas of Massachusetts with the hope that these efforts will 

improve the lives of the young men served by the program, 

reduce crime, promote safer communities, and save taxpayer 

dollars. 

Michigan Moves Toward Ban on Mandatory Juvenile Life 

Without Parole 

This month, Michigan state lawmakers moved three bills forward 

that would change the state's mandatory sentencing system for 

juveniles. These bills technically eliminate mandatory sentences 

of life without parole for young people, bringing Michigan into 

compliance with Miller v. Alabama. However, advocates worry 

whether this change really signifies fair sentencing practices; they 

argue that the bills leave too much room for "extreme and even 

unconstitutional sentencing." Read the online article from the 

National Juvenile Justice Network. 

New Partnership Formed to Reform School Discipline 

Policies 

The Children's Defense Fund and the School Superintendents 

Association have announced a partnership to reform school 

discipline policies and practices across the country. This initiative 

is designed to support school superintendents who have 

demonstrated a commitment to improving their discipline policies 

and practices to prevent suspensions and expulsions and to keep 

children in school. Ten school districts across the country have 

been selected to participate. Read the press release. 

Other Resources 

Call for Abstracts for Family Violence and Child Victimization 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Department of Justice) announces a competitive 

grant, "National Training and Technical 

Assistance: Intellectual Property Enforcement 

Program." Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. 

(EDT) on March 17, 2014. Applicants must 

register with Grants.gov before applying. View 

the full solicitation. 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (of the U.S. 

Department of Justice) also announces the 

competitive grant "Second Chance Act Reentry 

Program for Adult Offenders With Co-Occurring 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders." 

Applications are due at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on 

March 18, 2014. Applicants must register with 

Grants.gov before applying. View the full 

solicitation. 

System of Care Expansion planning grants and 

implementation cooperative agreements, 

awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration, will support 

efforts to develop, expand, and maintain a system 

of care providing mental health services for 

children and youth with serious emotional 

disturbances and their families. Planning grant 

applications must be received by March 19; 

implementation grant applications are due March 

21. 

Training Opportunities 

Registration is still open—barely—for the National 

Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' 

Family Law Institute for Judges and Lawyers, 

March 2–5. Topics will include e- discovery and 

ethics, psychotropic medication effects, child toxic 

stress, neglect, cyberstalking, and modern 

parenting. 

On March 19, 2:00–3:00 p.m. (EDT), the Missing 

and Exploited Children's Program and the U.S 

Department of Justice's Center for Faith-Based 

and Neighborhood Partnerships will cohost a 

Webinar on fundraising titled "Making Dollars

and Sense." The Webinar will discuss the 

foundations for successfully applying for grant 

funding, the steps required to design an effective 

and fundable grant budget, and measuring 

performance for a sustainable program. The 

broadcast is the last of a three-part Webinar 

series that provides information on strategies and 

best practices for improving partnerships, building 

capacity, and effectively applying for and 

managing grants. The series is based on the U.S 

Department of Justice's Center for Faith-Based 

and Neighborhood Partnerships' 2012 

publication, Faith and Communities in Action: A 

Resource Guide for Increasing Partnership 

Opportunities to Prevent Crime and Violence. 

On April 14–16, the Center for the Study and 

Prevention of Violence at the University of 

Research Conference 

The Family Research Laboratory (FHL) and the Crimes Against 

Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire are 

seeking abstract submissions from professionals and 

researchers interested in presenting at the 2014 International 

Family Violence and Child Victimization Research

Conference to be held July 13–15, 2014, in Portsmouth, N.H. 

Abstracts are sought in all areas of family violence representing 

diverse methodological approaches, including research on 

understudied populations, with an emphasis on minority issues in 

family violence and child victimization. The FHL abstract 

submission deadline is March 7, 2014. Email 

frl.conference@unh.edu or call 603.862.0767 for additional 

submission information. Learn more about OJJDP's series on the 

National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Learn more 

about the Attorney General's Defending Childhood Initiative. 

View or download the Report of the Attorney General's

National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence or 

order a print copy. 

Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile

Justice 

The Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) National Resource Center for 

Juvenile Justice recently announced the launch of its new Web 

site. The RFK National Resource Center, which is led by Robert 

F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps, provides support to state and 

local jurisdictions by offering presentations, training, and 

consultation to improve the performance of juvenile justice 

systems and outcomes for youth, with a special concentration on 

youths who are involved with both juvenile justice and child 

welfare. You can join the resource center's mailing list here. 

Guidance for Schools to Meet Their Student Discipline

Obligations 

In January 2014, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. 

Department of Justice issued guidance to assist public 

elementary and secondary schools in meeting their obligations 

under federal law to administer student discipline without 

discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. In 

addition to the guidance, a Web page hosted by the U.S. 

Department of Education provides in-depth information and 

resources on school climate and discipline. 

'Mental Illness Behind Bars,' References 

1 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 2012. OJJDP 

Statistical Briefing Book. Washington, D.C.
 2 Melissa Sickmund, Anthony Sladky, Wei Kang, and Charles Puzzanchera.
 

2013. "Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential
 

Placement."
 3 The Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2013. "Reducing Youth Incarceration in 

the United States." Data Snapshot: Kids Count. 4 Jennie L. Shufelt and Joseph J. Cocozza. 2006. "Youth With Mental Health
 

Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System: Results From a Multistate
 

Prevalence Study." Research and Program Brief. Delmar, N.Y.: National
 

Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.
 5 Ibid. 

6 Carolyn S. Breda. 2002. "The Impact of External Environment on ServiceRelated Decisions of Juvenile Courts." Fourteenth Annual Research
 

Conference, A System of Care for Children's Mental Health, 145–48. Tampa,
 

Fla.: Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, the de la
 

Parte Institute and the University of South Florida. And Richard F. Dalton,
 

Lisa J. Evans, Keith R. Cruise, Ronald A. Feinstein, and Rhonda F. Kendrick.
 

2009. "Race Differences in Mental Health Service Access in a Secure Male
 

Juvenile Justice Facility." Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 48(3):194–209.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorado, Boulder, will host its Blueprints for 

Healthy Youth Development 2014 conference 

at the Denver (Colo.) Downtown Sheraton Hotel 

(registration fee: $350.00). OJJDP Administrator 

Robert Listenbee will be a keynote speaker. The 

conference will focus on evidence-based 

programs in youth education, problem behavior, 

self-regulation, mental and physical health, and 

positive relationships and will provide support for 

practitioners implementing these programs in 

their communities. 

Coalition for Juvenile Justice Annual 

Conference 

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice will hold its 

2014 Annual Conference, "Looking Back, 

Planning Ahead: A Vision for the Next 40

Years in Juvenile Justice," during June 18–21, 

at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. 

The conference immediately follows the OJJDP 

2014 Core Requirements Training, which runs 

June 17–18. 

Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in

Juvenile Justice Certificate Program 

The application window for the 2014 Reducing

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile

Justice Certificate Program is open now 

through April 18, 2014. This intensive training, 

which is operated jointly by the Center for 

Juvenile Justice Reform and the Center for 

Children's Law and Policy, is designed to support 

local jurisdictions in their efforts to reduce racial 

and ethnic disparities in their juvenile justice 

systems. The target audience includes leaders in 

the juvenile justice field and representatives from 

related child-serving agencies. 

And Linda A. Teplin, Karen M. Abram, Gary M. McClelland, Jason J. 

Washburn, and Ann K. Pikus. 2005. "Detecting Mental Disorder in Juvenile 

Detainees: Who Receives Services." American Journal of Public Health 

95(10):1773–80. 

7 Rebecca Daurio. 2010. "Factors Associated With Court Decisions to 

Provide Juvenile Offenders With Mental Health Placements." Dissertation 

Abstracts International, B: Sciences and Engineering 70(8). And Andy 

Lopez–Williams, Ann Vander Stoep, Elena Kuo, and David G. Stewart. 2006. 

"Predictors of Mental Health Service Enrollment Among Juvenile Offenders." 

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 4(3):266–80. And Linda A. Teplin, Karen 

M. Abram, Gary M. McClelland, Jason J. Washburn, and Ann K. Pikus. 2005.
 

"Detecting Mental Disorder in Juvenile Detainees: Who Receives Services."
 

American Journal of Public Health 95(10):1773–80. And Jiahui Yan and
 

Anne Dannerbeck. 2011. "Exploring the Relationship Between Gender,
 

Mental Health Needs, and Treatment Orders in a Metropolitan Juvenile
 

Court." Journal of Child & Family Studies 20(1):9–22.
 8 Richard F. Dalton, Lisa J. Evans, Keith R. Cruise, Ronald A. Feinstein, and 

Rhonda F. Kendrick. 2009. "Race Differences in Mental Health Service 

Access in a Secure Male Juvenile Justice Facility." Journal of Offender 

Rehabilitation 48(3):194–209. And Deborah Shelton. 2005. "Patterns of 

Treatment Services and Costs for Young Offenders With Mental Disorders." 

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing 18(3):103–12. And Andy 

Lopez–Williams, Ann Vander Stoep, Elena Kuo, and David G. Stewart. 2006. 

"Predictors of Mental Health Service Enrollment Among Juvenile Offenders." 

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 4(3):266–80. And Kenneth M. Rogers, 

Andres J. Pumariega, and Steven P. Cuffe. 2001. "Identification and Referral 

for Mental Health Services in Juvenile Detention." Fourteenth Annual 

Research Conference, A System of Care for Children's Mental Health. 

Tampa, Fla.: Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, the 

de la Parte Institute and the University of South Florida. 

9 Rebecca Daurio. 2010. "Factors Associated With Court Decisions to 

Provide Juvenile Offenders With Mental Health Placements." Dissertation 

Abstracts International, B: Sciences and Engineering 70(8). And Andy 

Lopez–Williams, Ann Vander Stoep, Elena Kuo, and David G. Stewart. 2006. 

"Predictors of Mental Health Service Enrollment Among Juvenile Offenders." 

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 4(3):266–80. And Jiahui Yan and Anne 

Dannerbeck. 2011. "Exploring the Relationship Between Gender, Mental 

Health Needs, and Treatment Orders in a Metropolitan Juvenile Court." 

Journal of Child & Family Studies 20(1):9–22. 

10 Linda A. Teplin, Karen M. Abram, Gary M. McClelland, Jason J. 

Washburn, and Ann K. Pikus. 2005. "Detecting Mental Disorder in Juvenile 

Detainees: Who Receives Services." American Journal of Public Health 

95(10):1773–80. 

11 Trina W. Osher. 2006. "What Families Think of the Juvenile Justice
 

System: Findings From the OJJDP Multistate Study." Focal Point 20(2):20–
 

23. 

12 Ibid. 

13 The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. 1999. Families on the Brink: The
 

Impact of Ignoring Children With Serious Mental Illness: Results of a National 

Survey of Parents and Other Caregivers. Arlington, Va. And Thomas Grisso. 

2008. "Adolescent Offenders With Mental Disorders." The Future of Children 

18(2):143–64. 

14 Joseph J. Cocozza, Kathleen R. Skowyra, and Jennie L. Shufelt. 2010. 

Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Youth in Contact With the Juvenile 

Justice System in System of Care Communities: An Overview and Summary 

of Key Issues. Washington, D.C.: Technical Assistance Partnership for Child 

and Family Mental Health. 

15 Models for Change. 2011. "Does Mental Health Screening Fulfill Its 

Promise?" Knowledge Brief. Chicago, Ill.: John D. and Catherine T. 

MacArthur Foundation. 

16 Thomas J. Dishion, J. McCord, and François Poulin. 1999. "When 

Interventions Harm: Peer Groups and Problem Behavior." American 

Psychologist 54(9):755–64. And Barry Homan and Jason Ziedenberg. 2006. 

The Dangers of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention 

and Other Secure Facilities. Washington, D.C.: Justice Policy Institute. And 

Dana M. Rhule. 2005. "Take Care to Do No Harm: Harmful Interventions for 

Youth Problem Behavior." Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 

36(6):618–25. 

17 Thomas Grisso. 2008. "Adolescent Offenders with Mental Disorders." The 

Future of Children 18(2):143–64. And National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1999. Families on the Brink: The Impact of Ignoring Children With Serious 

Mental Illness—Results of a National Survey of Parents and Other 

Caregivers. Arlington, Va. And James Austin, Kelly Dedel Johnson, and 

Ronald Weitzer. 2005. "Alternatives to Secure Detention and Confinement of 

Juvenile Offenders." OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin. 18 Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change. 2014. 

"Better Solutions for Youth With Mental Health Needs in the Juvenile Justice 

System." Delmar, N.Y. And Kathleen R. Skowyra and Joseph J. Cocozza. 

2007. A Blueprint for Change: A Comprehensive Model for the Identification 

and Treatment of Youth with Mental Health Needs in Contact With the 

Juvenile Justice System. Delmar, N.Y.: National Center for Mental Health and 

Juvenile Justice, Policy Research Associates, Inc. And Joseph J. Cocozza, 

Kathleen R. Skowyra, and Jennie L. Shufelt. 2010. Addressing the Mental 

Health Needs of Youth in Contact With the Juvenile Justice System in 

System of Care Communities: An Overview and Summary of Key Issues. 

Washington, D.C.: Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family 

Mental Health. And National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 

2007. Mental Health Screening Within Juvenile Justice: The Next Frontier. 

Delmar, N.Y. And National Conference of State Legislatures. 2011. Juvenile 

Justice Guide Book for Legislators. Denver, Colo. And Thomas Grisso. 2008. 

"Adolescent Offenders with Mental Disorders." The Future of Children 

18(2):143–64. 

19 Thomas Grisso. 2008. "Adolescent Offenders With Mental Disorders." The 

Future of Children 18(2):143–64.
 20 Models for Change. 2011. "Does Mental Health Screening Fulfill Its
 

Promise?" Knowledge Brief. Chicago, Ill.: John D. and Catherine T.
 

MacArthur Foundation.
 21 Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change. 2014.
 

"Better Solutions for Youth With Mental Health Needs in the Juvenile Justice
 

System." Delmar, N.Y.
 22 James Austin, Kelly Dedel Johnson, and Ronald Weitzer. 2005.
 

"Alternatives to Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders."
 

OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin. 23 National Mental Health Association. 2004. Mental Health Treatment for 

Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: A Compendium of Promising Practices. 

Alexandria, Va. 

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