Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project

The Reducing Risk for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System supports girls who are involved in the juvenile justice system. This program is authorized and funded pursuant to Pub. L. No. 116-93;133 Stat. 2317, 2410.

The University of Denver, Colorado Seminary, through its Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project, will provide evidence-based intervention and prevention services to juvenile justice-involved girls and their families in the Denver metro area. The applicant will provide a trauma-informed treatment program to include individual therapy, group therapy, case management, and/or telehealth, which will be the primary treatment modalities for service delivery. The implementation of service and care delivery will occur in three phases: (1) screening, intake, and assessment; (2) treatment and recovery support; and (3) case management and discharge planning. The Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project anticipates serving at least 50 juvenile justice-involved girls per year, for a total of 150 over the 36-month project period. The project goals include (1) increase the number of children and adolescent girls (ages 6–17) receiving comprehensive treatment for behavioral disorders, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma; (2) increase involvement of parents/caregivers in their child's treatment; (3) improve behavioral and mental health outcomes for participating child and adolescent girls; (4) decrease program participants' involvement in and exposure to crime and violence; and (5) increase the number of trauma-informed community stakeholders (i.e., attorneys, probation officers, caseworkers, judges). The applicant has an MOU with the Denver Juvenile Probation Department and the Juvenile Assessment Center. CA/NCF.