Transforming Youth Justice Is underway
In September the Transform Youth Justice Program (TYJP) kicked off its eighth cohort. Over the past couple of months, 18 professionals have been participating in discussions and listening to presentations from content experts. Participants come from police departments, in New Haven, Waterbury, and West Hartford, the Court Support Services Division, the Department of Correction, Community Partners in Action, ACES REGIONS, Carelon Behavioral Health, YALE-Regions, Youth Advocate Programs, Office of Policy and Management, and Division of Public Defender Services. During the 9-month program, participants have the opportunity to expand their knowledge of juvenile justice policies and practices, allowing them to go back to their agencies and become agents of change.
The cohort members started off hearing presentations from TYJI’s Bill Carbone and Erika Nowakowski on past and current juvenile justice in Connecticut. Kris Wraight and Latoya Fernandez presented on Restorative Justice practices. Members had the chance to participate in restorative circles and discuss how restorative practices can fit into their work. In December, Dr. Melissa Whitson, a professor at the University of New Haven, presented on adolescent development and trauma. Participants learned about the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) on youth. The participants heard a presentation on the Office of Victim Services (OVS) from Alexandra Gittines. She shared how victims are involved in the juvenile justice system and the services they can access through OVS. Over the next couple of months, participants will get to hear from more content experts on topics like LGBTQ+ youth in the system, the School-Based Diversion Initiative, Funding, and Results-based Accountability.
In December, cohort members began working on their capstone projects. These projects allow participants to explore different juvenile justice issues they’re interested in, create an initiative that works to solve the issue, and then hopefully implement the initiative after completion. Their projects target evidence-based programs and practices, to improve outcomes for the youth they work with. The projects help them to take what they’ve learned in the program back to their organizations and communities. They will present their projects in May, and at graduation in June during “Cap-tail” hour.