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Positive Youth Justice Initiative Background

Through the Positive Youth Justice Initiative, we're establishing a vanguard of county juvenile justice systems and leaders from across the state to foster a major shift in practice and policy by addressing the disconnections that have negative long-term effects for this vulnerable population. To ensure the initiative has as broad an impact as possible, we included design elements that have the potential to benefit all young people who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.

Initiative Design Elements

The initiative combines youth development principles with an innovative behavioral health approach known as trauma-informed care and delivers both approaches using a service model known as wraparound. A fourth design element addresses juvenile justice system policy and operational practice to strengthen local infrastructure and sustain the improvements.

Eligibility

The following California counties were eligible to participate in the Positive Youth Justice Initiative. See map.

Eligibility was based on the following criteria:

• Demographic and Geographic Diversity
  Poverty level, population size, location in state
• Leadership
  Political will, probation leadership
• Data-driven Analysis
  Rate of Division of Juvenile Facilities use, rate of charging youth as adults, juvenile crime/arrest/incarceration rates
• Embracing Reform
  Current REACH Youth Program involvement, The California Endowment Building Healthy Communities site, Juvenile Detentions Alternatives Initiative site, receiving SB 81 grant
• Mental Health Infrastructure/Capacity
  Integrated service delivery model