caruth juvenile delinquency prevention initiative
TRANSCRIPT
Caruth Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Initiative
BBBS Spectrum of Rescue
Three Indicators of Potential Criminality
1. Youth who have failed the Third Grade Assessment Test
2. Truant Youth
3. Adjudicated Youth
Inspired By…
Karen Hughes is a political adviser having been the head speech
writer for President Reagan. She is from the state of Texas. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State with the rank of Ambassador.
Highlight in Texas Monthly
And when asked the question how to make Texas a better place?
Karen replied: “Make a Statewide commitment to enlist community organizations, businesses, and religious congregations in providing volunteer classroom mentors for every child who fails the TAKS test in the third grade, with the goal of getting them back on track within a year.”
Endorsements
• Karen P. Hughes
U.S. Department of State Ambassador
• Harriet Miers
Former White House Counsel
• T. Boone Pickens
Philanthropist
Endorsements (Cont.)
• Governor Rick Perry
STATE OF TEXAS
• Robert Scott
Commissioner of Education
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
• Raymund Paredes
Commissioner of Higher Education
TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
Endorsements (Cont.)
• State Representative Jerry Madden
Vice Chair, Corrections Committee
STATE OF TEXAS
• Christina Melton Crain
Immediate Past President, DALLAS BAR ASSOCIATION
Past Board President, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
• Brad Livingston
Executive Director
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Endorsements (Cont.)
• Michael Hinojosa
Superintendent
DALLAS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
• Judge Aurora Madrigal
Associate Judge, IV-D Court No. 3
FIRST ADMINISTRATIVE JUDICIAL REGION OF TEXAS
• Richard Hoefer, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Social Work
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON
• Byron Johnson, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Studies of Religion
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Not Business as Usual…
For the first time, Big Brothers
Big Sisters of North Texas will
simultaneously and systematically address the three indicators of
potential criminality.
How BBBS will change potential criminal behavior…
Theory of Transformative Change
• Determine the root problems compromising public safety
• Design an evidence-based solution that optimizes best practices and emerging innovations in the field
• Leverage its strong community network to obtain buy-in from the right partners, in the right locations, at the right time
How BBBS will changepotential criminal behavior…
(Cont.)
• Secure the assistance of a leading third-party evaluator to help design the program with long-term outcomes in mind
• Identify an institutional investor with shared priorities
Project Description
• An explicit focus on long-term outcomes for public safety.
• An emphasis on youth initiated mentoring.
• Individual Educational Assessment and Consultation.
Project Description (Cont.)
• An investment in highly-specialized, intensive case management.
• Enhanced, accessible mentor training.
• A new focus on engaging parents/caregivers.
Project Description (Cont.)
• On-going risk assessment and mitigation.
• Unprecedented collaboration.
• A model designed for growth.
How will BBBS Measure these Changes?
By Evaluating the Following:
• Increased parental trust• Increased sense of social acceptance• Increased confidence in school abilities• Increased educational expectations• Improved grades• Improved school attendance
How will BBBS Measure these Changes? (Cont.)
By Identifying the Number of Youth…
• Retained in the same grade post match
• Engaging in unhealthy behaviors
• Arrested post-match
• Incarcerated post-match
• Who drop out of school post-match
Projected Risk
Top 3 Risks
1. Not recruiting enough Bigs who live near their Littles
2. Not recruiting enough mentors willing and able to work with adjudicated youth
3. Not recruiting enough male mentors and men of color
Solutions for Risks
1. Not recruiting enough Bigs who live near their Littles
Solution:
- Focus on neighborhood-based recruitment
- Leverage Web technology to target populations
- Youth Initiated Mentoring
- Give incentives for Bigs to recruit other Bigs
Solutions for Risks
2. Not recruiting enough mentors willing and able to work with adjudicated youth
Solution:
- Recruit Juvenile Justice Department volunteers- Recruit people who work with troubled youth- Create specialized marketing materials - Provide adequate match support
- Youth Initiated Mentoring- Offer both community and school-based mentoring
- Give incentives to Bigs to recruit other Bigs
Solutions for Risks
3. Not recruiting enough male mentors and men of color
Solution:
- Create specialized marketing materials - Youth Initiated Mentoring- Partner with African American affinity groups- Leverage Web technology to target populations- Explore creating an advisory board
- Give incentives to Bigs to recruit other Bigs
Strength through Partnerships
The End Result of the Caruth Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Initiative
• Changed lives
• Improved public safety
• A savings of $66.7 million to the State of Texas over 5 years based on 1,525 mentored youth