Youth at Risk: Philadelphia Safe and Sound: Attorneys and Youth at Risk Presentation

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ATTORNEYS AND YOUTH AT RISK
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Attorneys and Youth at Risk
Potential Areas For Increased Attorney
Involvement Young Offenders (12 years and
younger) Truant Youth Youth Aging Out of DHS
System
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Attorneys and Youth at Risk

• Young Offenders
• Population at risk for becoming violent
  offenders
• Six out of 10 are likely to be future serious,
  violent and chronic offenders
• Cost an average of 1.72.3 million per youth
  on average is spent through their juvenile and
  young adult years

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Young Offenders

• What is the trend of young offending?

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Young Offenders

• What types of crimes do they commit?

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Young Offenders Best Practice Models

• Based upon a comprehensive assessment of
  strengths and deficits, youth (and their
  families) can be matched to any combination of
  the following
• Get Real About Violence
• Aggression Replacement Training
• The Parenting Project and Parenting Adolescents
  Wisely
• Street Worker Surveillance
• (AVRP Components)

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Truancy
First Step to a Lifetime of Problems
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Truancy

• 40.4 Philadelphia public school students had 8
  or more unexcused absences in 2005-06
• Translation more than 90,000 Philadelphia
  public school students are currently in danger of
  experiencing long-term educational and social
  problems

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Truant Youth
Were 3.2 times more likely to be suspended one
or more times during the 2005-06 school
year Were approximately 2.4 times more likely
than their non-truant counterparts to drop out of
high school within the next four years of
schooling (cohort was truant youth in 8th grade
in 2001-02)
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Truant Youth

• Scored significantly lower in Reading and in Math
  than his/her non-truant counterpart during the
  2004-05 school year
• Tend to be concentrated in the citys most
  economically distressed neighborhoods

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Truancy Best Practice Models
A comprehensive assessment of strengths and
deficits will provide for service matching
wherein youth (and family) profiles will be
matched to services designed to meet identified
needs Currently reviewing the following for
possible inclusion in the Truancy Initiative
Project SMART TIPS TRACK Project
START THRIVE
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Youth Aging Out of Foster Care ..

• Are less likely to have a HS diploma or GED
• Suffer from behavioral health conditions
• Have high rates of future involvement with the
  criminal justice system
• Experience housing instability and frequent
  periods of homelessness

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Youth Aging Out of DHS

• Completing a study funded by GPUAC
• Final report due out in October

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Potential Role of Attorneys

• Youth Level
• Advocate for Psychosocial Assessments to Identify
  a Profile of Youth (and Family) Needs
• Based Upon the Identified Profile, Advocate for
  Youth-to-Service Matching
• Monitor Assessment/Service Provision

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Potential Role of Attorneys

• System Level
• Hold System Accountable for Appropriate
  Intervention
• Initiate System Level Litigation When Appropriate
  Services Are Not Provided

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Changing Systems,
Getting Results.