OJJDP Family Listening Sessions: Executive Summary - Office of ...

Foreword
From March through July 2011, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
(OJJDP), in collaboration with the Campaign for Youth Justice and the Education Development
Center, convened four listening sessions with families and youth who had direct experiences
with the juvenile justice system at the local and state levels. The discussions focused on four
broad topic areas: the expectations and the reality of families' first encounters with the juvenile
justice system, whether the youth’s needs were met during the period of confinement, how the
family was treated and served while their child was confined, and the availability of aftercare
services. This report presents a summary of the participants’ experiences and the many insightful
recommendations for reform that they shared during the listening sessions.
Many parents and guardians shared that their children exhibited early warning signs, such as
truancy, a drop in grades, and evidence of mental health problems before their first detention and
recommended that these warning signs serve as critical prevention and/or intervention points for
youth. Other common themes raised by participants included the need for access to information
regarding legal rights and representation, visitation, allowable medical supplies or treatments, and
opportunities for continued education; and the importance of effective aftercare services, which help
youth transition successfully back into the community and decrease the likelihood of recidivism.
Senior leadership from OJJDP attended the sessions to hear the poignant and powerful testimonies
directly from the families about the best and worst practices of the juvenile justice system. OJJDP
will use the information from these sessions to strengthen policies and activities, such as grantmaking
and technical assistance, and to inform guidance to jurisdictions interested in partnering
with youth and families to improve their experiences with the juvenile justice system.
In addition to these listening sessions, OJJDP is undertaking further efforts to enhance youth’s
and families’ experiences with the juvenile justice system. These efforts include staff development
and training, presentations before key stakeholder groups (such as the Coordinating
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), and inclusion of family members on
specific working groups and committees to ensure that all system reform efforts include the
genuine voices of youth and families.
OJJDP hopes that the information the listening session participants provided will serve as a
springboard for federal leaders and policymakers to influence positive changes in the juvenile
justice system nationwide.
Robert L. Listenbee
Administrator
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention