How one judge is making a difference in the lives of the youth and community he serves

In 1899, the first-ever juvenile court was established in Cook County, Illinois. Within 25 years, almost all states had a juvenile-court system setup. Their primary goal was to rehabilitate, not punish, young people who committed delinquent acts. Thus, from its very inception, the juvenile-justice system was intended for prevention and rehabilitation.

There are a few key differences between the juvenile-court and the adult criminal-court system. Of major significance, juveniles are not entitled to a trial by jury. 

Magistrate Charles Levesque, center

Powerful video testimony of an MST mother

If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then a video is worth a million. At least, this video is. A strong and courageous mom shared her journey with Multisystemic Therapy (MST) at the Blueprints Conference in Colorado.

Bridging cultures and a language barrier, MST does whatever it takes

Imagine that you are a single mom of a 14-year old boy. He’s an impulsive little guy. He loves to run away from school and into the small grocery store next door where he snaps up candy and snacks while no one is looking. When he is in the school building, he’s seldom in a classroom, preferring areas where kids take their breaks and adult supervision is minimal. After school, he’s out who knows where, with who knows whom, doing who knows what. You’re scared, but what to do?

How being white and privileged kept me out of the juvenile justice system

I’m new to a lot of things. Knitting, crossword puzzles, adult-ing, just to name a few. But most importantly, I’m new to my job at MST Services. Before working here, I could not have told you much about the juvenile-justice system. Now, by virtue of the research I now do, I can tell you a lot. Interestingly, not only have I learned a lot about the topic, I have learned a lot about myself. 

This is not going to be me gushing about how my life has improved since coming to MST. (Even though it has). This is going to be me speaking about the harsh realizations and self-awareness I’ve come to have, most of which I think are equal parts pertinent and relevant to my peers, as well.

My friends and me, senior year of high school

One MST supervisor’s call for treating our youth with empathy

When I tell new people what I do, I inevitably get “the face.” You know which one I’m talking about, the one that comes right before someone is going to disclose their disapproval of something. The face is most commonly followed by some version of “Well, they did a bad thing, and they need to be punished for their actions, right?”

Pennsylvania family ready to give up on 14-year-old Son

I first met Anthony at his Inter-Agency Service Planning Team (ISPT) meeting. Sitting at the head of the table wearing an ankle bracelet and a big smile on his face, he told me he was ready to go home. He had been in two juvenile placements and was finishing up a stay at a drug-rehabilitation center. 

During the meeting, his parents acknowledged they were at their wit's end. They had supported sending their son away three times, and nothing seemed to change. In fact, I learned that before Anthony went into placement the last time, mom told the public defender that she didn't feel that she could keep him safe. She shared that made her feel like a bad mother, but at that time, she really believed placement was her only choice. Now they were ready to do whatever it took to keep Anthony home. They talked about their willingness to sleep on the living-room floor, guarding the house, so that he couldn’t leave and his older, anti-social peers couldn’t come in.

If you want a successful EBP, don’t improvise

Congratulations. You have made the choice to implement evidence-based programs (EBP) in your community. It’s a wise and fiscally responsible choice since only EBPs deliver proven and predictable outcomes.

But here’s the rub: To get these results, it’s critical to implement the program with fidelity. Too often, “fidelity” might be seen an overrated and undervalued expense. Sure, sticking to rules and guidelines developed somewhere far away, typically in some university petri dish, is hard. 

Finding their way back: How MST helped one Canadian family reconnect

In the months following a difficult divorce, Bonnie felt she was losing her footing as a parent. With two teenaged girls and a host of new responsibilities as a single mom, Bonnie struggled as she navigated unfamiliar terrain. She thought her life was turning upside down, and her youngest daughter, Anna, was struggling most of all. At 13, Anna was starting her first year of high school and was forging a new identity with new friends. This identity was not positive. Her experimentation with drugs and alcohol developed into a pattern of daily use, and she was absent from school frequently. Anna was also increasingly adversarial and defiant at home. She flagrantly disregarded rules, had angry outbursts and stole from her mom and sister. All the while, Anna grew more and more distant from her mother. Bonnie feared for her daughter’s future and turned to Multisystemic Therapy (MST) for help.

Kansas governor signs overhaul of juvenile justice system into law

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has been hounded by naysayers over his fiscal policies.

Now, with a simple swoosh of his pen, Brownback is being praised for being both fiscally-responsible and improving outcomes for the youth involved in the state’s juvenile justice system. On April 11, he signed into law a bill that puts more emphasis on treatment rather than detention.

“Being smart on crime promotes public safety and the rehabilitation of youthful offenders so that they can become law-abiding citizens,” the governor said. “This bill does just that. The legislation aligns our juvenile-justice system with what the research shows works best to reduce victimization, keep families strong and guide youth towards a better path.”

Backers say the law will lower the number of kids locked up or placed out of the home. Low-level offenders will be afforded educational, vocational and therapy programs. And juveniles with drug and alcohol problems will get treatment. 

This Mother's Day, we are releasing an e-book to celebrate all the moms out there doing their best

Oprah Winfrey once said, “Moms have the toughest job in the world, if they are doing it right.” What exactly is right?