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Transforming Juvenile Probation : Using Research to Promote Public Safety and Positive Youth Outcomes
SESSION INFO
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Probation is the most common disposition for youth adjudicated in juvenile court and therefore probation professionals have the opportunity to positively impact youth and the communities in which they live. This workshop will share Casey’s vision for transforming juvenile probation by highlighting important research findings and how they can be applied to juvenile probation. The workshop will begin with a brief discussion on why a new paradigm for juvenile probation is necessary followed by an introduction to the two key pillars of transforming juvenile probation: reducing caseloads and refashioning probation to serve higher risk youth. Specific practices will be shared to illustrate how the vision can be accomplished. Attendees will then participate in a brief activity to discuss and report on practices in their jurisdictions that align with these pillars. Facilitators will then discuss a new online resource to guide probation professionals interested in implementing the vision.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Melissa Sickmund
Director, National Center for Juvenile Justice
Dr. Sickmund has led several national juvenile justice data projects including the Annie E. Casey Foundation funded effort to develop a Desktop Guide to Transforming Juvenile Probation. She is best known for the Juvenile Offenders and Victims publication series. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers’ Research Committee. During her career her work has had the goal of improving juvenile justice statistical information and facilitating the use of data to support decision-making at the national, state, and local levels.
Opal West
Senior Associate, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Opal is a Program Associate for the JJSG working to improve the nation’s probation practices for young people through the Probation Transformation work. Before embarking on this work, she contributed to various initiatives to improve the justice system. For instance, she has served on the statewide task force to create Detention Standards for juvenile facilities to improve conditions of confinement, pursued the elimination of mandatory minimums to reduce Louisiana’s notorious incarceration rate, led efforts for state scale work, expansion for JDAI, merged JDAI and DMC efforts to focus on racial/ethnic equity. Additionally, she helped design statewide law enforcement trainings on interactions with young people, and worked with advocates to pass reform legislation including Raise the Age and Elimination of Indiscriminate Shackling.
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