Directions: a publication of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice [Vol. 9, no. 1 (Winter/Spring 2003)]

Directions

A publication of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice

Volume IX, Issue No. 1

Winter/Spring 2003

COMMISSIONER'S CORNER

Time for Dinner

Stephen Covey, in his book, First Things First, wrote, "Some people have called feedback the breakfast of champions. But it isn't the breakfast, it's the lunch. Vision is the breakfast, self-correction, the dinner." When I first came to the Department of Juvenile Justice, I had a vision of forming a system with programs that met the individualized needs of the youth it served.
I concentrated heavily on the educational and mental health needs of our youth. Providing life competency skills to students became a part of our mission to ensure the economic viability of
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS PUBLIC AFFAIRS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

each youth returning to his own community. The prevailing impetus for the changes that we made was, "the best way to predict a child's future is to create it." Along the way, I often asked for feedback lunch if you will- on how we could create better futures for our children. Many of you felt that we must take steps to focus on the special needs of girls in our system and develop programs that fit those needs. For far too long, on a state and national level, programs that have been designed for boys have been altered minimally and labeled as a girl's program. As I have often stated, you cannot take a boy's program, paint it pink, and then call it a girl's program.
On November 13-15, 2002, in collaboration with the Georgia Women's Legislative Caucus, the Department hosted a conference on girls in the juvenile justice system, Painting It Pink Is Not Enough, the Second Annual Summit on Girls. This conference pulled together experts on at-risk girls from all over the country. Seven workshops with topics ranging from juvenile justice

issues to girls and relationships provided over 250 attendees with relevant information on which to treat girls in the system. I was so pleased to see legislators, juvenile court judges, child advocates, and juvenile justice practitioners all in the same room, for the same cause: creating a brighter future for girls in the state of Georgia.
After all that we were able to learn about girls and providing services to them, we must use that as important feedback to evaluate our current offerings for girls and then turn towards self correction. We can begin to create programs that facilitate positive relationships and laws that meet the needs of girls in the system. It is at this very point, in our pursuit of better service, where we can say to our colleagues who share in our vision, "time for dinner".
Never forget, I listen to serve,
Orlando L. Martinez

COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS
Unsung Heroes Remain on the "Case"
Since 1998, the State of Georgia has been under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Department of Justice which has resulted in several changes in the way the Department of Juvenile Justice conducts its work. One significant change of the MOA is to relieve the excessive over-crowding within the facilities. Finding ways to alleviate overcrowding has fallen into the hands of a few unsung heroes, the case expeditors.
In looking at "best practices" across the country for ways to handle detention center overcrowding, the Department found that creating a position specifically to monitor and advocate for a youth's best placement was the way to go. From this, the job of the Case Expeditor was born. It is the expeditor's job to transfer the appropriately assessed youth out of detention centers and into some alternative program or service better suited to meet the individual needs. Oftentimes, this may not be what the case manager or various court staff want for the juvenile offender, making the position of expeditor that more difficult, yet important.
It is imperative to remember that the RYDCs are intended only as short-term facilities used to house youth between arrest and adjudication or disposition. They were never meant to house all youth offenders regardless of risk-level for extended periods of time. With this in mind, the case expeditor advocates for the release of preadjucated youth.
Under the MOA, case expeditors have had to develop strong ties with all juvenile justice stakeholders in Georgia including independent courts (courts that do not rely on DJJ staff for intake), non-independent courts (courts that do rely on DJJ staff), and shared courts (courts that rely on the county and state both assuming the responsibilities of the court) as well as earning the confidence of each local community.
In determining a youth's most appropriate placement, case expeditors rely on the Detention Assessment Instrument. The DAI allows for consistent detention assessment of all youth in the juvenile justice system and provides the structure for placement in the continuum as well as a management tool for detention operations. It also utilizes the current resources more efficiently by saving limited high-risk facilities for those who really are high-risk offenders.
The DAI is an objective assessment instrument used to determine the youth's threat to public safety and the likelihood of the youth showing up for his/her court date. This number corresponds to a risk-level and helps determine the best placement for a youth. The DAI is used as a guide for all detention decisions made by DJJ staff.
Originally, three case expeditors were hired to address the overcrowding issue and advocate for the release of pre-adjudicated juveniles within the system. Today, there are just 18 expeditors covering 159 counties. The unsung heroes of the DJJ are working hard to eliminate the problems that have led to the overcrowding in the juvenile detention facilities, and to assist the Department in providing alternatives to secure detention.
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PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Sinkfield Honored By Women's Caucus As "Shero"

On November 14,2002, during the Painting It Pink Is Not Enough, Second Annual Summit on Girls, the Georgia Women's Legislative Caucus (GWLC) presented its first annual award related to the conference. The "Shero" Award is to honor the achievements of individuals in either the political arena or the community of Georgia for their activist efforts as it relates to improving the lives of children in our state, particularly girls.

All nominees had to meet the following criteria:
must be clearly identified with the state of Georgia.

Pictured left to right: Representative JoAnn McClinton, Representative Judy Manning, Representative Georganna Sinkfield, Janet Street, CEO, Girls Inc., Representative Brooks Coleman, and The Honorable Zina C. Pierre.

must have made significant contributions to the state.

must be nominated by a member of the Caucus.

Nominations were also judged in three areas: Contributions of notable significance, character, and possessing the caliber of previous induviduals lauded by the Caucus.

The 2002 Shero award recipient was the Honorable Georganna Sinkfield. Representative Sinkfield, who currently serves as the senior woman in the House of Representatives serving for her 11th term, is also the Chairperson of the House Children and Youth Committee. She has had oversight of all state agencies concerned with child service and welfare since former Speaker of the House, Thomas Murphy, created the committee. Legislation affecting the daily lives of children in this state must pass through her committee.

"Representative Sinkfield has shown by her leadership of this Committee that she is dedicated to improving the lives of children in Georgia," stated Representative JoAnn McClinton, former Tri-chair of the GWLC." Former Tri-Chair, Representative Judy Manning concurred, "Her nomination and selection transcended party lines and was the obvious choice for many of us because of her commitment to children."

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Directions
Sonny Perdue Governor
BOARD Susan Foxworth Dunwody
Acting Chair Emmett Bryant, Jr.
Secretary
Steve Adams Violet Bennett John C. Bittick Major General Peter Boylan Mary Linda Duncan
Lois Frank Eleanor C. Main, Ph.D Edwin A. Risler, Ph.D William J. Shellem, Jr. Veronica J. Walters, Ph.D
Major John Wiggins Mary E. Wilhite
ADVISORY BOARD The Honorable Gregory Adams The Honorable Quintress J. Gilbert
Commissioner: Orlando L. Martinez Editor-in-Chief: Jaci Mays Vickers
Managing Editor: Ericka Davis Editor: Camille Y. Murray Staff Writer: Trina Queen Publisher: Printing Partners
Please direct comments or questions to:
Office of Public Affairs Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice
2 Peachtree Street, 5th floor Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Telephone: (404) 657-2470 Facsimile: (404) 657-2423 Online:www.djj.state.ga.us

T he mission of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is to serve the youth and citizens of Georgia by protecting the public, holding youth accountable for their actions, and improving their academic, social, vocational, and behavioral competencies in the most effective manner possible.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Judges Gain Access to JTS
The Department of Juvenile Justice is making great strides towards expanding the usage of the Juvenile Tracking System(JTS). For the first time, juvenile court judges have been given limited access to JTS. The expansion is considered to be a major accomplishment and a breakthrough for the Department of Juvenile Justice.
While extending access to JTS to judges, the agency will honor its commitment to protecting the confidentiality of the youth served by requiring that judges complete a confidentiality agreement, as well as a DJJ network access form. Also, judges will be trained on how to access and utilize the revised system. Once all requirements are fulfilled and the training is completed, access to the JTS will be granted.
The agency believes that the access gained by the judges will show positive results to the challenges facing the agency, such as overcrowding, data taking, and location. JTS allows access to detainee information immediately. Judges will have access to juvenile demographics, placement history, legal information, Detention Assessment Instrument (DAI) scores, and the population at RYDCs specific to his/her area at their fingertips. Although judges will be provided with this information, access will be limited to the specific areas that the Judges serve so that confidentiality is maintained. Staff receiving access will be limited to the judge's secretary, calendar clerks, and intake workers who make recommendations on holds and releases.
For a more detailed look at JTS, please refer to the Fall/Winter 2001 Issue of the Directions agency newsletter.

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