US Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile - PDF document

1 U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Just
U.S. Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsOffice of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention John J. Wilson, Acting Administrator The Juvenile PONI workshop program is the result of a partner-ship between the Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention (OJJDP) and the Corrections Program Office (CPO),both in the Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department ofJustice. The workshop program is conducted in cooperation withCPO provide funding while NIC oversees workshop developmentand presentation. The Juvenile PONI program, which is funded inpart through OJJDPÕs Juvenile Accountability Incentive BlockGrants (JAIBG) program, represents an unprecedented commit-ment by the three sponsoring Federal agencies to devote specialattention to juvenile confinement facilities.The goal of the Juvenile PONI workshop program is to helpjurisdictions make well-informed planning decisions aboutbuilding new secure juvenile facilities or about renovating orexpanding existing facilities. The workshops offer participantsan opportunity to define their individual roles in the planningprocess and to develop team-building skills.The Juvenile PONI workshops introduce operational, program-ming, and design concepts relevant to the facility developmentprocess and then provide participants with opportunities toParticipants receive the latest information and materials onjuvenile facility planning and designÑon topics ranging fromnew facility.ParticipantsEach jurisdiction selects a six-person team to attend the work-shop. The team must include officials with statutory responsibil-ity for funding, operation, and administration of the facility.citizens, financial officers, and/or architects and planners underWorkshops for Juvenile FacilitiesBackgroundJurisdictions throughout the Nation continually struggle to findthe most effective strategies to address delinquent behaviorandreduce recidivism among delinquent youth. Research indi-cates that the most effective interventions are comprehensive,community-based programs that provide a continuum of servicesand sanctions. These include prevention programming, a systemSecure confinement represents the most costly and severeresponse to delinquency. Therefore, jurisdictions should engagein careful planning to ensure that alternatives to confinement arebeing used effectively and that new or expanded facilities aredeveloped only when warranted. Renovation, expansion, ornewconstruction projects should be guided by the followingA careful examination of the unique characteristics and needsof juveniles.Current research on the causes and correlates of delinquency.Principles of comprehensive community-centeredThe communityÕs own vision and mission.Best practices in juvenile facility master planning, design,Factors that contribute to effective and cost-efficientfacility operations.Understanding the elements of effective planning for juvenilefacilities has become critically important as many jurisdictionsundertake the task of replacing or renovating crowded or substan-dard facilities. An important training program is now availableto these jurisdictions: Planning of New Institutions for JuvenileFacilities (Juvenile PONI) workshops, held regularly at theNational Institute of Corrections (NIC) Academy inby Dennis D. Barron and Shelley L. Zavlek PRESORTED STANDARDPOSTAGE & FEES PAIDDOJ/OJJDPPERMIT NO. GÐ91 Fact Sheet Official BusinessPenalty for Private Use $300 Each 5-day workshop is organized into 16 modules. Se

2 veral ofthe modulesÑincluding a histori
veral ofthe modulesÑincluding a historical overview of juvenile justicemanagement and attitudes, an overview of the facility develop-ment process, and aspects of direct supervisionÑuse a conven-clarifying team roles, framing a vision statement, developingfunctional space plans, and relating staffing plans to facilityto produce and present their own work products.context of a real-life case studyÑa recently constructed juvenilefacility near the Academy. Toward the end of the workshopsession, participants tour the facility and participate in a question-and-answer session with the facility director and staff.The Juvenile PONI workshop program responds to the needexpressed by many juvenile justice professionals not just tobuild new juvenile facilities, but to be sure the job is done right.Doing the job right means teamwork and planning to producefacilities that both recognize and provide for the unique needsof juveniles and ensure the safety and security of residents, staff,and the community. For each jurisdiction, the process involvescareful analysis of the juvenile offender population and broad-based cooperation among all stakeholders to ensure that alterna-tives to confinement are being used effectively and new orexpanded facilities are developed only when warranted. Withthese ideas in mind, the Juvenile PONI workshops seek toachieve the following:Clearly define the unique characteristics that distinguishjuveniles from adults and explore how these characteristicsrequire that juvenile facilities be designed differently fromadult facilities.Present research on the causes and correlates of delinquency,including a discussion of secure facilities as part of a systemthat provides a continuum of graduated sanctions ranging fromlimited interventions to more severe restrictions.Provide participants with an understanding of the facilitydevelopment process and create an opportunity for participantsto define their individual role in that process and to develop asand design concepts that may be used in the facilitydevelopment process.Provide team members with the opportunity to practice andapply these concepts through hands-on exercises and thedevelopment of action plans.For Further InformationThe first Juvenile PONI workshop was conducted in November1998. The sponsors offer three workshops each year, with five tosuccess of the initial workshops, OJJDP and CPO have allocatedattend workshops may also request followup technical assistance.For additional information on future Juvenile PONI workshopsand related technical assistance, call Kim Dolise Kelberg at CPO(800Ð848Ð6325, extension 52903) or Dee Halley at the NICAcademy (800Ð995Ð6429, extension 116). Dennis D. Barron, MA, is a Program Manager for the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention. He previously worked in the WestVirginia juvenile and criminal justice systems as a Chief ProbationOfficer, under the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. ShelleyZavlek, JD, the Project Manager for the Juvenile PONI workshops, is aSenior Planner at Ricci Associates Architects and Planners in New YorkCity, NY. She was formerly the Executive Director of Capital andOperational Planning for New York CityÕs Department of Juvenile The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a compo-nent of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureauof Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the NationalInstitute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.