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Juvenile Justice Task Force

MINUTES OF THE
JUVENILE JUSTICE TASK FORCE

May 22, 1998 - 1:00 p.m. - Room 303, State Capitol


Members Present:
    Sen. Lyle W. Hillyard, Chair     
    Rep. J. Brent Haymond, Chair
    Sen. Joseph L. Hull
    Sen. Nathan C. Tanner
    Rep. John B. Arrington
    Rep. Steve Barth
    Rep. Katherine Bryson
    Rep. Blake D. Chard
    Mr. Gary K. Dalton
    Mr. David J. Jordan
    Hon. Andrew A. Valdez
    Mr. Russ Van Vleet
    Ms. Robin Arnold Williams    

Members Absent:
    

Staff Present:
    Ms. Chyleen A. Arbon,
     Research Analyst
    Ms. Esther D. Chelsea-McCarty,      Associate General Counsel
    Ms. Glenda S. Whitney,
     Secretary

    
     Note:    A list of others present and a copy of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the         Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1.    Call to Order and Task Force Business - Chair Haymond called the meeting to order at 1:11 p.m. Rep. J. Brent Haymond was appointed to replace Rep. Christine Fox-Finlinson as co- chair, and Rep. Katherine Bryson was appointed to serve on the task force.

     MOTION: Mr. Dalton moved to approve the minutes of the November 14, 1997 meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Sen. Hillyard, Rep. Barth, Rep. Bryson, and Mr. Jordan absent for the vote.

    Ms. Esther Chelsea-McCarty reviewed the following four bills that the task force endorsed and which passed in the1998 General Session: 1) H.B. 191, Correctional Officer Amendment; 2) H.B. 192, Division of Youth Corrections Special Function Officers; 3) S.B. 5, Judicial Custody of Youth to Human Services; and 4) S.B. 81, Reauthorization of Juvenile Justice Task Force.

2.    Juvenile Sentencing Guidelines Evaluation

    Mr. Ed McConkie, Director, Sentencing Commission, noted that the Sentencing Commission, Juvenile Court, Youth Corrections and others have been collaborating their efforts to track and evaluate whether the guidelines are doing what they are intended to do. He explained that the group developed a basic plan of evaluation and then hired an outside consultant to determine whether the information they were collecting would assist them in addressing critical policy issues. He referred the committee to the handout, "Draft: Logic Model Used for Juvenile Sentencing Guidelines Evaluation" and emphasized that the focus of the evaluation is to review and revise the sentencing guidelines in order to maximize public safety.
The tracking process will reveal whether early intervention is effective in turning juveniles around.

    Mr. Ray Wahl, Juvenile Court Administrator, distributed a handout, "Juvenile Sentencing Guideline Tracking," that compared the first and third quarter tracking of the implementation of the guidelines. He noted that state supervision was not fully implemented during the first quarter and therefore by the third quarter there was a significant increase in the matches between recommended sanctions and imposed sanctions with regard to state supervision. He reported that in the last year the average probation caseload decreased 33 percent and the number of juveniles served increased by 345 .

    Mr. Wahl explained that the group is in the process of developing a more detailed information gathering system that will help determine when aggravating and mitigating circumstances explain an upward or downward departure from the sentencing guideline. He concluded that other changes in the Juvenile Information System will allow for tracking the initial recommendation based upon the juvenile's offense history and present offense, as well as the intake officer's recommendation for comparison. He said with the additional information the system will be able to track the reasons for deviation from the sentencing guidelines.

    Mr. Van Vleet asked for a summary of expenditures for resources and program development in state supervision. Mr. Wahl said some resources went to facilitate additional work crew efforts and hire sixty probation officers. Mr. Van Vleet said that research indicates that with a major increase in frequency of contact between probation officer and juvenile, one can anticipate a substantial increase of success with the juvenile. He said there is a need to document that information in order to determine whether the decrease in case load size and the increase in frequency of contact has any impact on delinquency. Mr. Wahl responded that he hoped to have that data by the end of October for the task force to review.

    Rep. Chard asked for a profile of those 345 juveniles served on the probation caseload and the type of offenses committed. Mr. Wahl agreed to provide that information by the next meeting.
    
    Mr. Wahl concluded his presentation by reviewing the Juvenile Court State Supervision Programs as of February 1998 and what is being done in each district throughout the state.

3.    Administrative Streamlining

    Ms. Robin Arnold Williams, Director, Department of Human Services, displayed two posters and distributed a handout, "Department of Human Services Juvenile Justice Action Team (JJAT)," and reminded the task force that the charter of the JJAT is to review the current system and structure of serving ungovernable and delinquent children and youth in the department and formulate a set of recommendations for reform. She focused on the mission statement, core principles, and time lines of the JJAT.

    Ms. Williams reported that the JJAT organized six subcommittees to address issues such as data collection, service delivery gaps, and innovative national and local programs. She said the finalized report will be presented to the JJAT in June. She noted that the purpose of the public meetings was to receive input regarding strategic planning; participants were asked to create a vision for the future, identify what is working well, discuss gaps in the current system and barriers to effective service delivery, and brainstorm solutions. She briefed the task force on a meeting held in Logan, Utah and distributed a handout , "Juvenile Justice Strategic Planning Meeting," with the findings of what is needed. She focused on the vision for the future in regards to family, community, and prevention. She said there is a need to allow communities to address gaps in their area with flexibility in funding, structure, and programs, but also assure some statewide support.

    Ms. Williams concluded that the Department of Human Services will present its report with specific recommendations to the Juvenile Justice Task Force at the August meeting.

    Sen. Hillyard emphasized the need for agencies to be involved in sharing program ideas, so that if a program is working well in one county, that information can be shared with others to increase the effectiveness of their programs.

    Mr. Ray Wahl, Juvenile Court Administrator, explained the collaborative efforts underway in the juvenile justice system. He said every day there are hundreds of youth that appear in juvenile court which means there are hundreds of opportunities for Youth Corrections, Juvenile Court, private providers, prosecutors, DCFS, law enforcement, and others to work together. He identified some examples of what he has observed in the juvenile justice system regarding coordination, cooperation, collaboration, and communication. He pointed out that organizations cannot solve problems; only people in organizations can solve problems.

    Mr. Jordan asked if there are sufficient dollars in the system now for re-engineering the data system. Mr. Wahl indicated there are not adequate resources, and that it would require $500,000 to re-engineer the Juvenile Court Information System. He added that the Court and Youth Corrections will probably request funding this year from the Legislature.

    Mr. Jordan suggested placing price tags on different needs so that the task force and legislators know what service can be obtained for what price.

4.    Future Focus

    A survey was distributed to the task force to select potential study items during the 1998 interim period.

     MOTION: Sen. Tanner moved that the Juvenile Justice Task Force study issues relating to four different areas: 1) Prevention and Early Intervention; 2) Graduated Sanctions and

Restorative Justice; 3) Serious and Violent Youth Offenders; and 4) Aftercare. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Barth absent for the vote.

The Juvenile Justice Task Force will meet on the following dates: June 26, July 31, August 28, September 25, October 23, and November 13. The meetings will be held in Room 303 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

5.    Adjournment

     MOTION: Sen. Hull moved to adjourn the meeting at 2:50 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.

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