National Center for Youth in Custody First Things First: Risk and Needs Assessment Data to Determine Placement and Services Alternatives to Detention Meeting Hosted by OJJDP and the EDC Tribal Juvenile Detention and Reentry TTA Center Wednesday, May 29, 2013

2 Complex Youth Needs Youth in the JJ System Require Individualized Treatment & Services Educational Deficits Nearly one-half of youth in custody function below the school grade level appropriate for their age Past Trauma 70 percent have experienced past trauma, which may include physical or sexual abuse

3 Complex Youth Needs Substance Abuse Problems 85 percent report using drugs—more than double the rates of the general population Mental Health Issues 65 to 70 percent of youth in residential facilities suffer from mental health disorders Sedlak, A. J. and McPherson, K. S. (2010). Youth's Needs and Services: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice Shufelt, J.L. & Cocozza, J.J. (2006). Youth with Mental Health Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System: Results from a Multi-State Prevalence Study. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.

4 Question for the Group Based on your experience, what are the most pressing issues and needs facing youth in tribal communities today?

5 Individualized Treatment & Public Safety Tribal courts, communities, and stakeholders are tasked with reaching a challenging balance: Meeting the needs of youth while protecting public safety. What tools exist to achieve this balance?

6 Risk and Needs Assessment Tools Risk and Needs Assessment Tools Help: 1.Identify youth needs 2.Assess public safety risks 3.Guide decisions re: placements and services

7 Function of Risk Assessment Risk assessment tools estimate the likelihood of continued delinquent behavior with no interventions -Based on information on the particular youth, his/her family, and other contextual/environmental concerns

8 Questions for the Group What types of factors increase the risk of re-offending for youth in tribal communities? Factors that decrease risk?

9 Information Collected Type of Information Collected by Risk Assessment Tools Static risk factors (i.e., factors that aren’t likely to change) E.g., age of first offense; history of violence; history of supervision failure Criminogenic risk factors (i.e., factors that can change due to interventions/development) E.g., lack of social ties; negative peer associations; family problems; poor school performance Protective factors (i.e., positive variables that help youth deal with risk factors) E.g., good problem-solving ability; pro-social supports, such as supportive parents

10 Collecting Information How the Information Is Collected: Youth interviews Family interviews Case file review, including evaluations, assessments, and social studies

11 Questions for the Group Do tribal communities have adequate access to information on youth? Has the passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 impacted information sharing? - e.g., FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC)

12 Tool Outputs Most risk assessment tools rate the risk of re-offending as low, moderate or high LOW: few (salient) risk factors MODERATE: some risk factors, neither low or high HIGH: many (or some critical) risk factors

13 Matching Risk to Services Once you have the designated risk, you can then match placement, monitoring and service delivery LOW: minimal supervision & treatment E.g., home placement MODERATE: moderate supervision & treatment E.g., community-based group home, electronic monitoring HIGH: intensive supervision & treatment E.g., residential placement

14 Why Use Risk Assessment Tools? Guide Intervention Planning to Identify Targets to Reduce Recidivism What factors are driving the youth’s behavior? Offer Objectivity to Decisions, and Minimize System Players’ Biases about a Youth’s Risks and Needs Provide System Partners with Critical Data to Optimize Resource Allocation In what types of services should we invest?

15 What Risk Assessment Instruments DON’T Do Risk Assessment Tools Do NOT: Tell the decisionmaker EXACTLY what placement or services to implement Merely a guide to inform decisions Identify or diagnose mental health or substance abuse issues Hence the importance of also having needs screening and assessment tools (e.g., mental health, substance abuse), and other evaluations (e.g., psychological, psychiatric)

16 Additional Considerations Not all high risk youth will require incarceration -Keep in mind that not all institutional placements lead to better outcomes, and in some cases can do more harm Treatment & services should be as individualized as possible -Must be tailored to the youth’s risk level, needs, and strengths Implementation is key -Need effective policies, training and oversight to ensure fidelity to instrument design

17 Question for the Group Are risk assessment tools used by tribal courts and communities today? If not, why? What support, if any, is needed?

18 Risk Assessment Resources Key Resources Used for this Presentation: “Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice: A Guidebook for Implementation” by Gina Vincent, Laura Guy, and Thomas Grisso “Knowledge Brief: Can Risk Assessment Improve Juvenile Justice Practices?” by the Models for Change Initiative Each available at

19 Contact Information Michael Umpierre National Center for Youth in Custody Phone: