ohio's juvenile justice system
TRANSCRIPT
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a statewide coalition of over 475 organizations working together to promote health and human service budget and policy solutions so that all Ohioans live better lives.
Advocates for Ohio’s Future is…
Erin DaviesExecutive Director
Ohio Juvenile Justice Coalition
JUVENILE JUSTICE IN OHIO
Erin Davies, Executive DirectorJuvenile Justice Coalition
Juvenile Court 101: Purpose of The Juvenile Court
To provide rehabilitation and treatment to youth to hold them accountable and maintain public
safety, while recognizing fundamental differences between
youth and adults.
Juvenile Court 101:Youth Development•Adolescent brain development•U.S. Supreme Court case law
– Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005)– Graham v. Florida, 130 S.Ct. 2011 (2010)–J.D.B. v. North Carolina, 131 S.Ct. 2394 (2011)
–Miller v. Alabama, Slip Opinion No. 10–9646 (2012)
Juvenile Court 101:Terminology
Adult Term Juvenile Term DefinitionFound guilty
Adjudicated delinquent
Court determines you committed an offense
Sentence Disposition Punishment for committing an offense
Jail Detention Pre-trial secure placementPrison Correctional
facilityPost-trial secure placement
Probation Probation Part of sentence/disposition for committing crime
Parole Parole Conditional early release from a locked facility
Juvenile Court 101:Ohio’s Juvenile Justice SystemUnique things:•“Home rule” state – 88 counties do things 88 ways
•For offenses committed before the age of 18, juvenile court has jurisdiction over youth up to age 21
•Data challenges
Juvenile Justice Involvement: Type of YouthWhat type of youth come before juvenile courts?•Abuse, neglect, and dependency cases (A/N/D)
•Custody cases•Youth accused of status offenses (i.e. underage drinking, truancy, running away from home)
•Youth accused of delinquency offenses
Juvenile Justice Involvement: Courts’ ResponsesWhat are the courts’ levels of responses to youth?
Prevention
Referral to juvenile court
Diversion or specialized docket
Adult court
Juvenile Justice Involvement: Courts’ Responses – Adult Court
Age Where Tried
Where Sentence Served
Basis for Adult Court Involvement
Bindover 14+ Adult Court Adult System Age, offense, and
other factorsSerious Youthful Offender (SYO)
10+ Juvenile Court
Juvenile System and Potentially
Adult System (after age 14)
Age, offense, and other factors
Youth Over 18 in Juvenile Court
18-21 Juvenile Court
Juvenile System and Adult System Age
Juvenile Justice Involvement:Education ContextJuvenile justice involvement level
Education context
Prevention School responder programDiversion Youth caught with drugs in school, placed
in drug court diversion programStatus offense TruancyDelinquency offense
Behavioral problems that come to the attention of the court (i.e. fight on the bus)
SYO/Bindover High level delinquency offenses (i.e. school shootings), but can be any felony over the age of 14
Juvenile Justice Reforms:Goal
Moving toward a “right sized” system that ensures an individually tailored, evidence-based appropriate response for each youth designed put youth on
the right path.
Negative Impacts of Juvenile Justice System InvolvementOverly punitive responses are:•Expensive•Ineffective and may actually reduce public safety•Reduce youth’s ability to develop skills needed for positive adulthood
•Create collateral consequences for youth, including for employment
Negative Impacts - Detention•Research shows that :- Detention is one best predictors of recidivism. - Youth who spend any amount of time in detention are more likely to abuse substances, less likely to complete high school, less likely to find employment, and less likely to form stable families.
- Detention ($60-$136/day) is more expensive than community-based alternatives, like electronic monitoring and day reporting programs ($3.75-$50/day).
Popu
lation
Felon
y Adju
dicati
on
Committe
d to D
YS
Adult C
ourt
0%20%40%60%80%
17%
51% 60%83%80%
44%31%
16%6% 3% 7%
Race/Ethnicity in Ohio's JJ System
Black White Latino
Relative Rate Index (RRI) Numbers White Black HispanicArrest 1.0 3.12 0.31Refer to Juvenile Court 1.0 1.11 1.97Diversion 1.0 0.60 0.82Detention 1.0 1.51 1.54Petitioned 1.0 1.02 0.89Delinquency 1.0 .97 0.97Probation 1.0 .89 1.28DYS 1.0 1.66 1.27Adult Court 1.0 8.95 7.96
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Juvenile Court Reforms:How Do We Get ThereGoal: Reducing recidivism•Low reoffending risk – Diverted from the juvenile justice system altogether
•Moderate or high reoffending risk – Subject to the minimal level of supervision and control consistent with public safety and be provided with appropriate, effective therapeutic services
•Recognize that “punishment beyond that which is inherent in the level of control necessary for public safety is likely to be counter-productive to reducing recidivism.”
Juvenile Justice Reform:National TrendsMoving Away From: Moving Towards:Placing youth in locked facilities
Community-based programming alternatives
Prosecuting youth in adult court
Keeping youth in juvenile court
One-size-fits-all approach Assessing youth’s individualized needs and appropriate responses
“Gut feelings” about what works or what youth need
Utilizing evidence- and research-based assessments and programs
Long-term collateral consequences
Minimizing collateral consequences
Reform Example:
Ohio’s Deincarceration Programs
Ohio’s Initiatives - ProgramsProgram name: Purpose: Results:OYAS Instrument to assess youth’s
needs/risks at each point of the juvenile justice system
Provides objective, risk-based recommendations to juvenile courts
JDAI Ensure only youth who are a threat to the community are detained pre-trial
Detention reductions in 5 counties averaging 27%
RECLAIM and Targeted RELCAIM
Direct youth away from DYS and into community-based programs (Targeted RECLAIM requires the program to be evidence-based)
Lower recidivism rates; over 50% reduction in DYS facility populations
BHJJ Provides evidence-based, community-based programs for youth with serious mental health or substance abuse needs
Increased school attendance, reduced out of home placement, decreased substance use and recidivism
Competitive RECLAIM
Gives counties and technical assistance to use outcome-based programs to 1) divert low-risk youth, 2) keep medium- and high-risk youth safely in their communities, and 3) create multi-county efforts.
N/A
Bindovers Are Down
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14150
200
250
300
350
400
279307
264
234
292297 315
319362
303283
205
163158
Fiscal Year
Num
ber o
f You
th B
ound
O
ver
Felony Adjudications Are Down
05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 143000400050006000700080009000
10000875290908854
79997103
65115654
507446364674
Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED)National Efforts:• Federal law requires states to “address” disproportionate minority
contact with the juvenile justice system• No “silver bullet”– successes have been locally driven and purposeful with:‐ Carefully selected leadership teams‐ Quality-driven data collection and analysis‐ Using objective screening and assessment instruments, and ‐ Creating and monitoring plans to reduce RED.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED)Ohio Efforts:• Since 2007, Ohio has devoted most of its federal funding to
reducing RED‐ Focus on 14 counties that have 86% of the minority youth in the
state‐ Each county has done an assessment led by DYS‐ Efforts have been targeted at African-American youth in
prevention and early intervention programs• Programs: Mentoring, life skills, diversion, truancy and school-
based interventions
JJC’S ROLE
JJC’s Work:•Track statewide policies on juvenile justice issues – legislative, regulatory, and local policies
•Increase public education and involvement with juvenile justice issues, including leading visits to juvenile justice facilities
•Increase the participation of youth who were involved in the juvenile justice system and their families
•Provide trainings and technical assistance•Participate in coalitions
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WRAP UP
How Can You Get Involved?•Sign up for JJC’s listserv – www.jjohio.org•Follow JJC on Twitter: @ohiojjc•Help us connect with youth who have been through the system or their families who are willing to share their story
•Have JJC come give a talk about the juvenile justice system and how to get involved
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Juvenile Justice Reform:Program AcronymsAcronyms:• JDAI – Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative• RECLAIM - Reasonable and Equitable Community and Local
Alternatives to the Incarceration of Minors• Targeted RECLAIM – evidence-based version of RECLAIM• OYAS – Ohio Youth Assessment System• BHJJ- Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative• MST – Multi-Systemic Therapy