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Juvenile Delinquency
Court Assessment
CFCC is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of juvenile courts in California.
The areas of inquiry are hearings and other court processes; court collaboration
with justice system partners; placement, treatment, and supervision options
for youth; perspectives of parties and interested groups; education and
training; and customer service.
Publications and
other information include:
- Fact
Sheet: Juvenile Delinquency Court Assessment
(Jan. 2008)
The assessment also includes conducting interviews, focus groups, and standardized surveys. Below are copies of the surveys already fielded:
- 2006 CFCC Survey of Juvenile Court Judges, Commissioners, and Referees
- 2006
CFCC Survey of Delinquency Court Operations
(Part A) - 2006
CFCC Survey of Delinquency Court Effective Practices (Part B)
Juvenile Delinquency
Caseflow Management
Based on the previous analysis of caseflow management and processing of
cases in Criminal and Family courts, CFCC recently completed a survey
of current caseflow management techniques in Juvenile Delinquency courts.
It identified the major caseflow management issues facing California juvenile
delinquency judges, attorneys, probation officers, court administrators,
and court staff and provides examples of practices currently in use in
California courts. Three trainings were also completed on effective practices
in juvenile delinquency caseflow management; one each for small, medium,
and large courts. A significant publication of the project is Developing
Effective Practices in Juvenile Delinquency Caseflow Management (A
Manual Prepared for the California Administrative Office of the Courts,
Center for Families, Children & the Courts by Greacen Associates,
LLC (2006)).
Dual Status Children:
Protocols to Implement AB 129
AB 129, sponsored by the Judicial Council, is intended to improve the handling of cases in which delinquency and dependency intersect and to help increase access to appropriate resources and services for children in a holistic and timely manner. A related training, Transfer of Knowledge Symposium: Protocols in Juvenile Court for Dual Status Children, was held in June of 2005 to allow county teams to meet and discuss these issues and draft their own protocols.
Some of the available resources follow, but please see the Dual Status Children: Protocols to Implement AB 129 site for more information, including a current list of counties with protocols and a chart comparing the protocols.
A sample of publications
and other information include:
- Assembly
Bill 129 Legislation
- Welfare & Institutions Code §241.1
- Dual-Status Children: Protocols for Implementing Assembly Bill 129 – A Report to the California Legislature
- Intersection Between Juvenile Dependency and Delinquency: Available Research
- Implementation
of Assembly Bill 129, Dual Status Children All
County Information Notice No. I-05-06, California Department of
Social Services
- CDs are available with all conference materials from the Transfer of Knowledge Symposium. To order a copy, please contact CFCC@jud.ca.gov.
California Community
Justice Project*
The mission of the California Community Justice Project is to:
- Enhance awareness
and understanding of community justice principles and practices
- Facilitate information
sharing between existing community justice programs and start-up programs
- Facilitate the development of local practices consistent with community justice principles
Community justice is known by many different names including restorative justice, balanced and restorative justice (BARJ), and restorative community justice. It is an alternative way to look at the criminal justice system. Crime is viewed as an offense against the community, which includes the victim and the offender, rather than against the state. Community justice focuses on repairing the harm to victims, communities, and offenders that occurs when a crime is committed.
A sample of publications
and other information include:
- Balanced
and Restorative Justice: A Manual for California
A catalog of balanced and restorative justice practices and model programs being used in California and around the country intended as a resource for the courts, it encourages judges and community stakeholders to develop collaborative partnerships that can improve outcomes for youth, victims, and communities affected by crime. (NOTE: The manual is approximately 90 pages, so if you would prefer printing only a particular section, please use the Table of Contents to find and print only the area in which you are interested.)
- California
Community Justice Project Brochure
This brochure provides a description of the California Community Justice Project.
- Community
Justice: What's in It for You?
This pamphlet provides a brief description of the benefits community justice programs provide to the various criminal justice stakeholders.
- Restorative
Conferencing: California Community Justice Project
This pamphlet describes Restorative Conferencing and provides examples of practices that utilize restorative principles.
- Victim Offender Reconciliation Programs Report
*Please see the California Community Justice Project site for more information and resources.
Probation
The Probation Services Task Force was created jointly by the Judicial
Council and the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) in June
2000 with the purpose to identify, analyze, and prepare a report of findings
and recommendations for presentation to the Judicial Council, CSAC, the
Governor, and the Legislature. Information on the task force is located
online here.
The task force completed its term on June 30, 2003, but CFCC staff continues to collaborate with CSAC and the Chief Probation Officers of California in an effort to implement the recommendations of the task force. Current projects and services include:
- Creating standardized
delinquency forms
- Conducting research
on probation in California
- Providing technical
assistance on governance
- Education
The first of a series of research projects is the California Probation Services Survey Study, which quantifies the array of juvenile and adult probation services available across counties, including information on how probation services are staffed and funded, and uses the Task Force recommendations to identify gaps in services.
Collaborative Justice
The Collaborative Justice Courts Project and the Center for Families,
Children & the Courts at the AOC work to incorporate and support the
efforts of local jurisdictions to implement or enhance collaborative juvenile
justice court programs. These courts may include peer/youth court, domestic
violence/dating violence and youth violence court, youth mental health
court, juvenile drug court, or programs that incorporate balanced and
restorative justice principles.
For resources and more information, please see the Collaborative Justice Courts site. The Collaborative Justice Courts: Resource Workbook in the Resources section of the Web site includes a juvenile segment.
For more information on these programs, send an e-mail to cfcc@jud.ca.gov.