A longtime vocal proponent of juvenile-justice reform coming to Blueprints to share his experience

The Georgia justice system was, to put it mildly, not stellar. The state had gotten on the tough-on-crime bandwagon in the early 90s. That led to the number of prisoners in state lockups jumping from 20,000 in 1990 to 50,000 14 years later. The numbers looked even worse when you considered that a 2009 Pew study determined that one in 13 Georgians were either in jail, on probation or parole. This gave Georgia the dubious distinction of having the highest such rate in the country. Throw into this mix that although blacks were only 31 percent of the state’s population, they accounted for 58 percent of prisoners.

But things have been changing as the attitude of sweep up offenders, even ones who commit lesser crimes, and throw them into prison has changed. Judge Steven C. Teske has been at the forefront of that movement. He is a highly respected jurist who started his career in the justice- system trenches as Atlanta’s Chief Parole Officer, working his way up to chief judge of Clayton County’s juvenile court. 

Two out-of-control teens felt unmanagable until MST stepped in

The Anderson family was lost in conflict. Despite Ms. Anderson trying various programs and services and having the support of the Department of Children’s Social Care, her family was embroiled in constant conflict. Two of her children were referred for Multisystemic Therapy (MST). Her son was physically aggressive at home with his siblings and mother. He was abusing drugs and disruptive at school. Her daughter was also aggressive toward family members and was not attending school. Ms. Anderson was suffering from depression and unable to make a change in the family dynamics. Lauren, from the MST-FIT team, was assigned to the family, and things began to change.

Tips on keeping an EBP funded and running from the New York Foundling

You can have a truly great program, one that brings families back together, put kids on the straight and narrow so they achieve their dreams and lead a productive life instead of landing in jail. But how good is the program if it doesn’t get beyond the implementation phase because seed money runs out?

Sustainability is crucial to an evidence-based practice (EBP). If it doesn’t last, how much good can it do? An examination by the Justice Research and Statistics Association (JRSA) found successful sustainability starts with a solid and complete implementation stage. “A program’s likelihood of sustainment can be significantly enhanced through several aspects of implementation: maintaining fidelity to core program components, articulating clear goals and developing a plan to achieve them, and demonstrating program success with measureable results and program evaluation.” Multisystemic Therapy (MST), for one, is super-diligent about maintaining fidelity to its Nine Principles to ensure program success and viability. And that’s one reason it has been around for two decades.  

How an MST therapist helped an angry youth turn his life around

After physically assaulting his mother, Kyle was put on probation. A community deputy probation officer referred him and his mother to the MST program. Kyle lived with her and his stepfather in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. At the beginning of the program, he was adversarial and defiant at home. He disregarded rules, flouted his parents’ directives, challenged their requests, had angry outbursts, was verbally aggressive toward both of them, and sometimes physically aggressive toward his mother. Kyle had a history of stealing from his parents and blaming others for his choices. 

Kyle not only behaved like this at home, but he also broke rules at school. He had a pattern of being disruptive in class, stealing from students and teachers, physically threatening teachers, leaving school and classrooms without permission, and defying teachers’ directives. In fact, prior to his participation in MST, Kyle had 45 disciplinary entries at school. He struggled for a long time with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness. 

An MST-FIT supervisor opens up on the benefits of attending a supervisor training

Being an MST supervisor can be very isolating. Often, we work in silos with our own team(s) in agencies that only have one MST program, and we feel like we are the only one going through these unique challenges. Attending the autumn 2015 Advanced Supervisors Workshop in New York reminded me that there is a whole community of supervisors out there ready to encourage and support me in my growth.

This workshop will be offered again this spring, March 17 and 18, in Charleston, S.C. I encourage any supervisor who is thinking about going to go. You won’t regret it. I sure didn’t.

Author Nell Bernstein opens up on closing down juvenile prisons

Nell Bernstein, activist, journalist and author, is scheduled to speak at the MST’s pre-conference, which will kick off this April’s Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development Conference in Denver. We initially spoke with her back in October 2014, a few months after the publication of her second book, Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison. It is a compelling argument for the wholesale takedown of the juvenile-prison system. As part of the run-up to the conference, we wanted to sit down with her again, look back on the last year or so and talk about what the future may bring. 

A difficult case with few good options

He and his family were on my caseload. He was on my mind. He had previously been a “looked-after child” [in foster care] and was now at risk for becoming one again. The boy was displaying several behavioral problems—increasingly becoming involved in gangs and drugs. He had been stabbed, and his whole family was concerned about his safety and well-being. His stepfather was isolating him from other family members, and the parents were constantly arguing.

As a qualified social worker in the U.K., I was looking for a program that would help this young person remain in his home and be safe in his community. Something that would give him and his family the tools and resources they needed to independently address any further difficulties that arose. I knew it had to be something intensive. This I found was achievable through the support and the model of MST. I referred this case to the MST program with the hopes that the clinician would support the family, enabling them to develop skills to challenge and support their son, breaking the cycle of anti-social behaviors.

An MST case study looks closely at principles 3 and 9  

Kids are pulled every which way, even those from stable, supportive families. They don’t know who they are, what they want to be, how they should act. If you throw into that mix parents who are struggling to parent, friends who are negative influences, schools not able or too overwhelmed to cope with “problem” students, you have a child who might need help getting out or staying out of the juvenile-justice system.

Sixteen-year-old James is a case in point. Here was a kid on probation for numerous arrests ranging from theft, substance abuse and being aggressive. He came home whenever he chose. What’s more, the boy hung out with other teens who got in trouble with the law.

President speaks out about devastating effects of solitary confinement

The movement to end kids being shut up in solitary confinement continues to pick up steam. As well it should.

This practice puts young people under 18 in tiny cells for 22 hours, even more, a day. They have little or no interaction with others. They often are given nothing to read or do. Too little food. They are at the mercy of guards who have no mercy. They sit there, by themselves, taking a heavy toll on their emotional well-being. Many contemplate suicide. Few come out unscathed.

And now POTUS is on board with putting an end to this practice.

A look into the experience of juvenile offenders

If you’re looking for a call to action, here it is. “Prison Kids” will inspire you to work within your community to reduce the number of kids placed in juvenile detention centers. The documentary “Prison Kids: A Crime Against America’s Children” follows several young people who have been involved in the juvenile justice system and explores how this has impacted them and their families.