COMMUNITY REPORT 2015

Transcription

1 Empowering Youth Strengthening Families Investing In the Community PIERCE COUNTY JUVENILE COURT COMMUNITY REPORT 2015 JUVENILE COURT

2 Pierce County Juvenile Court, commonly referred to as Remann Hall, seems to be generally associated with youth who get in trouble. While it is true that we serve youth who break the law, the majority of our work involves helping abused and neglected children get into safe, permanent homes, and assisting kids and families struggling with school attendance. We hope that this report not only provides valuable insight into the work we do at Pierce County Juvenile Court, but also offers highlights of our court s vision, desired outcomes, financial responsibility, and community partnerships. We have dedicated staff and volunteers who are striving for a healthy, safe, and connected community where every child has a home and a place in the world. We are aggressively working to continue reducing juvenile crime as well as eliminating racial and ethnic disparities, while at the same time helping kids and families overcome real challenges. We can all agree that a referral to our court system is generally not a good thing, but we pride ourselves in doing our best to make sure that kids and families leave our system with valuable skills, resources, and community support to help them be successful. We recognize that our court would not be as effective without the help of our many dedicated volunteers and community partners. We would like to extend a special note of appreciation to all of our selfless volunteers who give so much to the youth and families in Pierce County. We also value and appreciate the numerous community partners who work side by side with us to make a positive difference. The more we all work together, the better our community will be. TJ Bohl, Juvenile Court Administrator

3 Our Mission To advocate for abused and neglected children, provide equal justice for youth who come before us, and to provide leadership in the field of juvenile detention and rehabilitation. Our vision We want our community to be one that is safe and supportive, where all children are healthy and succeed in school, and where all children grow up to be productive and contributing adults. What We Do Connect Youth and Families to Their Community We introduce parents and youth to opportunities in their own communities that provide support, skills training, and education. Provide Effective Supervision We treat everyone we encounter fairly and equitably offering an equal opportunity to access services and treatment options that promote healthy decision-making. Take Action to Prevent We provide tools, alternatives, and opportunities that steer young people away from hopelessness and alienation and toward growth, inclusion, and contributing to society.

4 Community Partnerships When looking at programs, we believe it is important to have a vast array of services. Each youth is unique and the circumstances which lead to involvement in the Justice System varies. It is really important that we engage each youth and family to learn what would be helpful. In a perfect world, we would have the right program available for each youth and family. While we are striving to partner with the community to get to this point, here are a few highlights of our current partnerships. 422 A Very Special Thanks t0 Our 422 Volunteers We rely on the support and passion of many dedicated community volunteers each year. Family Council The Family Council is a group of family members and young adults with experience in the juvenile justice system, who gather together regularly to give advice and feedback to court staff. In addition to the Family Council, over 100 parents and caregivers completed Family Surveys. The results from the survey and input from the council have helped the court identify ways to improve programs and the overall court experience. Evening Reporting Center We launched the Evening Reporting Center in April The center is located at the YMCA at University of Washington Tacoma campus. Staff from Juvenile Court and the YMCA partner to provide 4 hours of life skill building activities every Friday. There is also the option for youth to participate in the Teen Late Nite program and earn a short-term YMCA membership at no cost.

5 Boat Builders Program This program is a partnership with the Tacoma Community Boat Builders. The program is in its second year of operation and provides opportunities to youth who are involved in Diversion or Community Supervision. In addition to boat building, youth are learning practical math skills, patience in wood working, water safety and each youth builds a toolbox they take with them upon graduation from the program. ARTS Connect Arts Connect is a program, in partnership with the Hilltop Artists, for girls in Pierce County who are involved with Diversion, Dependency, or Community Supervision A team of adults, including professional artists and a probation officer, lead these weekly classes. Hands on projects are generated from group discussions and writing activities about identity, society, and healthy lifestyles. A family style dinner is served each class and girls can arrive early for homework help or to talk with mentors. Work Crew Program We operate two work crews, one for Diversion and one for Community Supervision youth. The work crews partner with small businesses and non-profit organizations to offer youth an opportunity to give back to the community. In 2015, 283 Diversion youth and 175 Community Supervision youth gave back 7,117 hours of service to the community through work crew. Thanks to a grant from the Milgard Foundation, 27 youth completed 603 community service hours which resulted in $7, being paid from the grant to the crime victims.

6 2015 Program Highlights Dependency: Start with Helping Children In 2015, the Dependency program served 2,018 youth, which is up 5% from More than half of these cases involved children under the age of four. We brought on 73 new CASA volunteers and working with partnering agencies, 447 children found new homes. To keep up with the increase in Dependency cases, we are actively looking for more community volunteers. If interested, please contact Carrie Appling at (253) ,018 Youth were served by our dependency program. Adoption: Safe, Permanent Homes The adoption department is responsible for reviewing and filing all adoption reports involving children under the age of eighteen. 447 Youth received permanent homes. We accept referrals for step-parent and second parent reports, relative home studies, newborn home studies and post-placement reports. We finalized 447 adoptions in 2015, which is up 15% from 2014.

7 TRUANCY: Partnering with our Schools We shifted resources to enhance our truancy unit and improve collaboration with school and educational services districts. Pierce County school districts filed 40% more truancy petitions in 2015 (1,205). Through partnerships, we were able to establish 11 Community Truancy Boards (CTB) as a meaningful intervention to help keep kids in school and out of the court system. PROBATION Transformation: INNOVATIVE JUSTICE In 2015, Pierce County was one of only two counties in the nation to receive a Probation Transformation grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. This multi-year grant challenges each court to develop innovative programs aimed at achieving better outcomes for youth and families. This opportunity has allowed our court to implement a Family Council, conduct court improvement surveys, as well as increase our menu of evidence based services. 1,134 Youth were served by our probation program. Diversion: Encouraging Responsibility Diversion is an alternative to formal court processing. Our Diversion program allows youth who commit low level crimes the opportunity to remain in the community, take responsibility for their actions, and work to improve their decision making. 1,741 Youth benefited from Diversion Services. The majority of Diversion youth participate in a Community Accountability Board, which is comprised of community volunteers who assign consequences and meaningful interventions to youth. Detention: Safety & Skill Building In addition to providing essential medical services and safe and secure custody, we have increased youth access to mental health services, enhanced the educational curriculum, and significantly increased inhouse programming opportunities. The Remann Hall Book Club is a great example of a positive, creative outlet for in-custody youth where volunteers have donated over 1,400 books and maintain the philosophy of a community that reads together, stays together.

8 Positive Results in Pierce County Nationwide research and statistical data proves that incarceration actually makes crime rates worse. The overwhelming data in juvenile justice shows that detention interventions that are community based, family focused, and promote skill building are more effective to keep youth from re-offending. We are committed to building on youth strengths and resiliency, teaching youth new skills, establishing meaningful relationships, and helping youth develop a sense of belonging to our community. As shown in the charts below, we have significantly reduced the number of youth served in secure detention over the years. Consistent with state and national trends, we have experienced a reduction in serious felony crimes in Pierce County. At the same time, we have developed a robust continuum of community based alternatives that continues to serve a large number of youth while keeping community safety a top priority. Juvenile Charges Filed Over the past 6 years we have seen an overall decrease in the number of juvenile charges filed in Pierce County Felony Gross Misdemeanor Misdemeanor Average Daily Population Pierce County has achieved an 84% reduction in average daily population in secure detention since 2000 and has received significant national recognition for this work Average Daily Population

9 2015 Program Expenditures Return on Taxpayer Investment Dependency 3,782, Diversion 967, Truancy 974, Alternatives to Detention 284, Adoption 362, Probation 4,327, Aggression Replacement Training 669, Chemical Dependency Disp Alt 822, Special Sex Offender Disp Alt 540, Functional Family Therapy 502, Detention 6,815, Total Expenditure $20,049, For every dollar invested in evidencebased community programs... Funding Sources 22% State Taxpayers can save 7 to 10 dollars in the future. Source: Association for the Advancement of Evidence Based Practice 78% County 66% focused on working in the community 7,392* Youth were served in various programs across our court. Services Intervention Detention *Youth may count in more than one program

10 This colorful mural was created by our youth in the Arts Connect partnership.

11 THANK YOU When it comes to improving the health and well-being of young people, we recognize and embrace the saying it takes a village. In that spirit, we would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our volunteers and community partners, many of which are listed below. Thank you for all you do. We value our community partnerships and look forward to collaborating with others that are also working hard to improve the lives of youth and families in Pierce County. 2Watch A Common Voice A Step Ahead Pierce County Administrative Office of the Courts Alcoholics Anonymous Alpine Counseling Annie E. Casey Foundation Bethel Family Center CASA Kids Catholic Community Services Charin Hedstrom City of Tacoma City of Sumner Community Youth Services Pierce County Comprehensive Life Resources DSHS Children s Administration DSHS Rehabilitation Administration Facing Forward Tacoma Family Council of the Juvenile Court First Christian Church of Puyallup Gary E. Milgard Foundation Good Sam Behavioral Health Greater Lakes Mental Health Hilltop Artists Hope Sparks Justice for Girl s Coalition of WA Juvenile Court Volunteers Kerri Duke, LLC Lake City Community Church Narcotics Anonymous Northwest Leadership Foundation Optum Our Sister s House Pat Miles Consulting Peace Lutheran Church Pediatrics Northwest Pierce County Community Connections Pierce County Sexual Assault Center Pierce County Sherriff s Department Point Defiance Counseling Puget Sound Educational Service District Puyallup Tribe Reach Center Remann Hall Book Club Rowlands and Associates Safe Streets School Districts in Pierce County Sleep Train Tacoma Christian Reformed Community Church Tacoma Community Boat Builders Tacoma Goodwill Industries Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association / Volunteer Legal Program Tacoma Pierce County Health Department Tacoma Police Department TeamChild The Wishing Well United Way of Tacoma University of Washington University Place City Hall Washington State CASA Washington State Center for Court Research Washington State OSPI Washington State Partnership Council Juvenile Justice YMCA of Pierce County Yoga Behind Bars Youth for Christ

12 JUVEnile court is more than just a building. we provide programs and services to young people and families facing real challenges. JUVENILE COURT Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families, Investing in the Community th Ave Tacoma, WA