Cross-Over Youth and Status Offenders
From the Nebraska Supreme Court:
Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform has developed a model that describes the specific practices that need to be in place within a jurisdiction in order to reduce the number of youth who “crossover” between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The Crossover Youth Practice Model (CYPM) infuses values and standards; evidence-based practices, policies and procedures; and quality assurance processes. It also provides a template for how states can impact their response to “crossover” youth and improve outcomes. Overall goals for sites participating in the CYPM are:
- A reduction in the number of youth placed in out-of-home care;
- A reduction in the use of facility placements;
- A reduction in the over-representation of children of color; and
- A reduction in the number of youth becoming supervised under both child welfare and juvenile justice agencies.
Nebraska has one local CYPM site in Douglas County, this implementation team began efforts in 2012. In early 2014, Gage, Lancaster, and Dodge Counties also commenced planning discussions for incorporating the CYPM. Nebraska’s Office of Probation Administration is the lead agency coordinating CYPM work throughout the state and is provided technical assistance from Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform.
For more information, contact Amy Latshaw
Crossover Youth Practice Model Implementation in Douglas County
Nick Juliano | CYPM Douglas County Co-Chair
The Crossover Youth Practice Model (click here for model) (CYPM) aims to improve outcomes for “crossover youth” – youth who have experienced maltreatment, engaged in delinquency and are known to both the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Research shows that youth who have been abused or neglected are at higher risk of entering the juvenile justice system, therefore becoming “crossover” youth. CYPM was formally implemented in Douglas County November 1, 2012 after nearly a year of program development with the local stakeholder group and technical assistance from the Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform (CJJR). The most unique feature of Douglas County’s implementation was the intentional focus on the youth and family voice. This is evident in the fact that the multi-disciplinary team meetings which occur at the Juvenile Assessment Center each Thursday have the youth and family present for the case review, problem solving, and recommendation to the county attorney. In addition, the Nebraska Family Support Network (NFSN) and Project Everlast are part of the public private partnership responsible for the design and implementation of Douglas County’s CYPM. In discussions with national experts on the CYPM we have been told we are likely the only model site that has committed to this level of youth and family involvement in the process and see that it has tremendous potential for success in Douglas County.
The CYPM has recently been expanded to include three additional sites within Nebraska: Dodge County; Gage County; and Lancaster County. This expansion is made possible with funding from Nebraska’s Office of Probation Administration and support from the Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information please contact:
Honorable Douglas Johnson, Douglas County CYPM Co-Chair
Nick Juliano, Douglas County CYPM Co-Chair
Shay Bilchik, CJJR Founder and Director
Jeanne Brandner, Deputy Administrator, Office of Probation Administration
Best Practices for Dealing with Status Offenders
On March 7, 2014, the Nebraska Supreme Court issued a ruling on a truancy case, In re Samantha C. The Supreme Court found that the State met its burden of proof in finding Samantha C. habitually truant and that schools are not required to provide remedial measures to address absenteeism prior to juvenile court involvement. The court ruled that if the Legislature desired to impose preconditions upon the juvenile court’s jurisdiction, it could have done so.
Senator Ashford has introduced amendments to Legislative Bill 464 to amend the mandatory attendance laws and delineate steps schools must take prior to juvenile court involvement. The National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses, provides that we must “implement responses to truancy that match the reasons youth are absent from school, and that aim to avoid court involvement, school suspension, or expulsion.”
- The National Standards were developed by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice in partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and a team of experts from various jurisdictions. We urge the teams to look at our current responses to status offenders, and discuss what programs are best suited to meet the needs of our youth, their families and the community. The expansion of the Community-Based Juvenile Services Aid Program is a great way for our teams to provide input on what community-based programs are most needed by our youth.
- Released last month by the Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change, the publication discusses community-based solutions for youth with mental health needs in the juvenile justice system.
