JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM-RELATED
TERMS
AGE OF JUVENILE JURISDICTION: The ages at which a youth is included in the
juvenile justice system. Currently,
children under the age of 16 are under jurisdiction of the juvenile court. As
of January 1, 2010, 16 and 17 year-olds will be transferred from adult to
juvenile jurisdiction.
COMMITMENT: Placement of a child in the custody (for
delinquent* and FWSN* children) or guardianship (for neglected, dependent, or
uncared for children) of the DCF* by an order of the court.
DELINQUENCY REFERRAL: A complaint
received in Juvenile Court alleging that a child has violated any federal or
state law, or municipal or local ordinance, other than an ordinance regulating
behavior of a child related to FWSN*, or any order of the Superior Court or
condition of probation ordered by the court.
ERASURE: A procedure in both
FWSN* and delinquency referrals*, whereby a juvenile can get the complaint
removed from his record if the court fails to get an admission of
responsibility from the juvenile, or fails to get an adjudication or
conviction.
DISPOSITION:
The juvenile justice system’s version of a court sentence (a judge decides
the disposition at a special hearing).
DIVERSION:
An action that keeps a child or youth from entering the court system. Police officers may decide not to arrest a
juvenile for an offense, and instead the youth is referred to JRBs*, YSBs* or
JPOs* in order to assess the youth’s needs and provide appropriate services. Diverted
cases are usually handled informally (non-judicially), though a JPO* may
recommend judicial handling based on his/her assessment of the offense and
youth’s past history.
FWSN: Families with Service Needs
– families with a child under the age of 16 who has committed a “status
offense*,” e.g., behaviors that are only “illegal” due to the age of the youth
(e.g., running away from home without just cause, being beyond the control of
parents or guardians, engaging in “immoral or indecent conduct”, truancy* from
school or continuously defiant of school regulations, or 13-15 years old and engaging
in sexual intercourse with a person within 2 years of his/her age).
JAG: Juvenile Assessment Generic
– A risk/needs assessment instrument that identifies and addresses an
offender's "criminogenic needs," measures an offender's
"protective factors," and arrives at an overall score that assesses
the offender's likelihood of recidivating*.
JLWOP: Juvenile Life Without
Parole – the sentencing of juveniles to a term of their life with no chance of
parole. In 42 states in the U.S., including Connecticut, a youth under the age of 18 can be sentenced to life without
parole.
JPO: Juvenile Probation Officer –
a professional CSSD employee whose duties include preparing studies for the
court and supervising juveniles under the court's jurisdiction.
MEDIATION: A process in
which people in a conflict situation meet with a trained impartial person – a
mediator. The mediator helps both sides listen to each other and, without
deciding who is right or wrong, assists the participants in reaching their own
agreement.
NON-JUDICIAL SUPERVISION: A disposition that, with the agreement
of all parties, allows the assigned JPO* (rather than a judge) to supervise the
juvenile (outside of the court process) for a period up to 180 days.
PROBATION:
The disposition in a delinquency* case where a juvenile is convicted and
placed under the supervision of a JPO* for a specific period of time and
subject to specific conditions, as determined by the assigned JPO*.
PROSECUTOR: Also called the
State’s Attorney, an attorney representing the state’s interests who charges
the child and tries the child’s case in court, opposite the child’s attorney.
RECIDIVATING / RECIDIVISM:
Repeated relapsing into criminal or delinquent behavior.
SJO: Serious Juvenile Offenses –
a violation of any one of several specific grievous criminal actions by a
child.
STATUS
OFFENSE: An offense that would not be a crime if committed by an adult
(e.g., truancy*, running away from home, being out of control of parents, defying
school rules). In Connecticut, youth who commit status offenses are defined as a FWSN* or
YIC*.
TRUANT:
A child or youth with four unexcused absences from school in one month or
10 in a school year.
YIC: Youth in Crisis – any person
16 or 17 years of age who, within the last two years,
YOUTHFUL OFFENDER: Youths who
have not committed a Class A felony or a delineated sex offense and have not
previously been convicted of a felony or found to be a SJO*. The prosecutor can
transfer youthful offenders to the regular criminal docket if they are charged
with a felony.
JJ ACTS AND PROGRAMS
CJTS: Connecticut Juvenile Training School – Secure residential facility for adjudicated delinquent boys, opened
August 28, 2001 following closure of Long Lane School. CJTS
has been a highly controversial and debated $57 million dollar facility,
currently undergoing major reform. Please see the Alliance website
(www.ctjja.org) for a detailed report on CJTS history and reform effort.
DMC: Disproportionate Minority
Contact – DMC occurs when the number of minority youth in the juvenile justice
system is higher than what would be expected based on their percentage of the
population. (If African American youth
make up 12% of the youth population, they should make up approximately 12% of
the population in the juvenile justice system).
FFT: Functional Family
Therapy – a short term (8 to 12 one hour sessions over three months),
family-based prevention and intervention program for high risk youth ages 11 to
18.
JJDPA: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Act – First enacted in1974, it provides the major source of federal funding to
improve states' juvenile justice systems. The JJDPA was developed with a broad
consensus that children should not have contact with adults in jails and other
institutional settings and that status offenders* should not be placed in
secure detention. In order to receive federal funds, states are required to
maintain these core protections for children and youth.
JJPIC: Juvenile Jurisdiction Planning and
Implementation Council – Created by the legislature in 2006, this committee was
responsible for determining what would be required of the juvenile justice and
other systems to raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to 18. The Committee submitted its final report in
February 2007.
JJPOCC: Juvenile Jurisdiction Policy and Oversight
Coordinating Council – Created by the legislature in 2007, the committee is
responsible for planning for and overseeing the implementation of policies and
practices related to the change in the age of jurisdiction as of January 1,
2010.
JRB: Juvenile Review Board –
Diversionary* and prevention programs designed to help local police departments
deal with the least serious juvenile offenders and keep them out of the
juvenile justice system. JRBs are usually composed of representatives of local
youth service agencies, police departments, and the juvenile court, and are
tailored to meet the needs of the specific community.
MST: Multisystemic Therapy – a research-validated,
community-based treatment for youth ages 12 to 17 with serious behavior
disorders who are at high risk for out-of-home placement. MST therapists are
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and focus on the youth, family, school,
peers and community supports in treating the juvenile over an average four-month
period (approximately 60 hours of face-to-face contact).
YSB: Youth Service Bureau – mandated by Connecticut
General Statue section 10-19m, a YSB is an agency operated directly by one or
more municipalities and is designed for planning, evaluation, coordination, and
implementation of a network of resources and opportunities for children, youth,
and their families. Many YSBs in Connecticut
also operate JRBs*.
JJ AGENCY ACRONYMS
C4YJ: Campaign for Youth
Justice – a national campaign dedicated to ending the practice of trying,
sentencing, and incarcerating children under the age of 18 in the adult
criminal justice system.
CSSD: Connecticut Court Support Services Division of the
Connecticut Judicial Branch – CSSD is responsible for the juvenile justice
system up to the point when a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent. CSSD runs juvenile probation, juvenile
detention and many contracted services and programs.
DCF: Department of Children and Families – State agency
responsible for the welfare of children in Connecticut.
Its biggest responsibility is protective services for abused or neglected
children. DCF is responsible for youth in the juvenile justice system once they
have been adjudicated delinquent. It
runs CJTS* and other residential programs as well as juvenile parole and
re-entry programming.
DCF/FWSN LIAISON: A professional DCF*
employee assigned to a juvenile court location to assist the court and
probation* department in the handling of certain FWSN* cases.
DOC: Department of Correction – State agency responsible
for 18 adult jails and prisons in Connecticut,
including the Manson Youth Institution for 14 to 21 year olds and the York
Correctional Institution for women and (girls tried as adults). It is also
responsible for paroled adults.
DSS: Department of Social Services – State agency responsible
for Medicaid and HUSKY, which provides health insurance for uninsured children
and youth under the age of 19, among others.
JJAC: Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee – Established
in accordance with the JJDPA of 1974, it consists of a Governor-appointed
committee of volunteers charged with advising the Governor and the OPM*
who oversee of federal juvenile justice funding to Connecticut
in order to prevent delinquency and improve Connecticut's
juvenile justice system. The JJAC funds and initiates programs that provide
young people with positive role models and opportunities to participate in
recreational, cultural, and skill-development activities.
OJJDP: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention – division within the U.S. Department of Justice that collects data,
funds and publishes research and provides grants and technical support services
in the fields of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention. This agency oversees the implementation of the
JJDPA*.
OPM: Office of Policy and Management – Connecticut’s
budget office that distributes state and federal grants around the state. The
OPM serves as a staff agency reporting directly to the Governor, providing the
information and analysis required to formulate public policy for the state, and
assisting state agencies and municipalities in implementing policy decisions on
the Governor's behalf.
*Definition exists in glossary
