planning process. With representatives from around the state, the first YJPAC cohort consists of young adults ages 18 25 with a lived justice system and/or runaway homeless youth experience. Rolling applications began in March 2022 and eight young people have been selected to participate so far. A virtual launch of the Council took place in June 2022 and an in person onboarding of YJPAC members will be held in Albany on July 21 24, 2022. The YJPAC's mission is to empower young adults with lived experience to become key advisors on youth justice policy and practice development in New York State
YJPAC members and YJI staff visit the NYS Capitol during the Council's kick off event in Albany, in Summer 2022.
NYS YOUTH JUSTICE PEER ADVISORY COUNCIL
Centering youth voice and experience, and fostering their professional development
JULY 1, 2022 - JUNE 30, 2023 ONGOING & PLANNED
At the request of OCFS, over the past year the NYS Youth Justice Institute (YJI) has developed a foundational concept and structure for an inaugural NYS Youth Justice Peer Advisory Council (YJPAC). A Youth Specialist, funded by OCFS, was hired in December 2021 to complete this
ACTIVITIES
YJI SCHOLARS
LUNCH & LEARN WEBINAR SERIES
and garnering many more asynchronous viewings in Facebook and other social media channels Lunch & Learn webinars have covered diverse themes, such as restorative justice practices, the role of familial supervision in the context of juvenile probation, and system reforms for emerging adults. The audience for this series includes a mixture of academics, youth justice practitioners and educators from across the globe, as well as local, state, and federal employees. Surveys on participants’ experiences are overwhelmingly positive, and a second annual report on the series is available for DCJS, OCFS, University leadership, and JJJAG members.
stakeholders and are actively involved in research projects, from planning todiverse output and dissemination. They also offer ideas for the future of youth justice and current issues of interest
experiences of girls (including those who identify as femmes, non binary, and gender nonconforming) in New York’s criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems, as well as factors contributing the participants’ healing and resiliency. The project, led by Dr. Sarah Mountz and Dr. LeConte Dill, has recently received IRB approval and the next steps are underway.
ONGOING & PLANNED ACTIVITIES
March 2022 marked the second anniversary of the YJI’s “Lunch & Learn,” a webinar series featuring cutting edge research experts whose work can benefit youth justice practitioners. As of May 2022, the YJI had hosted 22 webinars with over 5,000 registrations across all sessions
Training, Technical Assistance & Research Efforts
and are required to complete a discussion based, peer supported youth justice curriculum offered throughout the academic semester As long as capacity exists, we plan to continue this program each academic Iterm. n Summer 2021, the YJI partnered with faculty from the University at Albany and Michigan State University to initiate a participatory action research project on the self described needs and experiences of BIPOC girls across New York State. The study is designed to deepen the understanding of the
Students working at the Institute referred to as YJI Scholars are undergraduate and graduate students from several departments at the University at Albany. Since Fall 2019, over 30 students have taken part in our Scholars Program. YJI Scholars participate in high level meetings with
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH - BIPOC GIRLS
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The YJI is conducting a process evaluation of Berkshire Farm’s Stepping Stones program. The scope of the evaluation includes data from 2018 in three counties including Saratoga, Washington, and Erie. Primary (e.g., survey, interview, focus group) and secondary (e.g., case files, program
youth justice system. The first iteration of the PEA was developed to target disparity at the adjustment (diversion) system point in New York State and the initial cohort of teams is from the following counties: Albany, Monroe, Onondaga, Schenectady, and Westchester. To support this training, the YJI developed a dedicated learning management system, which houses curriculum resources that can be accessed virtually by the Academy participants. Upon completion of the coursework teams will receive a YJI Certificate, up to 18 months of technical assistance, and up to $50,000 each to implement their reform plans. The training portion of the PEA was completed in February 2022.
Since March 2022, the Center for Children’s Law and Policy and YJI have been conducting technical assistance meetings with each team on a semi monthly basis. The goals of these meetings are to support the teams as they implement the R.E.D. reduction work plans developed as part of the initial training course. The PEA results from a partnership between the NYS Office of Youth Justice, the NYS Youth Justice Institute, and the Center for Children's Law and Policy.
a survey, which will be followed by focus groups, and on the ground observation work by a post doctoral or research associate who will be embedded with providers for a period of time beginning in late 2022.
in Summer 2021, the YJI and OCFS began work to identify needs and gaps in the abilities of New York’s localities to collect, access, analyze, and use juvenile justice data in their decision making process. YJI is currently implementing a 3 phase process to gather information from the counties on their needs and assets in this area:
records) data on youth and families in the program will be collected. So far, the Institute’s staff have scanned and redacted all relevant data and IRB approval for the evaluation was granted in Summer 2022.
The PEA was launched on June 30, 2021, and represents a new training, technical assistance, and skill building opportunity for youth justice professionals throughout New York State. It is designed to support local teams in their efforts to implement policies and reforms that target areas of racial and ethnic disparity in the
NYS POLICY EQUITY ACADEMY
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STEPPING STONES EVALUATION
LOCAL DATA NEEDS ASSESSMENT PROJECT
ONGOING PLANNED ACTIVITIES
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Since August 2021, the YJI has been collaborating with OYJ staff on planning and development of a statewide mentoring dashboard. The dashboard will serve as a search and information program for families, service providers, and justice stakeholders seeking mentoring services for youth.
CENTERING EQUITY IN RESEARCH
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various youth justice stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who directly serve youth. YJI researchers continually maintain/update the resources contained in the dashboard
recognized scholars who focus on centering racial equity in research planning and implementation Provided funding is available and there is approval by the Institute’s Executive Committee, in December 2022 the Institute plans on a new iteration of this training to explore the practical constraints related to collection of race and ethnicity data at different points of the system.
CLEARINGHOUSE: EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMS AND PRACTICES
In 2022, the YJI launched an interactive tool to support practitioners across the nation identify evidence based youth justice and family focused programs and practices. The Evidence Based Programs and Practices in Youth Justice clearinghouse was created with the continued support and input of
ONGOING PLANNED ACTIVITIES
MENTORING DASHBOARD
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As a result of a Technical Assistance request from the NYS Partnership for Youth Justice, the YJI is creating a brief annotated bibliography of research articles and practitioner based resources pertaining to physical medical issues causing behavioral problems/delinquent behavior in youth. This project will be finalized by Fall 2022.
In April 2022, the YJI hosted a workshop for selected researchers from NY State agencies and academia to deepen their abilities to build in a racial equity lens at all stages of their research from design to data collection and analysis. That training was delivered by two nationally
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LITERATURE REVIEW: PHYSICAL HEALTH ISSUES AFFECTING YOUTH BEHAVIOR
WEB CONTENT & MICROSITES
The YJI’s website is a dynamic source of information, which is routinely updated The website also includes several microsites, including one focused on Racial Justice resources, and another, to be launched in Summer 2022, which focuses on Gender issues related to youth.
The Institute routinely produces issue briefs on select topics. This year we are developing an issue brief on issues impacting Latinx youth We plan to launch it in September to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month.
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As part of its OCFS MOU, the YJI has been developing a reflective brief on the implementation processes and successes of the Safe Harbour Law. These efforts have included developing a brief outline, interviewing Safe Harbour implementation stakeholders in four counties, conducting relevant
SAFE HARBOUR
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research on the implementation history and context, and writing an initial draft of the brief. Moving forward the YJI will produce a final draft, contract with a graphic designer and marketing consultant, and develop a release/public education strategy.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PORTAL
In November 2021, the YJI launched a Technical Assistance Request Portal Via this portal, stakeholders can request specific assistance and describe their needs, timeframes, point of contact, and other relevant information. The portal is accessible on the main page of the YJI’s website and requests are routinely reviewed by the Associate for Technical Assistance and Training.
Information Hub & Dissemination
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ONGOING PLANNED ACTIVITIES
LATINX YOUTH - ISSUE BRIEF
based information to this growing audience. Several of its issues include research briefs prepared by YJI Scholars on diverse youth justice topics.
Matters and the Midwest Center for School Transformation. The resulting conversation focused on the COVID 19 pandemic and its impact on the “school to prison pipeline.” The episode also discusses the role of school based restorative justice programs
SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
presence and brand of the YJI in the state and beyond. We plan to continue investing in this strategy throughout 2022, an initiative that is supported by the efforts of our Scholars.
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PODCAST - LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUTH JUSTICE
The Institute routinely publishes a newsletter, “On the Same Page.” The Institute’s listserv accounts for over 2,600 subscribers, and on average about 30% of our readers engage with the contents of the newsletter each month. The YJI newsletters feature relevant research, news, and evidence
NEWS COVERAGE OF YOUTH JUSTICE ISSUES
& PLANNED
The YJI has a robust presence on social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Each week, the YJI publishes “Did you know?” posts on all social media platforms, as well as other relevant information. The number of followers on each of these platforms continues to grow and amplifies the
identification of trends in media coverage and exploration of other research questions. YJI graduate students will present preliminary findings of this project at the American Society of Criminology in Atlanta, in November 2022
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Over the last 3 years, YJI Scholars have created a database of youth justice news articles from all over the world. Each article is coded by theme and displayed in an interactive, publicly available dashboard that has been accessed over 1,000 times Next steps for this project include data analysis,
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
ON THE SAME PAGE - MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS
Each year, YJI Scholars plan and produce a podcast episode for our series, 'Let's talk about youth justice'. Launched in July 2022, this year ' s episode focuses on the School to Prison Pipeline and Restorative Justice. In this episode, Scholars interviewed staff and leadership from Mediation
SNUG EVALUABILITY ASSESSMENT
Research orged a rom the nduct an f SNUG The ureau, includes h workers in 12 d during
YJI Scholars have been working on an interactive dashboard prototype to be shared with SNUG and DCJS leadership in Fall 2022. The prototype displays gun violence metrics by locality, as well as SNUG staff related data.
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YJI staff routinely participates in and provides technic increased capac committees and the Partnership f several of its sub Additionally, the Associate for Te
COMMITTEES & LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL PRESENCE
ONGOING & PLANNED ACTIVITIES
routinely identify and engage with relevant national and local stakeholders to introduce them to the work of the Institute and look for collaborative opportunities. Finally, YJI staff have presented their work at the National Conference on Juvenile Justice in March 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA, have attended the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 85th annual conference in July 2022 in Reno, NV, and will present their work at the American Society of Criminology’s annual meeting taking place in Atlanta, in November 2022.
Violence Prevention: Collaborative Efforts
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SNUG - DASHBOARD PROTOTYPE
Visit our website
The YJI plans on documenting the implementation process of DCJS' RISE project, including relevant decision making and funding processes, and assist in assessing the project’s impact throughout its duration. To do so, in collaboration with the agency ’ s Office of Justice Research and Performance (OJRP) and the Office of Youth Justice, and with input from the Steering Committees in each jurisdiction, staff at the Institute will develop new and assess the use of existing metrics (qualitative and quantitative, as relevant) regarding the project’s impacts on the jurisdictions selected.
Similar to the creation process for the NYS Policy Equity Academy, the YJI is collaborating with DCJS' OYJ to develop a YJI certificate course for violence prevention outreach workers in NYS. SNUG outreach workers will comprise the initial cohort of students, with subsequent iterations opened to
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other outreach workers and those interested in learning about outreach work. The certificate course will launch in 2023.
DCJS' PROJECT RISE - EVALUATION
ONGOING & PLANNED ACTIVITIES
OUTREACH WORKERS: PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE
Wherever feasible and working collaboratively with a sample of grantees and subgrantees, the Institute will propose tangible recommendations on how grantees and subgrantees can collect relevant, holistic information that will improve their ability to compete for future private, state, and federal grant opportunities.
SCAN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK OR TO CONTACT US FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR:
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