NYS DCJS/OJJ Second Chance Act Community Supervision Implementation

As many as 100,000 youth younger than 18 years old are released from juvenile correctional facilities every year. These young people often return to their communities with complex needs, such as physical and behavioral health issues and barriers to education and employment. In FY 2015, OJJDP awarded planning grants to support states, local governments, and federally recognized Native American/Alaskan Native tribes and communities as they developed comprehensive juvenile community supervision strategic plans. Under this grant program, OJJDP selected FY 2015 grantees to receive awards to implement their strategic plans. This program is authorized pursuant to Section 101 of the Second Chance Act, Pub. L. No. 110-199.

To transform juvenile justice policies, practices, and services in upstate New York, the Division of Criminal Justice Services proposes the Upstate Juvenile Community Supervision Project (UJCSP), which will significantly improve outcomes and reduce recidivism of youth on community supervision and those who are returning to their communities. This initiative will implement a new approach to community supervision service delivery and system reform grounded in best practices across six counties, resulting in a replicable model for use in other jurisdictions. The target youth population will prepare counties for “Raise the Age” reforms, which will raise the juvenile jurisdiction in New York to age 18. The UJCSP will enroll all mid- to high-risk youth up to age 18 who are on community supervision or returning from placement. Core project activities will include comprehensive service delivery to youth on community supervision, monthly county-level task force meetings, quarterly regional meetings, data system improvement, strengthening county-level risk and needs assessment implementation, community meetings with youth and families impacted by the juvenile justice system, implementation of a trauma-informed screening tool, and trainings of juvenile justice system stakeholders. Progress toward goals will be tracked on a monthly basis, reported to regional and county-level task forces, and provided to OJJDP through the Data Reporting Tool.

CA/NCF