Wyoming Community Juvenile Services Initiative

1. Wyoming Community Juvenile Services Initiative Phase I - Assessment Kelly Hamilton Shad Bates

2. Juvenile Justice • Continuum of care and services for juveniles at risk of delinquency: • Prevention • Crisis intervention and stabilization • Diversion • Treatment • Sanctions • Short-term placement or detention • Long-term placement or detention • Other

3. Communities are Unique • Children and families best served close to home • Takes resources • State not always the best to dictate what occurs in your county • Make a good partner

4. Opportunity • Create a shared juvenile justice vision • Funding • A future state that is better than the current • Collaborators:

5. Foundation • http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2008/Enroll/SF0066.pdf • Central intake and assessment • Diversion and detention standards • Continuum of non-secure services • Local sustainability • http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2009/Engross/SF0129.pdf • Detention of juvenile offenders • Minor in possession • Community service • Evaluations • Minors parents and/or guardians • District Attorney shall be the single point of entry • www.wycrp.org • www.wyjuvenilejustice.com

6. Introductions • Who we are • Why we are here • Who are you?

7. Music • We need to be on the same sheet of music; but we can’t be signing the same note or we don’t have harmony! • Speak your truth • Courageous conversations

8. Create a Mission • Example: We will be a dynamic leader in building safe and healthy communities through our balanced approach, professionalism, and shared commitment to innovation and effective partnerships • What is ours today? small group exercise

9. Break

10. Three Phase Process • Community Assessment • Community Planning • Strategic Plan

11. Phase ICommunity Assessment Process • If we don’t know where we are going, how do we know when we get there?

12. Step 1 - Community Profile • Industry • Schools • Government • Weather • Activities • Community • Crime • Organized in 1868 • 7,964 square miles • 7896 square miles of land • 68 square miles of water • 15,639 people • 6,129 households • 31.20% with children under 18 • 55.10% were married couples • 8.30% had a female householder with no husband • 4,130 families • 8,307 housing units • 24.10% under the age of 18 • Median age is 29 large group exercise

13. Step 2 – Current System • Map and assess the current juvenile justice system • Strengths? • Decision points? • Bottle necks? • Gate Keepers Discussion: A 16 year old female juvenile who has been drinking beer is encountered by law enforcement… large group exercise; map for circuit court and municipal court

14. Step 3 - Juvenile Behaviors • Why? • We can measure them • We can see them • We can feel them • We can reach consensus on them • We nurture the ones we like • We can change the ones we do not like

15. Good Behaviors • Community • Juveniles have no desire for alcohol • Family • Child abuse does not exist • Education • Truancy is not tolerated • Individual • Juveniles routinely pick up trash small group exercise

16. Problem Behaviors • Community • Marijuana is thought to be legal • Family • Parents abuse their children • Education • Schools have no activities • Individual • Sexual activity at a young age small group exercise; have participants place their five dots on the most concerning behaviors

17. Break

18. Step 4 – Risk Factors • Those characteristics, variables or hazards that, if present for a given youth make it probably that he or she may engage in a problem behavior. • Being male is a risk factor

19. Risk Factors • Community risk factors • Availability of drugs • Family risk factors • Abuse • School risk factors • Truancy • Individual risk factors • Suicidal thoughts small group exercise

20. Step 5 - Protective Factors • Those resources available within the jurisdiction that mediate or moderate the effect of exposure to risk factors and keep juveniles from entering the juvenile justice system.

21. Protective Factors • Community protective factors • Opportunities for pro-social involvement • Family protective factors • Family attachment • School protective factors • Involvement in school activities • Individual protective factors • Belief in a moral order small group exercise

22. Vision • Providing comprehensive treatment and services for juvenile offenders through which they will develop competencies to assist in achieving independence and responsibility • Holding juvenile offenders accountable for their behavior and working toward repairing harm done to the victim and the community • Providing leadership within the juvenile justice community by promoting best practices and comprehensive treatment and services for juvenile offenders • Providing targeted high need communities with the necessary resources or information to create purposeful and collaborative juvenile delinquency prevention programs • What is yours? small group exercise

23. Data: thinking ahead to next time • What data sets are available to support our assessment?

24. Interviews; thinking ahead to next time • Needed? • Who?

25. Next TimePhase II - Community Planning • Refine Vision • Revisit mission; values and philosophy • Organizational structure • Agreement • Champion • Goals • Objectives and outcome measures • Strategies and output measures • Strategic plan

26. Third meeting Phase III - Strategic Plan • Central intake • Detention standard • Continuum of non-secure services • Notification/involvement of parents/guardians • Other funding sources and operational costs • Provision for confidential proceedings and records • Strategic plan implementation

27. Contact Information • Kelly J. Hamilton • (307) 632-0032 • khamilton@wycrp.org • www.wycrp.org

28. Thank you