JULY 2014, VOLUME 4, NUMBER 7
 

IN THIS ISSUE 

The Minneapolis Juvenile Supervision Center 

Go to Minneapolis, Young Person 

Announcements and Upcoming Events 

• Funding Opportunities 

• Training opportunities 

News and Views 

• Reports, Guidelines, and Briefs 

• News 

• Other Resources 

AN OUNCE OF 

SUPERVISION BEATS A 

POUND OF DETENTION,

HENNEPIN COUNTY FINDS 

by Dave Marsden 

When Congress wrote the Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Act in 1974, one of its four 

cornerstones was to provide funding to states 

to "deinstitutionalize status offenders." In other 

words: when kids do things wrong that 

wouldn't be wrong if they did them as adults, 

don't put them into secure detention and 

corrections facilities. 

In that spirit, the city of Minneapolis, Minn., its 

surrounding county of Hennepin, and 

Minneapolis Public Schools created the 

Juvenile Supervision Center (JSC) in 1995. 

Two years earlier, a truancy workgroup had 

found a strong link between truancy and the 

following outcomes: low academic 

achievement, dropping out of school, crime, 

substance abuse, and teen pregnancy. In 

response, the JSC was developed as a way to 

GO TO MINNEAPOLIS 

by Dave Marsden and Carrie Nathans 

While serving as transportation committee coordinator for the 

Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board (YCB), Evan Barnett 

worked with the group's young members to create a way for 

youths to engage with the community, expand their horizons, 

and enhance their opportunities. Together they launched Goto Pass, a program that allowed high school students to take 

public buses to school. As Go-to Pass found its footing, the 

traditional yellow school buses that shuttled kids to and from 

school were gradually phased out. 

The program was a game changer. From before dawn until 9 

p.m. (10 p.m. was the previous curfew for youth in 

Minneapolis), young people could get to school safely, 

engage in afterschool activities or postsecondary education, 

and get and keep jobs. By increasing their mobility, Go-to 

Pass opened up a new world of opportunity for young people. 

No School Buses Necessary 

Barnett and his partner, Latoya Valagun, have made 

tremendous strides with the program. Now a youth 

development specialist with the Minneapolis Youth 

Commission, Barnett said involving young people in this effort 

was the key to its success. In partnership with the 

Minneapolis Youth Congress (MYC), he initiated a 2-year pilot 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rein in kids who might have skipped school, 

broken curfew, or committed low-level 

misdemeanor offenses such as school 

disruption, fare evasion, theft, and simple 

assault. 

The Minneapolis Juvenile Supervision

Center resides within City Hall (above). 

A History of Nonprofit Operation

The JSC was run by the Minneapolis Urban 

League from 1995 until 2008. Since 2008 the 

JSC has been operated by The Link, a local 

nonprofit that also engages in school dropout 

prevention, juvenile justice work, and housing 

services related to individuals experiencing 

homelessness. 

The center operates today as a youth-friendly, 

safe, and secure site for law enforcement to 

drop off youths from age 10 to 17 who are 

picked up for curfew, truancy, or low-level 

offenses and who do not need and do not 

qualify for admission to the Hennepin County 

Juvenile Detention Center. 

Always Open 

The JSC is open year round and 24 hours a 

day. 

According to Link Director Beth Holger– 

Ambrose, "Youth are dropped off at the JSC 

by police, at which time the staff performs a 

mental health screening," which is followed by 

an assessment related to any service needs 

they may have as a result of truancy, 

homelessness, substance abuse, sexual 

trafficking, or abuse and neglect. "The 

average length of stay is 2 hours," Holger– 

Ambrose reports, "with a flexible maximum of 

6 hours to determine the service needs of the 

youth. Youths needing longer-term housing 

and services are transported to youth-friendly 

shelters." 

"Needless to say," adds Officer Bruce Folkens, 

program in 2010 for MYC members to begin using the 

passes. 

As the program gained momentum, Minneapolis Public 

Schools (MPS) funded an expansion to include 50 percent of 

its high school population—selected for having the highest 

number of free- and reduced-lunch students. Today, all high 

school students are eligible and school buses are a thing of 

the past. The pass also doubles as a school ID (with photo), 

so it is nontransferable and allows for data collection and 

tracking of students. Although a formal evaluation has yet to 

be performed, the data suggest that youth violence in the 

downtown area has declined 47 percent, and the opportunity 

for afterschool activities has begun to close the achievement 

gap for many minority students. 

Outreach Workers Supervise and Mentor 

Transportation is only one part of this effort. The Downtown 

Improvement District (DID), a nonprofit organization 

composed of business and building owners, was concerned 

about the influx of so many young people. As the hub for bus 

and rail transit, the downtown area had a history of problems 

with youths. 

To address this, and to protect the safety of youths venturing 

away from their homes and neighborhoods, a team of 

outreach workers was hired to help students transition to this 

new way of life. The outreach workers provided instruction on 

how to use the Go-to Pass system and behave on the buses. 

Stationed at schools to serve as supervisors and mentors, 

they created a welcoming and stable atmosphere for youth. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"This method of handling status offenses and 

minor law violations works well for law 

enforcement, as there is minimal paperwork 

and officers are able to return to their assigned 

duties quickly. You know how valuable this 

program is when you never hear anything 

negative from anyone about it." 

A Ride Home and a Chat With the Folks 

Following the mental health screening and 

service assessment, the youth is most often 

transported home or back to school by the 

JSC staff or, on some occasions, law 

enforcement. Discussions take place with the 

family or school to determine the need for The 

Link to continue support for the youth and 

family over the longer term. 

"The JSC has 12 staff," said JSC Director 

Blaine Turnbull. "Nine of the staff members 

handle 3,000 to 3,200 youths who are brought 

to the JSC every year. Three of the staffers 

are case managers who perform the follow-up 

service delivery over a 6- to 9-month period to 

those youths who are assessed as having 

longer-term needs and whose families are 

willing to engage. These services can also be 

provided by other staff working for The Link 

through their other programs." 

Early Intervention, Lasting Change

Josh Peterson is the Youth Intervention and 

Outreach Coordinator for the Minneapolis 

Health Department. He works closely with 

Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator Sasha 

Cotton and Youth Development Coordinator 

Oliviah Walker. These three individuals are at 

the heart of the daily operations of the 

National Forum through their responsibilities 

under the Minneapolis Blueprint for Action to 

Prevent Youth Violence. 

"The JSC is tremendously important," says 

Peterson, "as it not only prevents youth 

victimization and engagement in crime by 

getting them off the streets to somewhere safe 

but also creates lasting change by providing 

an opportunity to intervene with youth at the 

first sign of risk and connect them with longterm resources and supports." 

The JSC also works very well for the 

Minneapolis School District. According to 

Colleen Kaibel, the dropout prevention 

coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools, it 

"provides early identification of students who 

need help and who have not had sufficient 

truancy issues to hit the schools' radar 

screen." She regards this as the beginning of 

Community Consciousness of Youthful Needs Raised 

The benefits of the outreach workers began to multiply. 

Downtown business owners once so concerned about the 

influx learned the truth: many of the youths they had been 

wary of were not high school students but homeless young 

adults in need of food, housing, and employment resources. 

Outreach workers were able to engage these individuals and 

direct them to much-needed services. They are now on duty 

throughout the school year, and the cost to maintain their 

services is about $5,000 per week. Though the program does 

not operate in summer, youths have learned how to use the 

transit system and are willing to pay to maintain their mobility 

and independence. 

The MPS has been a great beneficiary of Go-to Pass. 

Richard Mammen, chair of the MPS school board, champions 

the program: "It has opened up more of the community for 

young people and increased opportunity through the 

empowerment of mobility, as well as increasing opportunities 

for postsecondary education." Then he explains, "The light 

rail that connects downtown Minneapolis to St. Paul has 

provided improved access to the University of Minnesota." 

Mammen further notes the program has "expanded an 

awareness of youth needs and even changed the attitude 

and behavior of police toward young people." 

Shane Zahn, director of safety initiatives for DID, maintains, 

"The DID has been able to help with good policy and 

procedure, as well as collaboration with police, MPS, and the 

YCB to establish rules of behavior and cut-off times for Go-to 

services." DID has also given the program financial support. 

"The transition to Go-to passes, with the addition of the 

outreach workers, has been a great youth development tool," 

says Pam McBride, project director of Youth Development at 

the Minneapolis YCB. "It meets kids where they are and 

provides opportunities and engagement tools through the 

creation of relationships, which is what our young people 

want." 

The Minneapolis Go-to Pass system has taught the 

community that reducing youth violence is not always about 

restrictions or limitations. It is about presenting opportunities 

to expand young people's horizons and become adults 

through thoughtfully provided freedom, with an expectation of 

responsible behavior in return. 

NEWS & 

VIEWS 

Reports
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

comprehensive services. Kaibel believes the 

JSC is more a way of "preventing youth 

victimization than... dealing with youth being 

perpetrators." 

By keeping young people from penetrating the 

juvenile justice system, treating them fairly, 

and basing their involvement with the system 

on their needs and not their low-level offenses, 

Minneapolis is engaging in best practice that 

has been shown to be in the best interest of 

youths and families. 

Many Authorities Provide Oversight 

A Joint Powers Agreement involving the city of 

Minneapolis, Special School District Number 1 

(Minneapolis Public Schools), and Hennepin 

County is the basis for the current governance 

structure. This agreement is in force until Dec. 

31, 2016. The members of the Joint Powers 

Board include the mayor of Minneapolis, the 

Minneapolis City Coordinator, the Hennepin 

County attorney, the Hennepin County 

administrator, the Minneapolis school 

superintendent, and a Hennepin County 

Juvenile Court judge. 

The board meets at least once a year and 

delegates much of the ongoing supervision of 

the contractor (currently The Link) to a "work 

team" consisting of representatives from the 

city, the county, the schools, and The Link. 

This group meets monthly to 

Oversee the development of the center's 

strategic plan. 

Establish guidelines and conduct an 

annual evaluation and report. 

Review, design, and develop plans for 

the center and communicate 

recommendations for the board to 

review. 

Review and approve proposed 

promotional plans and materials to 

maximize community support, 

participation, and awareness. 

Assume responsibility for coordinating 

all aspects of curfew/truancy services in 

Hennepin County among the 

participating parties. 

Further Reading 

Eric Moore and Lola Adebara. 2012. 

"Juvenile Supervision Center: 2012

Evaluation Report—Executive Summary." 

Rainbow Research, Inc. 

The Case for Community-Based Alternatives to Youth

Incarceration 

Shaena M. Fazal, June 2014 

The Youth Advocate Programs Policy and Advocacy Center 

has released Safely Home, a report that describes how 

communities and systems can safely support high-need 

youths in their homes and communities. The key messages 

of the report are 

1. A lack of effective alternatives for high-need youth 

contributes to youth incarceration. 

2. Virtually anything that can be done in an institution can 

be done better in the community. 

3. Systems can redirect institutional dollars toward less 

expensive community programs. 

4. Communities cannot climb out of poverty, neighborhood 

violence, and other risk factors through incarcerations. 

5. Community-based programs that provide the proper 

level of security are safe and effective alternatives to 

youth incarceration. 

The report concentrates on the elements of effective 

community-based alternatives. 

Causes of Death for Delinquent Youths 16 Years After

Detention 

Linda A. Teplin, Jessica A. Jakubowski, Karen M. Abram, 

Nichole D. Olson, Marquita L. Stokes, and Lead J. Welty, 

June 2014 

In "Firearm Homicide and Other Causes of Death in 

Delinquents: A 16-Year Prospective Study," published in 

the journal Pediatrics, study authors examine rates of and 

risk factors for firearm homicide and other causes of death in 

delinquents 16 years after detention. Findings: 

Delinquent youths, through age 29, have higher 

mortality rates than the general population. 

Delinquent females died at nearly 5 times the general 

population rate. 

Delinquent Hispanic males and females died at 5 and 9 

times, respectively, the general population rates. 

Compared with the general population, significantly 

more delinquent youths died of homicide, including 

homicide by firearm. 

Among delinquent youth, racial/ethnic minorities were 

at increased risk of homicide compared with nonHispanic whites. 

Preventing Youth Violence 

Corinne David–Ferdon and Thomas R. Simon, June 2014 

The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 

Division of Violence Prevention, at the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention (CDC) has released Preventing 

Youth Violence: Opportunities for Action and its 

companion guide, Taking Action to Prevent Youth 

Violence. These publications aim to help communities use 

strategies that are known to work in youth violence 

prevention. They provide information on youth violence, 

violence-related behaviors, current trends, costs of youth 

violence, disproportionality among those affected, causes of 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric Moore and Lola Adebara. 2013. 

Minneapolis Department of Health and

Family Support Evaluation of Juvenile

Supervision Center. Minneapolis, Minn.: JSC 

Joint Powers Board and Workgroup. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS 

& UPCOMING EVENTS
 

Funding Opportunities 

Interior Department to Grant $6.7M to Hire

Young People to Work on Public Lands

Nationwide 

The U.S. Department of the Interior will 

release up to $6.7 million in grants to support 

conservation employment and mentoring 

opportunities at 43 projects on public lands

across the United States. This amount 

represents a 60 percent increase over last 

year's funding. 

Training Opportunities 

Coalition for Juvenile Justice Youth 

Summit 

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice and the 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention will cohost the 2014 Juvenile 

Justice Youth Summit Aug. 7–8, 2014, in 

Washington, D.C. The Youth Summit seeks to 

cultivate and empower a new generation of 

juvenile justice advocates. Youth participants 

will engage in skill-building, networking, and 

leadership development. Participants will learn 

the basics of juvenile justice and have the 

opportunity to delve into more detail on 

trending topics in juvenile justice reform. The 

event will also feature activities around the 

40th Anniversary of the passage of the 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Act. 

Federal Bullying Prevention Summit 

The Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention 

invites State Education Agencies (SEA) and 

Local Education Agencies (LEA), as well as 

administrators, teachers, and partner 

community-based and nongovernmental 

organizations to attend its virtual meeting, 

"Keeping Kids Safe: Opportunities and 

Challenges in Bullying Prevention," on Aug. 

15. Presenters will address current trends, 

research, and data, and SEA and LEA 

violence, evidence-based approaches, and key prevention 

strategies. These reports can also be accessed at the CDC's 

Injury Prevention and Control Web site. 

Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 Saves Lives 

William DeJong and Jason Blanchette, 2014 

A recent article published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol 

and Drugs finds that the current law, which sets the minimum 

drinking age at 21, has had positive effects on the U.S. 

population. "Case Closed: Research Evidence on the 

Positive Public Health Impact of Age 21 Minimum Legal

Drinking Age in the United States," which reviewed 

research published since 2006, finds that the age 21 law has 

reduced alcohol-related traffic crashes and alcohol 

consumption among youth and has protected drinkers from 

long-term negative outcomes they might experience in 

adulthood, such as alcohol and other drug dependence, 

suicide, homicide, and adverse birth outcomes. The article 

concludes that the age 21 law saves lives and is unlikely to 

be overturned. 

News 

Aspen Institute Reinvests in Innovative Community

Collaboratives to Engage Opportunity Youths 

On July 24 the Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund (OYIF) 

announced its second round of grants, with plans to provide 

new awards to 19 communities across the United States. The 

Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund is managed by the Aspen 

Institute's Forum for Community Solutions and is dedicated to 

reconnecting "Opportunity Youth" to education and 

employment. Opportunity youth is a term used to describe the 

6.7 million Americans age 16 to 24 who are neither enrolled 

in school nor participating in the labor market. Read the full 

press release here. 

Atty. Gen. Holder to Send Seven Additional ATF Agents

to Chicago

Atty. Gen. Eric Holder said he will send seven additional 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents 

to the ATF field division office in Chicago, Ill., where they will 

coordinate efforts with U.S. Atty. Zachary Fardon and federal, 

state, and local law enforcement and community partnerships 

to advance proven strategies to reduce illegal gun trafficking 

and gun crime. Holder made the announcement following a 

visit to the Windy City, where he participated in a roundtable 

discussion with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on recent reductions 

in youth violence. Click here for the Department of Justice 

press release. 

Chicago's Youth Impact Program Camp 

On July 7, Chicago's Youth Impact Program (YIP) kicked off 

its first-ever summer camp. Eighty-three middle school boys 

attended day 1 of the 2-week camp, which aims to reduce 

youth violence, promote summer learning, and provide lifeskills training and mentoring to at-risk boys. Supported in part 

by Northwestern University, the YIP camp delivers education 

on nonviolent conflict resolution, bullying, self-confidence, 

and leadership, with afternoon football training and practice. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

administrators will share their successes and 

challenges in bullying prevention work. 

Participants will be asked to weigh in on the 

direction of federal bullying prevention efforts 

to support local programming. Register for 

the meeting. 

Using Title IV–E for Juvenile Justice:

The Multnomah County Experience 

On Aug. 21 at 3 p.m., the Coalition for 

Juvenile Justice will present a Webinar on how 

jurisdictions can leverage Title IV–E of the 

Social Security Act to support home- and 

community-based programs and services in 

juvenile justice systems. Participants will learn 

about programs and services that are eligible 

for Title IV–E reimbursement, and ways 

stakeholders can support implementation of 

Title IV–E programs. Attendees will also hear 

one county's experience with Title IV–E 

implementation. Register for "Using Title IV–

E for Juvenile Justice: The Multnomah 

County Experience." 

Global Youth Justice Training Institute

The 10th Global Youth Justice Training

Institute will be held on Dec. 2–4 in Las 

Vegas, Nev. Participants will learn strategies 

for establishing or enhancing local youth 

justice diversion programs through teen, 

student, youth, and peer courts and juries. 

The program will address a variety of topics, 

from training youth and adult volunteers to 

grant writing and funding opportunities. 

Read the press release. 

West Virginia Governor Announces Review of Juvenile

Justice System

Between 1997 and 2011, West Virginia experienced the 

largest increase of any state in the country in the number of 

youths confined to juvenile facilities. It was also one of only 

four states to increase commitment rates. To address this, 

West Virginia has taken numerous steps over the past 

several years, including the closure of a secure residential 

facility and establishing juvenile drug courts, truancy courts, 

and community-based programs. In June, Gov. Earl Ray 

Tomblin announced that he has joined with members of the 

West Virginia Legislature, justices of the West Virginia 

Supreme Court of Appeals, and Pew Charitable Trusts to 

undertake a landmark, comprehensive review of West 

Virginia's juvenile justice system. The full press release is

here. 

Two New Programs Classified as 'Promising' 

Two programs have recently been added to OJJDP's Model 

Programs Guide and CrimeSolutions.gov as promising 

programs. The Front-End Diversion Initiative (FEDI), 

originally implemented in four Texas probation departments, 

seeks to divert juveniles with mental health needs from 

adjudication in the juvenile justice system by using 

specialized supervision and case management. Researchers 

found that juveniles who participated in FEDI were 

significantly less likely to face adjudication compared with 

those who received traditional probation supervision. Too 

Good for Drugs (TGFD) is a school-based drug prevention 

program for middle school students that promotes prosocial 

attitudes, skills, and behaviors. Researchers have found that 

participation in TGFD results in marginal yet positive impacts 

such as reducing consumptions of alcohol, tobacco, and 

other drugs (ATOD) as well as affecting important risk and 

protective factors associated with resiliency to ATOD use. 

Other Resources 

Vera Institute Creates Validated Tool to Identify Victims of

Human Trafficking 

The Vera Institute of Justice's Trafficking Victim 

Identification Tool has been tested with a diverse sample of 

potential victims of trafficking and found to be statistically 

reliable in predicting labor and sex trafficking. When used 

properly, the tool could give victim service providers, law 

enforcement, and legal, healthcare, and social service 

providers a standard means of identifying victims of human 

trafficking. The tool is divided into a long and short version. 

National Gang Center Explains Why Some Youths Join

Gangs 

The National Gang Center, in conjunction with the Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Bureau 

of Justice Assistance, has released the online video "Why

Youth Join Gangs." The video goes over the family, school, 

peer, and community risk factors that may play a role in a 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact Us 

Send questions or feedback about the newsletter to 

NFYVP@dsgonline.com or subscribe. 

youth's decision to join a gang. Gang researchers and 

practitioners give their perspectives on gang joining, and 

youths describe their gang experiences. It also addresses 

behaviors and circumstances that might be observed when 

interacting with youths at high risk of joining a gang. 

Children's Bureau Video Examines Tribal Child Welfare 

Programs 

The Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, has released a brief online video 

introducing concepts described in the report, “A Roadmap for 

Collaborative and Effective Evaluation in Tribal 

Communities.” The video highlights the difficult history of 

evaluation and research in tribal communities and explores a 

new narrative for conducting culturally responsive and 

scientifically rigorous evaluations to support ongoing 

improvement in tribal child welfare programs. The Children's 

Bureau's Child Welfare Research & Evaluation Tribal 

Workgroup developed the roadmap. 

The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Newsletter 

is prepared under Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention (OJJDP) Cooperative Agreement No. 2012–MU– 

FX–K009 with Development Services Group, Inc. 

The views, opinions, and content of this newsletter do not 

necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of OJJDP.