Resilience is a skill that can be learned at any age. Building resilience can help us cope in the aftermath of tragedy and trauma, and it can help us maintain mental health. With World Teen Mental Wellness Day in mind, let’s consider how we can help the teens in our lives develop resilience ..read more

A young person processed through the juvenile justice system may be assigned probation, placement in foster care or with an extended family member, community service, or confinement in a juvenile correction facility.  than those assigned to A local or state judge determines which law, if any, was broken when a minor is brought before a juvenile court and then issues an appropriate response. cases processed through the juvenile court system often have . As such, it is apparent that juvenile justice system reform efforts are needed to give youth the tools to make healthy choices, improve be ..read more

Diversion programs provide an opportunity for youth to receive support from their communities and families rather than interacting with the juvenile justice system. Diversion can be used as an alternative to arrest and prosecution or as a step along the way during the process of adjudication. This is a less punitive approach that focuses on keeping youth at home with their parents and avoiding criminal records that make adulthood difficult to navigate ..read more

in a youth correctional facility than any other country in the world. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) states that about 60,000 adolescents under the age of 18 are incarcerated in juvenile jails and prisons on any given day. Research shows that children who have spent time in facilities tend to exhibit physical and mental health concerns later in life and they are more likely to fall behind in school, which is an important component of staying out of the system ..read more

Literacy and incarceration are two words that you don't often hear in the same sentence. When you read those terms, y ou might feel that they have nothing in common or that they are opposites. But here's what is interesting, despite what you may think, they are closely related and there are many reasons why. The Department of Justice states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure ..read more

As a result of the many events that have occurred since 2020, and are still occurring, including juvenile and criminal justice reform, a mental health epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid overdose surges, and ongoing unemployment, practices are being put into place in order to rebuild our communities ..read more

In light of Youth Justice Awareness Month (YJAM), established in 2008 to draw attention to adolescents impacted by the criminal justice system, it is time to address America’s youth crime statistics ..read more

Today we are sharing the story of a mother who felt as though she was losing her son until Multisystemic Therapy (MST) came into the picture.  ..read more

Today we are sharing the story of a mother who was skeptical of Multisystemic Therapy (MST), but is now thankful for the tools she has received because of the program.  ..read more

Our society finds itself asking why do we sentence, probate and incarcerate so many young people while forgetting the frailties of adolescents? Juvenile justice reform is occurring in many states. Often judges are the leaders or at the center of these efforts. Why are judges taking on this new role, and why are communities looking to them for leadership? It is always helpful to look back to see how we got here. We can then better answer those questions ..read more