a newsletter of the

PennsylvaniaJuvenile CourtJudges’Commission JUVENILEUVENILE

USTICEUSTICE

P E N N S Y L V A N I AP E N N S Y L V A N I A

UVENILEUVENILEUSTICEUSTICE

www.jcjc.state.pa.us August 2004Volume 12, Number 8JGreaterHarrisburgFoundationgrant buildscars and kids

For more information aboutThe Greater HarrisburgFoundation, write toP.O. Box 678Harrisburg, PA 17108.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Edward G. Rendell, Governor

In January of 2004 the Greater Harrisburg Foundation awardedfunds to Alternative Rehabilitation Communities, Inc. for thecreation of a new and exciting program. The grant funds were used

to purchase a 1929 roadster pickup truck. Students from the ARCLatino Program, pictured above with their truck, took the vehicle apart,restored each piece, and then reassembled it. The project took fivemonths to complete and was part of a vocational education programprovided by ARC. The truck, which will be on display at the Pennsylva-nia Juvenile Justice Conference, November 3-5 at the Harrisburg Hiltonand Towers, will be sold. The proceeds will allow ARC to purchaseanother vehicle to be restored by other students at ARC.

The Greater Harrisburg Foundation is a community trust serving thefive-county area of Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Perry, and Franklincounties in south-central Pennsylvania. The Foundation is interested insupporting innovative activities that empower the disadvantaged orunderserved and have the potential to become solutions to existingproblems. Funds were provided for this project because it servedminority delinquent youth and because the project can be continued insubsequent years by selling the restored vehicles.

2

This publication is produced monthly at the Center for Juvenile

Justice Training and Research at Shippensburg University.

Guest articles are always welcome; please submit them by email

or on a disk. We particularly enjoy your photographs, but we askthat these be mailed - we will be happy to return them to you.

Greg Young is the editor. Our address is CJJT&R, ShippensburgUniversity, 1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299.(gyoung@state.pa.us)

Please send additions or changes to the mailing list to Julie Bozichat Signal Graphics Printing, 1010 Wesley Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA

17055 (SigGraph60@aol.com)

Stephen Bishop is newAssistant Training Director

The Center for Juvenile Justice Training andResearch is pleased to announce the additionof Stephen Bishop to it’s staff as the new

Assistant Director of Training. He will become afamiliar presence at Center-sponsored workshops,helping to organize and administer every aspect ofthe Center’s training program. In doing so he willrelieve Susan Blackburn from much of these train-ing-related duties, allowing her to refocus her fullenergies on the Balanced and Restorative JusticeInitiative and the Juvenile Justice System Enhance-ment grant.

Bishop was supervisor of the Harrisburg school-based unit for Dauphin County juvenile probation.He worked in the Dauphin County probation depart-ment in a number of areas, beginning his careerthere in 1998. Bishop has a Bachelor of Arts degreein Criminology/Pre-Law from Indiana University ofPennsylvania, and is a 2001 graduate of the JCJC-sponsored Master’s Degree program at Shippens-burg University,

He serves as a member of the JCJC Awards Com-mittee and is a member of the Dauphin CountyFamily Group Conferencing Implementation Team.Bishop has been active with a variety of communitygroups, including serving as a member of the Boardof Directors of the Urban League of MetropolitanHarrisburg and Project Youth 2000.

Lebanon’s “Gatekeeper” – anentry-level diversionaryprogram that works

Five years ago, Lebanon County noted recidivism among first offenders that approached50 percent. All involved in the system viewed

this as unacceptable. As a result, a complete over-haul of Lebanon’s approach to first-time offenderswas implemented. The cornerstone of this newapproach was the creation of the “GatekeeperProgram.”

Lebanon County no longer uses the informal adjust-ment process. Every first-time offender is required tomeet with a juvenile probation intake officer andthen attend a court proceeding. For most non-violentfirst offenders, the journey through the juvenilesystem begins with a court proceeding where theoffender is formally admitted to the GatekeeperProgram by the juvenile court judge. The judgespeaks to all Gatekeeper applicants and theirfamilies about the importance of taking advantage ofthe program.

Gatekeeper Panels consist of community volunteerswho live in the same area as the juvenile’s family.These panels receive training and are then taskedwith the responsibility to develop and implementcommunity-based programming for each juvenile.The Gatekeeper Coordinator (an employee of thejuvenile probation office) attends all meetings toserve as resource person and facilitator. There areup to eight members on each Gatekeeper Panel; fiveare required as a “quorum.”

continued on page 4

3

The juvenile probation department of LehighCounty has developed a county-widecollaborative approach to combat juvenile

crime. The Lehigh County Youth Crime and ViolenceTask Force, currently under the leadership of thedirector of human services, Grayson McNair, hasbeen meeting monthly since 1996 to address issuesrelated to juvenile crime in the community.

The task force was formed following the completionof a week-long conference attended by county andcivic officials and provided by the Office of JuvenileJustice Delinquency and Prevention. During theconference, methods and tactics to effectively ad-dress gang-related issues and work with youthcategorized as serious habitual offenders werepresented. The task force includes judges, localpolice departments, county and federal probation,schools, the Office of Children and Youth, commu-nity members, detention personnel, medical profes-sionals, and many others.

In January, 2001, the juvenile probation depart-ment, with the assistance of the Youth Crime andViolence Task Force, developed the Serious HabitualOffender Comprehensive Action Plan (SHOCAP), thefirst in the state of Pennsylvania. This initiativeidentifies those “serious habitual offenders” most inneed of supervision through a grading selectionprocess based on offenses and adjudications ofdelinquency.

In 2002, the department established OperationNight Light. Modeled after Boston’s nationallyrecognized Night Light Program, it includes proba-tion and police teams making client contacts in thecommunity, as well as arranging for counseling andother treatment services through community agen-cies. The community soon began to notice theincreased presence of probation in their neighbor-hoods, and this team approach allowed for increasedcommunication between probation officers andpolice officers. The partnership has encouragedinvolvement with other community services andevents. Probation officers have been visible atplaygrounds, fairs, school activities, crime watchmeetings, etc. The objective of this enhanced interac-tion, communication, and contact is to reduce crimeand crime-related costs for the community.

In October, 2003, the juvenile probation departmentwas chosen by federal officials to participate in anexpansion of Operation Night Light. Project SafeNeighborhood is a federally funded program thatallows for the federal prosecution of individualsinvolved with weapon offenses or other offenses inwhich a weapon was present. The Project SafeNeighborhood initiative also provided funding toaddress juvenile issues with the aid of local lawenforcement. With the support of the Lehigh CountyDistrict Attorney, Project Safe Neighborhood wasdesignated to target high-risk clients such as drugdealers, those charged with weapon offenses, andthose affiliated with gangs.

While Operation Night Light was used as a curfew-checking initiative, Project Safe Neighborhood ismandated to increase supervision and services. Thepolice departments from Allentown, Bethlehem,Emmaus, South Whitehall, Whitehall, Catasauqua,Upper Saucon, and Salisbury, teamed with proba-tion officers, work closely to enforce accountabilityas well as address the need for community safety.This partnership is designed to establish the linksbetween the police and probation departments toachieve a reduction in criminal activity by increasingthe supervision of offenders and compliance withconditions of probation.

Collaboration is key within the Lehigh County Youth Crimeand Violence Task Forcereprinted with permission of Lehigh County

Staff development news

We would draw your attention to the severalpromising training opportunities in thisfall’s CJJT&R schedule where space

remains to accommodate additional registrants.Among the top prospects, we would strongly encour-age that you consider attending training event inHarrisburg on October 6-7 entitled “Exploring andHonoring Cultural Diversity.” This program will bepresented by a trainer new to the Center’s program.Dale R. Landry is the CEO of Village Architects, Inc.a Florida-based consortium of multi-disciplinaryprofessionals who work with communities toovercome the challenges of community based crime.His presentation will blend restorative justiceprinciples with the issues of cultural competence.

continued on page 4

Please return a com

pleted registration form by the required date if you plan

to attend the 2004 Conference on Juvenile Justice. C

ON

FER

EN

CE

NA

ME

BA

DG

ES W

ILL BE

RE

QU

IRE

D FO

R AT

TE

ND

AN

CE

AT A

LL FUN

CT

ION

S.

TRA

ININ

G W

OR

KSHO

PS

...................................1:30 – 3:0

0 pm

/ 3:15 – 4:4

5 pmThe 2004 Pennsylvania C

onference on Juvenile Justice will offer w

orkshops throughout the afternoon.The sponsors of the C

onference hope participants take the opportunity to gain new insights into

their work.

Workshops w

ill be presented only once and are 90 minutes in length. Full conference attendance

constitutes 9 PA Certification-B

oard approved education credits.

1:30 – 3:0

0 pm

:•

Multisystem

ic Therapy: Com

munity-based Treatm

ent for Youth and Their Families

•Treating Adolescent G

irls with Post Traum

atic Stress Disorder

•Achieving Successful O

utcomes through Assessm

ent and Case Planning

•Providing D

rug and Alcohol Treatment under Act 53: The Allegheny C

ounty Model

•B

utler County’s “N

ew H

ope” Heroin Treatm

ent Model

•Act 21 and its Im

plications for Juvenile Sex Offenders

•Political Action and R

elationship Developm

ent: A Critical C

omponent of H

uman Services

Managem

ent•

Trial Strategies for Defending Juvenile Sex O

ffense Cases (Juvenile D

efenders Only)

•Youth Suicide Prevention: Pennsylvania’s B

est Practices•

Reducing R

ecidivism Am

ong First Offenders

•PD

E Safe School Services: An O

verview•

Strengths Based Intervention for Juveniles

•Preventing D

elinquency Among our Youth

3:15 - 4:4

5 pm:

•B

uilding Successful VOJO

Partnerships•

The Interstate Com

pact for Juveniles: Building on H

istory for a Better Future

•“H

ome Sw

eet Hom

e” Specialized Interventions for Com

munity R

eintegration•

An Innovative and Successfully Implem

ented Approach to Supervising Individuals with

Com

puter and Internet Use R

estrictions•

Dispositional Planning U

sing the “CAN

S”•

Berks C

ounty’s “Job Readiness Program

”•

Preventing Delinquency through Training Parents: Innovative U

ses of Technology•

Screening and Assessment in Juvenile D

etention: The Pennsylvania Screening andAssessm

ent Project•

Securing the Best D

isposition for Your Client (Juvenile D

efenders Only)

•The Student Assistance Program

: Supporting Youth at Risk

•Juvenile Firesetting: Pennsylvania’s R

egional Prevention and Intervention Model

•IV-E

and TANF: W

hat in the World Are They, and W

hy Should I Care?

•E

tiology and Assessment of Adolescent Sex O

ffenders•

Developing D

ecision-making C

ompetency in D

elinquent Youth

All Evening Activities w

ill be held in the Main B

allroom of the H

arrisburg Hilton and Tow

ers

AN

NU

AL AW

AR

DS P

RO

GR

AM

AN

D D

INN

ERR

eception...........................................................................................................6 pm

Dinner and P

rogram........................................................................................7 pm

Each year, the Juvenile C

ourt Judges’ Com

mission and the Pennsylvania C

ouncil of Chief Juvenile

Probation Officers join w

ith Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice comm

unity to honor both individualsand program

s for outstanding work in the juvenile justice system

.

Friday, Novem

ber 5th

RESO

UR

CE D

AY – 20

04

Main B

allroom of the H

arrisburg Hilton and Tow

ers

CO

NTIN

ENTA

L BR

EAK

FAST

.............................................................................8 am

RESO

UR

CE D

AY 20

04

..........................................................................8 am - noon

The 2004 Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice w

ill conclude with R

esource Day. C

onferenceattendees have a chance to learn of new

, innovative and creative approaches to working w

ith juveniles.R

epresentatives from private and public residential program

s, informational services, technology

services and other vendors will be available to present and discuss products and services available in

Pennsylvania.

Wednesday, N

ovember 3

rd

Registration D

esk Opens..................................................................................10

am

PR

OFESSIO

NA

L CAU

CU

SES................................................................2 - 3:30

pmC

heck Conference P

rogram for R

oom Locations

Join with colleagues from

within your juvenile justice system

specialty to discuss issues of concernand interest. Individual caucuses w

ill be held for juvenile court judges and masters, chief juvenile

probation officers, district attorneys, juvenile defenders, line probation officers, residential serviceproviders, victim

service providers and others. These facilitated caucuses will be highly interactive

and offer participants the opportunity to discuss critical issues and needs for the future.

CH

IEF PR

OB

ATON

OFFIC

ER/SER

VICE P

RO

VIDER

FOR

UM

...3:45 - 5:0

0 pm

YO

UTH

AW

AR

DS P

RO

GR

AM

& D

INN

ER.............5:30

pmM

ain Ballroom

of the Harrisburg H

ilton and Towers

Luis Garcia and his fam

ily migrated from

Mexico to the U

nited Statesw

ith the hope of achieving the American dream

. How

ever, reaching thatdream

was not easy for them

. Now

the Assistant Admissions D

irector atM

illersville University, Luis w

ill share his dramatic story of choosing to

pursue higher education over a life of gang involvement and violence,

including the violent deaths of six of his best friends. Luis credits hisfam

ily and Pennsylvania’s Migrant E

ducation Program for helping and

supporting him throughout this critical tim

e in his life.

OP

ENIN

G N

IGH

T REC

EPTIO

N.................................................................9 – 11 pm

Main B

allroom of the H

arrisburg Hilton and Tow

ersH

osted by the Pennsylvania Council of C

hief Juvenile Probation O

fficers

Join friends and colleagues from Pennsylvania and throughout the nation in this inform

al openingnight activity. Food and entertainm

ent will be provided courtesy of the sponsor.

Thursday, Novem

ber 4th

Registration D

esk Opens....................................................................................8 am

CO

NTIN

ENTA

L BR

EAK

FAST

.............................................................................8 amM

ain Ballroom

of the Harrisburg H

ilton and Towers

CO

NFER

ENC

E WELC

OM

E & KEY

NO

TE PR

ESENTATIO

N:

“EVIDEN

CE-B

ASED

TREATM

ENT P

RO

GR

AM

SFO

R JU

VENILE O

FFEND

ERS A

ND

WH

Y TH

EY W

OR

K”...................................................8:4

5 amM

ain Ballroom

of the Harrisburg H

ilton and Towers

Dr. Scott R

. Henggeler, Professor of Psychiatry and B

ehavioral Sciencesat the M

edical University of South C

arolina and Director of the Fam

ilyServices R

esearch Center, w

ill be sharing the latest information regarding

evidence-based treatment program

s for juvenile offenders.

“A B

OD

Y IN

MO

TION

”...............................................................................10

:30 am

Sunoco Performing A

rts Theatre – Whitaker C

enter

A B

ody in Motion, w

ritten and directed by Ingrid De Sanctis, w

ill be performed in the Sunoco

Performing Arts Theatre at the W

hitaker Center. B

ased on How

ard Zehr’s book, “Transcending:R

eflections of Crim

e Victims”, this play is based on the stories and transcripts of survivors of

crimes; presenting the m

any complex and varied responses to a violent event w

ith hope oftranscendence.

* Registration forms must be postmarked on or before OCTOBER 8, 2004to receive the early registration rate.

✍ Checks should be made payable to: PA Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers(Federal ID# 23-2498588)

� Registration form and payment should be mailed to:Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission401 Finance BuildingHarrisburg, PA 17120-0018

Agencies may submit one check for all staff attending.Indicate if payment is enclosed or will be sent separately.

� Payment Enclosed

� Payment will be sent separately(Please include a list of names & agency affiliation with check.)

� Lodging reservations at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers must be made by 9/28/04 toreceive the negotiated group rate of $94 a night (single/double/triple/quad). Call (717) 233-6000 and identify yourself with the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission Conference inHarrisburg, PA. The hotel will confirm your reservation. Check-in time is 3 p.m.; check-out isnoon. After 10/1/04, reservations will be accepted on a room-availability basis at the prevailingrate. Conference overflow hotels are the Crowne Plaza on Market Square (717) 234-5021 andthe Radisson Penn Harris, in Camp Hill, (717) 763-7117 (identify yourself with the JCJCConference).

Requests for registration fee refunds for all or part of the Annual Training & Awards Program must be sent in writingto the JCJC at the above address and be postmarked by 10/22/04. Conference “no-shows” who have not prepaid willbe invoiced.

CONFERENCE INFORMATION: (717) 787-6910

� Complete CONFERENCE PACKAGE (Nov. 3 - 5) $240 ($280)*Includes: Professional Caucuses, Youth Awards Program & Dinner and Opening NightReception (Nov. 3); Continental Breakfast, Plenary Session, “A Body in Motion,” Lunch,Workshops, Reception, and Awards Program & Dinner (Nov. 5); Continental Breakfast &Resource Day (Nov. 6)

� Professional Caucuses (Nov. 3) ø

� Youth Awards Program & Dinner (Nov. 3) $50 ($60)*

� Opening Night Reception (Nov. 3) ø

� Continental Breakfast, Plenary Session,“A Body in Motion,” Lunch & Workshops (Nov. 4) $100 ($110)*

� Reception and Awards Program & Dinner (Nov. 4) $60 ($70)*

� Continental Breakfast & Resource Day (Nov. 5) $30 ($40)*

� I prefer vegetarian meals. GRAND TOTAL $____________

Please PHOTOCOPY this form as needed for each registrant.ALL information must be completed and TYPED OR CLEARLY PRINTED.

Due to the large volume of attendees,REGISTRATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY PHONE OR FAX.

Name ________________________________________________________Title_________________________

Agency _____________________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________________

City _____________________________________________________________________________________

State ___________________ Zip ___________________ Phone _____________________________

4

“Gatekeeper”, from page 2Two hours are allotted by each panel to hear aparticular case. Police officers are invited to appearand describe the criminal behavior and providebackground information to the panel. If an officer isunavailable, the Gatekeeper Coordinator relaysinformation she has gotten from the officer to thepanel. Time is allocated for the panel to meet inde-pendently with the juvenile’s parents and with thejuvenile. Based upon all information presented, theGatekeeper Panel develops a written “contract.”

Periodic review hearings are conducted by theGatekeeper Panel to evaluate the juvenile’s progress.Review hearings take place as necessary. Once ajuvenile completes all provisions of his/her contract,a graduation hearing is conducted. At this hearing,the panel congratulates the juvenile and a writtenreport is sent to the juvenile court judge. The judgethen writes a letter to each juvenile and formallydismisses charges.

Gatekeeper Panels are given great latitude to developindividualized programs for each juvenile. Commu-nity service is imposed in nearly every case. During2002 and 2003, more than 3,500 hours of commu-nity service were completed by Gatekeeper partici-pants. The payment of restitution by juveniles (asopposed to their parents) is also emphasized.During 2002 and 2003, more than $3,750 inrestitution was collected from Gatekeeper partici-pants.

The Gatekeeper Program has proved to be extraordi-narily successful. Of the 196 juveniles who havegraduated from the Gatekeeper Program since itsinception in 2000, only 37 have committed anothercriminal offense. This represents a recidivism rate ofonly 18 percent. Of these repeat offenders, only 8 (5percent) committed felonies. As collateral benefit,the program has helped shape community percep-tion of young people. Everyone in our county is awareof problems caused by juveniles, as those problemsare evident in our newspapers. It is easy for adultsto forget the mistakes of their own youth and becomecynical about teenagers. Through the GatekeeperProgram, our juveniles work on a hands-on basiswith community panel members and many commu-nity volunteer organizations. In turn, these membersof the community get to see that most of thesejuveniles are “good kids who made a mistake.”

Staff development, continued from page 3Space also remains in the regional offering “Solution-oriented Counseling Techniques” in the Pittsburgharea (Sheraton, Mars) on October 13-14 and in theAllentown area on October 21-22. This skill-buildingprogram offers the opportunity to learn specific,useful techniques that focus on solutions ratherthan problems. It is a model that is well suited tothe brief client interactions that probation officersare often limited to with their probationers. Thestrategies are easy to learn and are effective evenwith our most resistant offenders. This practicalapproach offers the promise of more focused,effective interventions, while reducing probationofficers’ burnout. These workshops will be taught byBarbara Ulmer who herself uses these techniques inher work with the Lancaster County Juvenile Proba-tion Department.

As attention begins to be refocused on the impor-tance of aftercare services, nationally recognizedtrainer and consultant Anne Seymour will co-present“The Three Rs of re-entry: Reparation, Relationships,and Responsibility” along with Susan Blackburn ofthe CJJT&R staff. If you are concerned with makingthe most of your aftercare services, you should notmiss this opportunity. This program will be held inthe Harrisburg area also on October 21-22.

Stan Walters returns to the Center’s training agendato present his “Kinesic Interviewing: Level 3” in StateCollege on October 27-29. For those who havecompleted his first and second level workshops andwish to delve deeper into this model, this is yourchance. This may be the last opportunity to attendthe Level 3 program, sponsored by the Center, forseveral years.

Finally, we would encourage you to consider “GroupDynamics: Basic Skill Development” which is beingsponsored in State College, at the Days Inn PennState on November 17-18 and in the Harrisburg areaon November 30 - December 1. This program willprovide a solid foundation on group work processand prepare participants to facilitate both task andtreatment groups. The skills learned will be usefulin both working with adolescent clients in groups, aswell as becoming a more effective team member/leader with groups of professionals working onprojects in a group. These workshops will be led byDr. Darla Henry, a social worker, trainer, andconsultant with more than 30 years experience withchildren and adolescents. Dr. Henry taught hastaught graduate courses in the ShippensburgUniversity Graduate Education Program.

5

workshop on August 23 & 24. The National Centerfor Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) convened this workshopfor counties currently using the NCJJ Case ClosingDatabase. Representatives from 10 of the countiesusing this method to measure balanced andrestorative justice-related outcome measuresattended the workshop. The group reviewed thedatabase elements with a particular eye towardadvancing the performance measures for a balancedand restorative juvenile justice system. It isanticipated that many additional counties will opt touse the Microsoft Access Case Closing databasealong with the Juvenile Case Management System.

Pennsylvania Report CardPennsylvania is leading the nation in the collectionand measurement of juvenile justice outcomes, basedon the articulated goals of balanced and restorativejustice and clearly defined outcomes. The aggregatequarterly report of juvenile justice outcomes forjuvenile offenders in the Commonwealth ofPennsylvania has been posted on the Juvenile CourtJudges’ Commission website(www.jcjc.state.pa.us). The report covers the periodfrom January 1, 2004, through March 31, 2004. Thereport reflects outcomes of juvenile offenders whosecases were closed during the report period and whohave received a period of supervision from a countyjuvenile probation department. “What gets measured gets done.”

“If you do not measure results, you can not tellsuccess from failure.”Osbourne & Gaebler

August has brought a great deal of activity tothe Juvenile Justice Enhancement Initiative.Several committees and workgroups have

met to advance the goals of balanced and restorativejustice in Pennsylvania. The Juvenile Court Judges’Commission consultants have wrapped up theannual court service visits and a review of theorganizational assessments will inform the planningaround future training and technical assistance.

Victims’ ServicesThe Victims Services Committee, chaired by Tho-mas Schuster, Chief Probation Officer for BradfordCounty, met in Harrisburg on August 16. Thecommittee reviewed a number of agenda itemsrelated to victims’ services in the Pennsylvaniajuvenile justice system. Ongoing training on crimevictims’ issues is a top priority. Members arediscussing the broader use of the “Victim/Commu-nity Awareness: An Orientation for Juveniles”curriculum. Anyone interested in working on thevarious tasks associated with the continuousenhancement of the juvenile crime victims’ voice inthe juvenile justice process may telephone ThomasSchuster at 570-265-1706.

Aftercare ServicesEfforts to address the issue of aftercare services inthe Pennsylvania juvenile justice system arereceiving a lot of attention in the Commonwealth. Acoordinated strategy for improving aftercare servicesis being led by the Juvenile Law Center (JLC) andwill be aligned with aftercare reform work beingplanned by the Juvenile Justice Delinquency andPrevention Committee (JJDPC) of the PennsylvaniaCommission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

PCCD has announced the availability of $1.8 millionover three years in federal Drug Control and SystemImprovement (DSCI) grant funds to support thedevelopment of model aftercare approaches, whichwill inform the development of statewide training onthe model approaches. The goals of balanced andrestorative justice are being integrated in all aspectsof the strategy. Additional information on thisannouncement can be found at PCCD’s website(www.pccd.state.pa.us).

Balanced and Restorative Justice OutcomesThe Balanced and Restorative Justice PerformanceMeasures Users Group was convened for a

The Juvenile Justice Enhancement Training Initiative –(Balanced and Restorative Justice)

Bethesda Alternative EducationProgram students: caring forcommunityby: Jennifer Napp, Bethesda Treatment and Research Specialist

When students at the Bethesda Day Treatment Centerwere challenged to make a difference in their commu-nity, they responded by volunteering at two local

agencies. Their efforts at the Bloomsburg Salvation Army andColumbia County Chapter of Trout Unlimited are helping theseorganizations achieve their missions while teaching the studentssome valuable life lessons.

On a weekly basis, three to six youths, along with Bethesda staffmembers, report to the Salvation Army store in Bloomsburg.The team sorts the store’s various donations and helps foldclothing. These same students organized a bag drive, duringwhich they enlisted family and friends to donate to the SalvationArmy. The youths plan to expand their efforts to improve theoverall appearance of the store.

Other students report to stream sites throughout ColumbiaCounty, including the Fishing Creek watershed, to clean up litter.They are learning the impact conserving, protecting, and restor-ing natural resources has in their own community, while theyimprove the appearance of the area,

Both agencies are using the efforts of Bethesda students toexpand the positive impression they make on the town ofBloomsburg and on all of Columbia County. The challenge iscoming full circle by having an equally positive impact on thestudents involved. Four initial goals were set for the students:

1. create a positive connection betweenthe students and their community;2. provide an alternative approach toacademic achievement;3. build students’ skills and self-esteem; and,4. foster student accountability andguidance outside the school setting.

Six months into the program, thestudents have not only achieved thesegoals, they have exceeded all expecta-tions!