Graduated Sanctions: An Effective Intervention Strategy for Addressing Delinquency Videoconference

• NCJ Number: 209017
• Date Published: March 2005
• Length: 0 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Teleconference Videotapes
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Conference Material

Annotation

This DVD of a teleconference on graduated sanctions for delinquent juveniles includes a panel discussion and profiles of three demonstration programs of graduated sanctions for juveniles.

Abstract

The DVD opens with a juvenile commenting on the benefits of the diversion program in which he participated as a result of being involved in car theft for a joy ride with a friend. The host of the conference, the director of the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, then defines graduated sanctions, its benefits, and its promotion in Federal block grants awarded under the 2002 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. A panel then describes various aspects of systems of graduated sanctions. One panel member describes the work of the Juvenile Sanctions Center, which is the Federal agency that provides technical assistance to jurisdictions interested in establishing a framework for juvenile graduated sanctions. This center has been involved in the development of demonstration projects in 13 jurisdictions throughout the country. Three of these demonstration programs are profiled through video clips. A demonstration program in St. Joseph, MO, emphasizes the application of the restorative justice model through diversion from juvenile court for first-time minor offenders in order to hold them accountable for their behavior while tailoring rehabilitative services to their specific needs. The program in Dayton, OH, involves a Juvenile Court Intervention Center, which acts as the initial point of contact for case processing through assessment and early intervention to prevent the development of habitual delinquency. The third program described is a juvenile mental health court in Santa Clara, CA, which addresses the needs of delinquents with mental disorders. Representatives from each of the three programs answer questions from conference participants.