ATTORNEYS AND YOUTH AT RISK

Potential Areas For Increased Attorney Involvement

Young Offenders (12 years and younger)

Truant Youth

Youth Aging Out of DHS System

Attorneys and Youth at Risk

Attorneys and Youth at Risk

Young Offenders: Population at risk for becoming violent offenders

Six out of 10 are likely to be future serious, violent and chronic offenders

Cost: an average of $1.7–$2.3 million per youth on

average is spent through their juvenile and young adult years

Young Offenders

What is the trend of young offending?

Young OffendersWhat types of crimes do they commit?

Young Offenders: Best Practice Models

Based upon a comprehensive assessment of strengths and deficits, youth (and their families) can be matched to any combination of the following:

Get Real About Violence

Aggression Replacement Training

The Parenting Project and Parenting Adolescents Wisely

Street Worker Surveillance(AVRP Components)

Truancy……

First Step to a Lifetime of Problems

Truancy……

40.4% Philadelphia public school students had 8 or more unexcused absences in 2005-06

Translation: more than 90,000 Philadelphia public school students are currently in danger of experiencing long-term educational and social problems

Truant Youth:

Were 3.2 times more likely to be suspended one or more times during the 2005-06 school year

Were approximately 2.4 times more likely than their non-truant counterparts to drop out of high school within the next four years of schooling

(cohort was truant youth in 8th grade in 2001-02)

Truant Youth:

Scored significantly lower in Reading and in Math than his/her non-truant counterpart during the 2004-05 school year

Tend to be concentrated in the city’s most economically distressed neighborhoods

Truancy: Best Practice Models

A comprehensive assessment of strengths and deficits will provide for service “matching” wherein youth (and family) profiles will be “matched” to services designed to meet identified needs

Currently reviewing the following for possible inclusion in the Truancy Initiative

Project SMART TIPS TRACK

Project START THRIVE

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care …..

Are less likely to have a HS diploma or GED

Suffer from behavioral health conditions

Have high rates of future involvement with the criminal justice system

Experience housing instability and frequent periods of homelessness

Youth Aging Out of DHS

Completing a study funded by GPUAC

Final report due out in October

Potential Role of Attorneys

Youth Level

Advocate for Psychosocial Assessments to Identify a Profile of Youth (and Family) Needs

Based Upon the Identified Profile, Advocate for Youth-to-Service Matching

Monitor Assessment/Service Provision

Potential Role of Attorneys

System Level

Hold System Accountable for Appropriate Intervention

Initiate System Level Litigation When Appropriate Services Are Not Provided

Changing Systems,Getting Results.