Attendees will hear about Nebraska Probation’s newly launched behavioral health and trauma screening tools and process for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Branded TRACKS or Targeted Responsive Assessment for the Court is Key to Youth Success, this practice model brings enhancements to the predisposition investigation process with tools for probation officers to have timely identification and response to behavioral health needs of young people. Enhanced youth and family engagement is also a primary focus of the model along with thoughtful analysis of risk, need, and responsivity leading to targeted recommendations to the court at disposition. The presentation will outline these enhancements including youth justice system stakeholders’ role in supporting these enhancements and how implementation science has guided this process being launched in probation districts across the state.
Presenters:
Amy Latshaw
Throughout her 35-year career, Amy has had the opportunity to work within many facets of the Nebraska Juvenile Justice System. Her experience includes The Lancaster County Youth Services Center, Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Geneva, Juvenile Parole/Health and Human Services-Office of Juvenile Services, and as a Probation Officer serving the Separate Juvenile Court in Lancaster County, District 3J. Since 2009, Amy has worked as a Justice Programs Specialist with the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation’s Juvenile Division. Her position supports probation officers in the field to provide early access to rehabilitative services, conduct evidence-based assessment and behavioral health screening, as well as complete quality investigative reports during the initial stages of the juvenile court system. In her role, Amy also oversees statewide collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services to assist dually-involved system youth. Amy holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska Lincoln/Omaha and is a certified Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory Trainer.
Lindsey Meyer
Lindsay Meyer is the Juvenile Justice Reform Specialist within the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation (AOCP) Juvenile Services Division. Lindsay obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Nebraska Wesleyan University. She began her work in this field as a high-risk juvenile probation officer in District 3J in Nebraska working with a wide variety of youth who presented with significant risk, needs, and responsivity struggles. Lindsay joined the Administrative Office in July, 2021 and in her current role she oversees implementation of enhancements to the juvenile justice system guided by best practice research and recommendations made through the Probation System Review conducted in 2021 and 2022 by the Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. Lindsay's passion is seeing the potential in all justice involved youth and supporting our justice system workforce.
Keith Cruise
Keith Cruise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of youth within the juvenile justice system. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized risk assessment protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments with justice-involved youth, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. Dr. Cruise also conducts forensic evaluations of justice-involved youth including post-disposition assessments of risk and treatment amenability, providing expert testimony to juvenile courts, and providing technical assistance and consultation to local and state juvenile justice systems. Dr. Cruise is a Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention investigating the impact of trauma screening on service delivery and legal outcomes for justice-involved youth, and is a Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a technical assistance center that is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).