Policy Academy-Action Network Initiative:Overview of State Proposal and Goals

April 17, 2015

Tom Andriola: Chief of Policy and Implementation, DCJS

Framing the Project

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Background and Decision Point

• New York State has undertaken significant juvenile justice reform efforts in the past few years

• Engaging schools has been challenging, but we have been moving in the right direction

• We have also taken on some projects designed to help justice involved youth who have behavioral health needs

• Bridging these efforts and a desire to build upon them led our team to choose school-based diversion for our decision point

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Core Team Members

StateTom Andriola* Division of Criminal Justice ServicesJack Carter Juvenile Justice Advisory GroupMeredith Ray-LaBatt Office of Mental HealthSteve Hanson Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services

LocalJoe Mancini Schenectady County Probation Larry Spring Schenectady City School DistrictDarin Samaha Schenectady County Office of Community ServicesDekida Hamler Schenectady City Mission

*Core Team Leader

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Home Team Additional Representative Organizations

DCJS, Office of Justice Research and PerformanceDCJS, Office of Probation and Correctional AlternativesDCJS, Office of Public SafetyState Education DepartmentOffice of Children and Family ServicesOffice of Court AdministrationFamilies Together in New York StatePermanent Judicial Commission on Justice for ChildrenSchenectady City Police DepartmentSchenectady County Department of Family AssistanceSchenectady County Family Court

New York State Juvenile Justice System Overview

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New York State Juvenile Justice System

New York State Behavioral Health System and Juvenile Justice

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Behavioral Health in the Juvenile Justice Context

• Research across the country has shown that juvenile justice involved youth experience high rates of mental health disorders

• In New York, between 50 and 60 percent of delinquent youth admitted to state custody present a mental health need at intake

• Additionally, between 54 and 63 percent present a substance abuse need at intake

Collaboration with the Schenectady City School District

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Schenectady City School District Referral Process

• Several steps are taken before filing a PINS petition:

1. Collaborative Action Team (CAT) meets monthly to review individual students’ behavioral issues and possible solutions

2. The youth and the youth’s family is contacted for pre-PINS diversion so they can be referred to community based agencies

3. PINS application is sent to the Center for Juvenile Justice, which schedules a Preliminary Intake Review Committee (PIRC) meeting

4. If there are suspected substance abuse or mental health issues, a MAYSI screening will be done and a specific referral may be made

5. If all diversion efforts are exhausted and the behavior does not improve, further PINS processing may be used as a last resort

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Schenectady City School-Based Incidents2012-2013 School Year (VADIR data)

Violent Incidents Non-Violent Incidents

104 3,974

Schenectady City School District Totals

Violent Incidents Non-Violent Incidents

29 987

Schenectady High School

Violent Incidents Non-Violent Incidents

33 1,847

Mont Pleasant Middle School

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Schenectady City School District – School Based Incidents2012-2013 School Year (VADIR data)

Sex Offenses Robbery Assault Reckless

EndangermentMinor

AltercationsHarassment, Bullying ,

etc. Criminal Mischief

13 4 22 6 608 487 11

Larceny/Theft Bomb Threat

False Alarm Riot Weapon

PossessionDrug/Alcohol

Possession Other Disruptive Incidents

45 1 6 1 50 58 2,766

Schenectady City School District

Current Efforts

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Current Efforts: School Based

• Partnered with the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children• Statewide summit• Six regional summits• Intensive school arrest diversion and school climate

workshops• Upcoming restorative justice workshop

• Involvement in NYS Safe Schools Task Force

• JJAG focus on school justice issues

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Current Efforts: Behavioral Health Needs

• Monroe County diversion project to match evidence-based treatment services to the probation intake population

• Award received from the BJA Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Grant Program to support expansion to Schenectady, Onondaga and Westchester counties

• Three counties (Madison, Ontario and Ulster) were also awarded funds for innovative diversion strategies that include implementation of behavioral health assessments at probation intake and provide an array of restorative interventions

Diversion Goals

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Broad Objectives

• Divert non-violent youth with behavioral health needs and co-occurring disorders from juvenile justice system court involvement• Identify, assess, and service youth with behavioral health needs

prior to justice-system involvement • Create a robust diversion program for non-violent youth with

behavioral health needs • Expand the capacity for evidence-based mental health services

• Reduce disproportionate minority contact• Scale this model across the state to other counties

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Goal 1: Identify youth with behavioral health needs at the front-end within the school system

• Implement a school-based identification strategy guided by best practices to identify youth with potential behavioral health needs

• Flag youth before a PINS or JD referral becomes necessary

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Goal 2: Assess youth by expanding the use of MAYSI assessments for all probation intakes and other identified youth as appropriate through diversion protocols developed with the school system

• The expanded use of the MAYSI will enable an effective evaluation and treatment of youth with behavioral health needs

• This initiative will be helpful in helping us to foster enhanced cross-system coordination protocols

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Goal 3: Divert school-based incidents to a newly developed system of care

• Use MAYSI assessments to guide diversion efforts

• Provide appropriate services for youth with behavioral health needs, which may include the use of evidence-based treatment services

• Develop MOU’s with service provider to ensure that youth are engaged in appropriate services in a timely manner

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Goal 4: Expand capacity for services for youth

• Outline currently available/utilized services for youth with behavioral health needs

• Identify where gaps in services exist and incorporate evidence-based services focused on treating behavioral health needs to fill gaps

• Expand System of Care to include wraparound services• In-home therapy• Respite care• Parent-to-parent support• Mentoring• In-home crisis intervention

• Ensure System of Care is appropriately structured, applied with fidelity and rooted in best practices

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Goal 5: Reduce racial and ethnic disparities that may be found in school-based referrals and arrests

• Analyze available data to identify disproportionate minority contact within the school disciplinary system, probation, and other points in the system

• Target specific areas/youth for MAYSI administration and early diversion

• Employ robust racial and ethnic disparity trainings for school personnel focused on needs areas

• Apply assessment tools with fidelity

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Goal 6: Measure outcomes

• Perform systematic evaluations of individual sites• Ensure efforts are effective • Monitor program fidelity• Evaluate project performance

• Coordinate with technical assistance services provided by the initiative to determine outcome metrics

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Goal 7: Expand efforts statewide

• Use Schenectady as the example

• Develop a strategy for scaling up the effort with the cooperation of state agencies, counties and school districts across New York State