FWSN-advisorybd-repo.. - The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance

In response to Special Act 04-5, DCF formed a Steering Committee which produced a
plan for a continuum of community-based services designed to prevent incarceration of
female status offenders and delinquent girls. 63 The report found, “Girls who enter the
Juvenile Justice System with status offenses have a significant risk of becoming
entrenched in the court system as delinquents if they are not diverted with appropriate,
gender specific services. Girls with multiple FWSN referrals are the most at risk for
future involvement.” 64
The report also looked carefully at educational programming. It stated that “There is an
urgent and compelling need to work with the State Department of Education (SDE) to
develop new models for gender-specific educational services for girls” 65 and to work
with SDE to develop a “reentry” policy for girls returning to schools and for SDE to
collaborate with local school districts in the implementation of the policy and the
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development of the policy application.”
In December 2005, Marty Beyer, Ph.D. conducted an in-depth analysis of fourteen girls
who were involved in the juvenile justice system and prepared a report for the
Department of Children and Families entitled “A System of Service for Girls in
Connecticut”.
The research and the report outlined both the strengths and challenges in meeting the
needs of girls in Connecticut’s juvenile justice system. In the report, Dr. Beyer noted
several successes in working with and addressing the needs of girls encountered by the
juvenile justice system. Among them, she recognized the value of the state plan
developed by DCF and the Steering Committee that required gender-specific services that
take into account the unique needs of girls, and a collaborative approach by staff across
state and private agencies who are well versed in the system elements necessary to
support girls.
Despite these positive attributes she noted, “…there is no system of gender specific,
strength-based, trauma-informed, culturally competent, relationship-driven girls’ services
in Connecticut.” 67
In 2005-2006, DCF, CSSD and many public and private system participants engaged in a
strategic planning process facilitated by the Child Welfare League of America. The
result was an overall strategic plan for Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System. It was
outlined in a report dated August 2006.
The report addressed many concerns and issues related to the juvenile justice system in
Connecticut. Once again, the need for gender specific services for girls was identified as
a high priority. The report outlined certain action strategies. One key strategy included
63 Ibid
64 Ibid
65 Ibid
66 Ibid
67 “A System of Services for Girls in Connecticut”, Marty Beyer, Ph.D., (Connecticut, December 2005). 1
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