2017 Youth Recidivism: Diversion to Discharge in Maine\u27s Juvenile Justice System

This report summarizes research that examined data for youth involved with the Maine Juvenile Justice System who were diverted, supervised, or released from commitment for the first time from 2010 to 2014. The report describes the cohorts of youth demographically, reviews trends, explores risk levels and length of stay, and examines recidivism and returns to a facility. This research shows that fewer youth are entering the system and that more of those who do are quickly and successfully diverted. It shows that youth supervised in the community are decreasing in risk level and offense severity and that the majority do not recidivate. It shows that committed youth are decreasing in risk level as well; the majority are assessed at low to moderate risk at time of commitment and are adjudicated with misdemeanor charges

Sleep quality influences subsequent motor skill acquisition

While the influence of sleep on motor memory consolidation has been extensively investigated, its relation to initial skill acquisition is less well understood. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of sleep quality and quantity on subsequent motor skill acquisition in young adults without sleep disorders. Fifty-five healthy adults (mean age = 23.8 years; 34 women) wore actigraph wristbands for 4 nights, which provided data on sleep patterns before the experiment, and then returned to the laboratory to engage in a motor sequence learning task (explicit 5-item finger sequence tapping task). Indicators of sleep quality and quantity were then regressed on a measure of motor skill acquisition (Gains Within Training, GWT). Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO; i.e., the total amount of time the participants spent awake after falling asleep) was significantly and negatively related to GWT. This effect was not because of general arousal level, which was measured immediately before the motor task. Conversely, there was no relationship between GWT and sleep duration or self-reported sleep quality. These results indicate that sleep quality, as assessed by WASO and objectively measured with actigraphy before the motor task, significantly impacts motor skill acquisition in young healthy adults without sleep disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).Accepted manuscrip

ROCA Program Info Sheet

Roca’s theory of change is that young people, when re-engaged through positive and intensive relationships, can change their behaviors and develop life, education, and employment skills to disrupt the cycles of poverty and incarceration. Roca’s Intervention Model is a cognitive-restructuring, behavioral change and skill development intervention, which focuses on high-risk young men. Roca’s model focuses on 17-to-24-year-old young men who are either: 1) aging out of the juvenile justice or juvenile probation systems with a strong propensity for re-incarceration as an adult; 2) connected with the adult justice system; or 3) are high-risk members of the community being served who have a strong propensity for incarceration as an adult. This is a four-year program designed to allow participants enough time to undergo meaningful behavior change, which will enable them to stay out of jail and go to work. The first two years involve intensive interaction between the program and the young man, focusing on gradually engaging the participant in programming and promoting behavior change. The subsequent two years focus on sustaining the positive change in behavior. The ultimate goals of the model are reducing participants’ incarceration rates and increasing participants’ ability to retain employment over time

Credible Messenger Program Info Sheet

Transformative Mentoring is an intensive youth development model that seeks to transform the mentality and behavior of the most at-risk or hardest to reach delinquent youth and provide them with healthy relationships with positive adults. A core element of this approach is the belief that communities are best positioned to respond to the needs of youth given the opportunity and the resources. The model centers around the pairing of youth with specially trained adults who have had relevant life experiences, most commonly previous involvement in the criminal justice systems, called Credible Messengers

Gender-Responsive Policy Development in Corrections: What We Know and Roadmaps for Change

Lack of gender-informed policy creates challenges for correctional practitioners. When there is a gap between training that is evidence-based and gender-informed and what is written in policy, staff may find themselves hindered in their attempts to work toward establishing a gender-responsive environment. This policy bulletin, released in February 2015 and based on survey data and focus groups with women, is an initial step to determine the existence of gender-informed policy within correctional agencies. The findings of this bulletin provide an overview of the current state of gender-responsive policies for women and define a focus for future research, training and technical assistance in the effort to create a more effective, and efficient correctional approach for women offenders

Pathways to Opportunity [One Sheet]

The pathways provide a way to engage the voices and experiences of directly impacted people, strengthen participatory methods, and innovative approaches to policy problem solving

Place Matters Roadmap Project [Summary]

Building on work to date and research that underscores the need for an integrated, cross systems continuum of care, The Maine Youth Road Map Project will provide policymakers and communities with a roadmap that will: • Examine how youth outcomes are shaped by structural place based factors across Maine’s sixteen counties and local communities. • Identify specific system populations and places for equitable investments to improve outcomes. • Propose a data informed community based continuum of care. • Engage with and amplify voices of Maine communities. • Create direct education and employment opportunities for directly impacted older youth. • Recommend policy, program, and systems change strategies to strengthen economic and social wellbeing for Maine youth and communities