Goals for Today Learn about the agencys standardized approach to managing youth behavior and how it came about Identify lessons from research on effective ways of changing behavior Learn how to use new sanctions grids and apply them to hypothetical cases ID: 298040
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Graduated Responses for Youth Under DJS ..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Graduated Responses for Youth Under DJS Supervision Slide2
Goals for TodayLearn about the agency’s standardized approach to managing youth behavior and how it came aboutIdentify lessons from research on effective ways of changing behavior
Learn how to use new sanctions grids and apply them to hypothetical casesPractice how to explain graduated responses to youth, family members, and juvenile justice stakeholdersAddress questions or concerns© Richard RossSlide3
Why now?2013 Legislation requires the Department to report its implementation of graduated responses by December 1, 2014
© Publicdomainpictures.netSlide4
What did the legislature mean? “Graduated responses” means an accountability–
based series of sanctions, including incentives, treatment, and services, applicable to children within the juvenile justice system, administered to hold children
accountable for their actions and to protect communities from the effects of juvenile delinquency by providing appropriate sanctions for every act for which a child is adjudicated delinquent, by encouraging law–abiding behavior, and by preventing subsequent involvement in the juvenile justice system
.
(Chapter 497, 2013 Session) Slide5
DataVOPs are a leading contributor to DJS commitmentDJS commitment was ordered in 46.5% of disposition decisions where the most serious offense alleged or adjudicated was a
VOPIn contrast, DJS commitment was ordered in only 19.2% of disposition decisions adjudicated on crimes of violenceThree quarters of disposition decisions placing youth on probation involved low or medium risk kids - we can use options besides out of home commitmentsSlide6
Youth are committed to DJS for VOPs at more than twice the rate of commitments for crimes of violenceSlide7
The ApproachSlide8
The PhilosophySave the most serious responses for behaviors that are concerns for public safetyPut tools to handle the other behaviors in the hands of case managersLeave flexibility to handle special cases by working with regional directorsSlide9
Documented SuccessesSuccessful use of incentives and sanctions, or just incentives on their own, can be found in related programs.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in schoolsAdult drug courtsSmoking cessationMany juvenile probation departments
©
openclipart.orgSlide10
What Does the Research Tell Us?
In 2012, the American Probation and Parole Association, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the National Center for State Courts examined the most up-to-date research on effective probation and parole practices . . . Slide11
Their Findings . . .“The use of incentives is equally important (and often not sufficiently considered) in probation and parole supervision”
“[S]anctions and incentives should be used in conjunction with one another to promote compliance and positive behavior”
Effective Response to Offender Behavior: Lessons Learned for Probation and Parole Supervision,
Am. prob. & parole
ass’n
(2012),
available
at
http://www.appa-net.org/eWeb/docs/APPA/pubs/EROBLLPPS-Report.pdf
. Slide12
What Else Do We Know From the Research?To be most effective, a system of sanctions and incentives must be:
Certain ImmediateFairOf the appropriate intensityTailored to be effective for individual youth
© Richard RossSlide13
Certainty
What the Research Says:
“…. perceived
certainty of sanctions does exert a specific deterrent effect, but perceived severity (given certainty of punishment) does not
.”
Adele Harrell & John Roman, Reducing Drug Use and Crime Among Offenders: The Impact of Graduated Sanctions,
31 J. Drug Issues
207
, 210 (2001
).
What
It Means for Our Work:
C
onsistency
of our response changes behavior, not the severity of the sanction.
Don’t automatically ramp up sanctions if a lower level sanction worked earlier.Slide14
Immediacy
What the Research Says:“…. a
swift response to an infraction improves the perception that the sanction is fair and that the immediacy is a vital tool in shaping behavior.”
U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, “Swift and Certain” Sanctions in Probation Are Highly Effective: Evaluation of the Hope Program
, available at http://
www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/community/drug-offenders/Pages/hawaii-hope.aspx#note3.
What
It Means for Our Work:
Responses must occur soon after a behavior in order to be effective. That way, youth learn the connection between the behavior and the response.Slide15
Fairness and Appropriate Intensity
What the Research Says:
“When
used excessively or inappropriately,
[sanctions] may
precipitate a learned helplessness syndrome, which is counterproductive to the goal of improving behavior. Individuals who experience excessive, uncontrollable, and/or unpredictable sanctions often become irritable, despondent, and isolated, and thus less open to positive behavioral change
.”
Douglas B. Marlowe & Kimberly C. Kirby, Effective Use of Sanctions in Drug Courts: Lessons from Behavioral Research,
National Drug Court Inst. Rev..,
Summer 1999, at 11, xv.
What
It Means for Our Work:
Applying harsh sanctions for minor misbehavior can undercut our work to change behavior.
Sanctions must match the seriousness of the behavior to be effective at deterring future negative behavior.Slide16
Tailored for Individual Youth
What the Research Says:“When administering reinforcements or punishments, three important factors impact the effectiveness of the contingency: salience, immediacy, and
consistency .… salience is the relevance of a given contingency to an individual. A contingency will not be effective if it is not important or relevant to the individual.”
Adria J. Trotman & Faye S. Taxman, Implementation of a Contingency Management-Based Intervention in a Community Supervision Setting: Clinical Issues and Recommendations, 50 J. Offender
Rehabil
. 235 (2011).
What
It Means for Our Work:
The same sanctions and incentives won’t work for all youth. We have to select sanctions and incentives that will matter based on what we know about our clients.Slide17
Not all staff respond to violations in the same waySome staff don’t use incentives to the same degree as othersResponses may not be quick enough to change behaviorStaff want the most effective options to respond to behaviorWhen we refer youth to court for violations, we lose much of our control over the case
We already do this…
© All-free-download.comSlide18
What has DJS done so far?Focus groups around the state with case managers and DJS management about needs, potential barriers, and what
was already being doneSite visit of delegation of DJS regional directors, PD, State’s Attorney, judge, law enforcement and service providers to Santa Cruz, CAStatewide survey with case managers about practices and understanding of graduated responsesUsed information to develop grids and infraction guide, identify IT and training issuesSlide19
Graduated Responses Development“AIM Committee” met for over a yearDeveloped statewide grid of responsesRegional Directors worked with teams locally to make adjustments to reflect available programs and services
AIM Committee will be expanded to include line staff as coaches and contributors to plans for incentives side of systemSlide20
New Tools: Infraction Determination GuideInfraction Determination GuideSlide21
Infraction Determination Guide: Special SituationsMultiple ViolationsComplete one sheet for the most serious violation and check the “m
ultiple violations” boxDetermine seriousness by identifying the violation that has the strongest relationship to any offense for which the youth is on active supervision, taking into account any direct victim impactDocument all violations in case notesScoring Ties (2-2-1, 2-1-2, 1-2-2)
Consult with a supervisor and document how you broke the tie on the Infraction Determination Guide, including the factor you weighed most heavily in your decisionSlide22
New Tools: Sanctions GridSanctions Grids (county specific)If you think that the grid does not offer an appropriate response, consult with your regional director or assistant regional director. They will determine whether an override is warranted and notify Headquarters if an override is granted, including the reason why.
AIM Tip SheetSlide23
Implications for PracticeEnsure that youth understand expectations from the beginningExplain the system of graduated sanctions if youth do not comply
With the youth and family, assess the likelihood of problems complying with particular conditions and plan strategies to prevent violationsExpect challenges; respond each time so that it is clear you are watchingUse sanctions related to the underlying behavior and likely to create changeSlide24
Responding to a ViolationExplore the events that led up to the behavior that got them in trouble
Help youth understand why his or her behavior is a problemExplore alternative actions the youth could take in the futureExplain why you are imposing a particular sanctionWork with the youth to create a plan for making better choices next time
Adapted from Mark Carey, Carey Guides Effective Case Management, Responding to Violations (2010).Slide25
What Are the Benefits?
Higher successful probation completion rates and lower recidivism ratesReduced detention admissions for technical violationsConsistency and equity in approach to violations
Strengthening of youth’s ability to succeed when no longer under DJS supervision
We will have more tools in the toolbox to help us achieve our goalsSlide26
What Are the Benefits in Court?Judges will receive more information on the interventions that we have used in each caseWe will have easily accessible documentation to support VOP or case closure
The court will see consistency and uniformity in our approach, which will build confidence in our workSlide27
Scenarios and Group Discussion
© Richard RossSlide28
Talking to Stakeholders about Graduated ResponsesAnticipate the interests and concerns of key stakeholdersJudgesProsecutors
Public DefendersFrame messages in a way that recognizes and addresses those interests and concerns
©
Pixabay.comSlide29
Judge
LENS:
Concerned with public safety, accountability,
child’s
treatment needs, and fairness in the
system
KEY CONCERNS:
May feel obligated to be
“
tough on crime
”
to protect public safety
May
favor
restrictions
if youth present
any risk
to public safety or risk of flight
Concerned with being embarrassed by decisions that yield bad outcomes (e.g., released youth alleged
to have committed
murder)
Concerned with limits on their
discretion
MESSAGING:
The legislature required DJS to report on its implementation of a graduated responses system
Youth who commit violations that aren’t a danger to public safety can be better served in the community at lower costs and with better results (e.g., lower recidivism rate, improved re-entry outcomes, etc.)
Using a system of responses to handle violations of low-level offenders will allow the more intensive resources to be focused on high-risk, violent, and repeat juvenile offenders
The AIM system will promote consistency and fairness
AIM will be used to respond quickly to technical violations
The court will receive detailed information on the use of responsesSlide30
Prosecutor
LENS:
Responsibility for public safety;
represents the voice of the victim
KEY CONCERNS:
May be wary of policy changes that could be viewed as risking public safety
May be more supportive of
sanctions as the best means of preventing further delinquency in
youth
May be concerned that victims would not appreciate offenders receiving rewards for doing what they are ordered to do
MESSAGING:
The
legislature required DJS to report on its implementation of a graduated responses
system
Using
a system of responses
to handle violations of
low-level
offenders
will
allow the more intensive resources to be focused
on high-risk, violent, and
repeat
juvenile offenders
Youth who commit violations that aren’t a danger to public safety can be better served in the community at lower costs and with better results (e.g., lower recidivism rate, improved re-entry outcomes, etc.)
The AIM system will promote consistency and fairness
AIM will be used to respond quickly to technical violationsSlide31
Public Defender
LENS:
Advocate for child’s expressed interests; concerned about unnecessary incarceration/placement and due process
KEY CONCERNS:
May
oppose the use of responses that
are perceived
to be outside the authority of the community supervision court order
Concerned that enhanced requirements that youth participate in services may set youth up for failure
Concerned about imposition of sanctions without a hearing
MESSAGING:
AIM
will help youth complete community supervision successfully, with the ultimate result of the case being
closed
AIM will help intervene in violations early before they rise to being chronic problems
AIM
will assist in
getting
the
“
wrong kids
”
out of residential
placement (
e.g., low-level offenders and youth with technical violations)
DJS plans
to monitor
implementation of the AIM system and make any appropriate modificationsSlide32
Questions and For More InformationContact your supervisor and regional director with any questions about how to apply the graduated responses system to a particular case