Many youth experience barriers reentering their local school system once released from confinement. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice\u27s Office of Reentry Services and School System work collaboratively to remove these barriers by building partnerships with school systems state-wide. This presentation will provide participants a programmatic overview and framework used to reduce barriers

Shelfer, Zane

Smith-Curry, Cathy

English

Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah 2020 Conference Archive Mar 11th, 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice - Education and Reentry Collaborative Programming Zane Shelfer Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, zaneshelfer@djj.state.ga.us Cathy Smith-Curry Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, cathysmith-curry@djj.state.ga.us Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah  Part of the Prison Education and Reentry Commons Recommended Citation Shelfer, Zane and Smith-Curry, Cathy, "Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice - Education and Reentry Collaborative Programming" (2020). National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah. 97. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2020/2020/97 This presentation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences & Events at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu. Department of Juvenile JusticeEducation and Reentry Collaborative ProgrammingNational Youth At Risk ConferenceSavannah, GAMarch 11, 2020Department of Juvenile JusticeSecured Campus DJJ • 26 Facilities– 19 Regional Youth Detention Centers (RYDC) • Pre-adjudication– 7 Youth Development Campuses (YDC)• Post-adjudication• 757 Males RYDC• 111 Females RYDC – 868 Total in RYDCs• 330 Males YDC• 38 Females YDC – 368 Total in YDCs(02/13/2020)Department of Juvenile JusticeCommunity DJJ• 96 Community Services Offices– Juvenile Probation/Parole Specialist (JPPS) – Juvenile Probation Officer (JPO)• Residential Placement• Home• Treatment Program • School• Out of School • Approximately 9,000 students in the community Department of Juvenile JusticeThe Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is the 181st School District in the state of GeorgiaGeorgia Preparatory Academy - School within districtHigh School and Middle School located in each facility 26 campuses 4 Education Transition Centers (ETC) –Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and SavannahPathway to Success – Adult Education (GED) 125 Students in GED Connections Graduate Program – Students who have a GED or HS diploma – 72 graduates Department of Juvenile Justice• GA Professional Standards Commission (PSC) Certified• Administrators – Principals - Teachers – School Counselors • Year Round School – Fall and Spring Semesters (90 days each)• DJJ Board/School Board• DJJ Commissioner/School Superintendent• Accredited by AdvancED (renewed April 2016 for five years)• Enroll Students from all 159 counties and all school systems in Georgia Department of Juvenile JusticeCurriculum is the Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE)– Standards-Based Classrooms – Odysseyware – online curriculum – Carnegie Units Awarded-High School CoursesState Mandated Standardized Tests– Georgia Milestones – End of Grade – Middle School – End of Course – 8 High School CoursesFull Continuum of Special Ed Services– Individual Education Program (IEP)– Psychological Evaluations– Eligibility– 25% receive special education services – 288 total Department of Juvenile Justice• Georgia Preparatory Academy partners with four technical schools to offer Career, Technical, Agricultural Education (CTAE) classes• South GA Tech, Central GA Tech, Augusta Tech, and Oconee Fall Line Tech• Courses offered are: Cosmetology, Collision Repair, Culinary Arts, Automotive Maintenance, Computer Applications, Horticulture, and Construction • Students are dually enrolled and can receive a Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) • Offer Industry Recognized Certifications – Microsoft Office, ServSafe• Instructors employed by technical college/full time on campus• High School Pathways – Business and Technology – MOS Certifications – Microsoft Imagine Academy – Gmetrix • Forklift and Welding Program – Atlanta Technical CollegeReentry Improvements Within the GA DJJJuvenile Justice Reform in General and theMove to Evidence-Based Practices in ReentryJuvenile Justice Reform- HB 242Use of evidence-based practices written into law• Removal of low risk/status offenders from placement in long term facilities• Use only proven/researched/evidence-based programs and practices• Focus on reentry- Office of Reentry Services stood up within the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice in late 2013, fully staffed by early 2015Reforming Reentry PlanningPrior Reentry Planning ProcessLarge number of staff; staff to staff report-out; professional language, jargon, acronyms, etc.; started late- no collaborationFocused on youth only, with emphasis on facility programming & issues; family rarely attended and mostly listened- no engagementCommunity case managers travel up to 4+ hours to the facility for a 10 minute meeting- had little inputBureaucratic drift- emphasis on efficiency, decreasing effectivenessProcess design not based on evidence-based practice or the research literatureReentry Planning Revised-Youth Centered Reentry TeamYCRT, evidence-based reentry planning- continuous, comprehensive, start at entry, prioritize family engagement, emphasize ownershipFocused Team- Youth, family, facility counselor(s), community officer, meeting facilitator/organizer (Reentry Specialist)Minimize jargon and speak directly to each otherFAMILY & YOUTH identified as the most important people in the room- first source of information and decisions; Transition Plan created and agreed upon by allGuidance from NRRC, Dr. David Altschuler, Dr. Mark LipseyResults finalized in a formal Transition PlanSatisfaction Survey- very high marks from staff and especially youth and family 2 consecutive yearsYCRT - The Way AheadQA continuity of care at youth & family level- Reentry Resource CoordinatorsMeasure continuity of care at the system levelContinue to improve family engagement- video conferencing, text and email usage, support for family post-releaseOutcome evaluation- should have recidivism data within the yearExpansion of services beyond the reentry planning process-partnerships and resource cultivation The Reentry Task Force and Reentry Resource CoordinatorsReentry StaffingReentry SpecialistsCoordinate the YCRT processFacilitate the planning meetingsInvolved Reentry Resource CoordinatorsAssist with finalizing the Transition PlanFollow youth and family post-release to ensure execution of Transition PlanCultivate additional resourcesAdd resources to Reentry Database for Resource MapResource Map & DatabaseGrant funded effort- staff hired to develop searchable databaseSearchable- by county, zip code and service typeConstantly expanding-Deployed in early 2018 with 100+ entries, now has over 2600 entries at this timeResource Coordinators constantly searching for new entries and can add and update entries directlyStaff and families can search for and add resources to the Transition Plan prior to youth’s releaseFeature allowing some resources to only be seen by staff-partnerships where DJJ is responsible for overseeing access to the servicesMobile App- under development, for smart phonesReentry Task ForceWhat, Who, and HowSCA Grant- Task Force initial formationTask Force development- agency learning curve, division into subgroupsTask Force membership- 120+ members, 60+ agencies• Working on barriers to reentry within the 7 domains of aftercare• Guidance from National Reentry Resource Center and nationally known subject matter experts Dr. David Altschuler, Dr. Mark Lipsey and Dr. Shay Bilchik• Multiple projects in various stages of planning and implementationCompleted ProjectsMovement 2 Success Program- in partnership with local chapter in Augusta of the Public Defender’s OfficeAttorneys come to facility, teach public speaking, debating and self advocacy skillsProgram is ongoing at Augusta and is in planning to expand to other facilitiesTremendously well received by the youthProjects In ProgressParenthood Project- joint project with multiple community partners. Includes Storybook Moms and Dads, Angel Tree, Ferst Foundation, Toy Carts at facilities, Nurturing Families CurriculumHome Depot- job readiness class for facility youth; special consideration for employment for youth completing the classGeorgia Youth Mentoring Program- in-facility mentoringUnderway for over a year at 1 facilityExpanded to a second facility with a church partnerExpansion underway to all long term facilities and some community locationsProjects In ProgressJob Fairs and Job Readiness/Soft Skills ClassesStarted in late 2017, job fairs held for community youthAll of the 11 statewide districts within DJJ have conducted a job fair with local employers for the last 2 yearsPartnerships were many and various in each locality: Department of Labor, Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, Tech schools, businesses, youth serving organizationsPartners provided most of the soft skills classes to the youthThe fairs and prep classes will continue on an annual basis, with plans for improvements for each district eventProjects In ProgressAT&T AcademyIn partnership with “Jobs for American Graduates” state affiliate “Jobs for Georgia Graduates”Pilot project of the company, to be expanded nationallyJob Readiness class provided at the facilityGraduates have access to employment opportunitiesProject Safe NeighborhoodsPartnership with US Attorney’s OfficeTargeting gang affiliated and violent youthIncludes mentoring and programmingProjects In Progress (cont.)Code Out- provider to teach coding classes to youth as a continuance of the AT&T Academy Graduates to receive industry certification and access to high high-paying coding jobsCode/Out is industry funded to increase the number of females in the computer coding fieldSchool System CollaborationsFor returning youth, school system staff attend the youth’s YCRT meetings immediately prior to release and provide for a “warm handoff”Multiple systems are engagedOther systems are in discussion regarding how and where youth are allowed back into their systemDepartment of Juvenile JusticeDepartment of Juvenile JusticeDepartment of Juvenile JusticeDepartment of Juvenile JusticeDepartment of Juvenile Justice• DJJ Education and Reentry have met with: – Atlanta Public Schools– Fulton County Schools– Clayton County Schools– Rockdale County Schools– Troup County Schools– Dekalb County Schools– Cobb County Schools Department of Juvenile Justice• Fulton County Schools Process– Office of Student Discipline– Five Behavior Specialists – panel hearings– Principals, Counselors, Parents– Goal is to return to home school– Invite to Youth Centered Reentry Team Meeting – Inclusive approach instead of exclusive approach Department of Juvenile Justice• Education Transition Specialistso Linkage to community school systemo Support to youth and parento Participate in YCRT at 120 dayso Two positions – north and southo Connections to school, resources, and job placement Youth Reentry In GeorgiaQuestions?Cathy Smith Curry, Assistant Director, Office of Reentry ServicesCathySmith-Curry@djj.state.ga.us; 404-491-6106Zane Shelfer, Assistant Deputy Superintendentzaneshelfer@djj.state.ga.us; 404-987-9334

Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice - Education and Reentry Collaborative Programming

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2571&context=nyar_savannah

Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice - Education and Reentry Collaborative Programming

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