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Position Paper

Juvenile Justice

According to a study by the Vera Institute of Justice, the majority of adolescents entering Administration for Children’s Services care through the juvenile justice system were already in ACS care at the time of their arrests.

We know that children in the foster care system are more likely to enter the juvenile justice system than children in the general population. In a group home study it was found that 27 of the 28 teenagers had been arrested at least once, and that almost half, 13, had been arrested as a result of an incident in placement under the Administration for Children’s Services. Over an 11 month period, one facility had called the police almost 40 times.
Source: Adolescent Pathways, Exploring the Intersections Between Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, PINS, and Mental Health

In New York City, children in foster care represent 15% of youth in detention, though only 2% of youth overall.
Source: M.L. Armsrong. “Adolescent Pathways: Exploring the Intersections Between Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, PINS, and Mental health.” Vera Institute of Justice. May 1998

22% of youth arrested on delinquency cases in NYC have open child welfare cases.
65% of girls in OCFS custody had been involved in the child welfare system at age 12 years or older.
Source: NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Childhood, April 2008

46% of boys in OCFS custody had been involved in the child welfare system at age 12 years or older.
Source NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Adulthood, April 2008

42% of girls released from OCFS custody become perpetrators of child abuse or neglect by the time they reach age 28.
Source: NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Adulthood, April 2008.

Black youth (2,463) accounted for 56.9% of admissions and Latino youth (1,191) accounted for 27.5% of admissions; the 189 White youth admitted account for 4.4% of juvenile admissions. When other categories are factored in (1.8% classified as “Other” and 9.4% classified as “Unknown”), non-white youth accounted to 95.6% of youth admitted to DJJ custody in 2005.
Source: New York City Department of Juvenile Justice 2005, reported in the New York State 2006-2008 Three Year Comprehensive State Plan for the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Formula Grant Program p. 78

“OCFS has not systematically compiled data on the number of youth in its juvenile facilities who have had previous contact with the child welfare system. However, a pilot survey conducted at one girl’s facility found that 100% of the girls had previous experience with the child welfare system”.
Source: Conversation with OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion, December 8 2007.

“The cost of locking up children is far more than the cost of educating them. The average annual detention cost for one youth in a New York City secure detention center in FY2008 was $214,620. The average annual cost per pupil in New York City public high school is $11,844. Data from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) shows that youth of color account for 86% of youth in state custody statewide. However the disparities are even more striking when one considers the placement of New York City youth in OCFS custody. A sample of New York City youth placed in OCFS custody during the first three months 2007 shows that 71.6% were African-American, 24.5% were Latino, 2.4% were white youth, and 1.6% were other. According to this data, children of color accounted for 97.6% of total admits from New York City. Alternatives to incarceration also cost much less than placement in OCFS. “
Source : Mishi Faruqee, Director of Youth Justice Programs, Children’s Defense Fund, NYC

The Family Preservation Collective/CCFP Recommendations

The Criminal Justice System and the Child Welfare System must begin to remedy the traumatic impact of placing children in the child welfare system.
Youth in foster care are far more likely to enter the criminal/juvenile justice system. The federal government must support innovative community projects including mentoring for youth in foster care to prevent incarceration. The services must include drug and alcohol treatment facilities for parents and youth that allow them to live together during treatment. Youth must have equal access to college preparatory courses and scholarships in high school, as well as programs that train and facilitate access to coveted higher paying blue-collar fields.
The federal government and state must support and fund programs which are designed to integrate family, school and community efforts.
Training for teachers should include cultural and sensitivity courses which are designed to de-stigmatize youth in foster care and those who have entered the juvenile justice system.

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	Position Paper Juvenile Justice According to a study by the Vera Institute of Justice, the majority of adolescents entering Administration for Children’s Services care through the juvenile justice system were already in ACS care at the time of their arrests. We know that children in the foster care system are more likely to enter the juvenile justice system than children in the general population. In a group home study it was found that 27 of the 28 teenagers had been arrested at least once, and that almost half, 13, had been arrested as a result of an incident in placement under the Administration for Children’s Services. Over an 11 month period, one facility had called the police almost 40 times. Source: Adolescent Pathways, Exploring the Intersections Between Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, PINS, and Mental Health In New York City, children in foster care represent 15% of youth in detention, though only 2% of youth overall. Source: M.L. Armsrong. “Adolescent Pathways: Exploring the Intersections Between Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice, PINS, and Mental health.” Vera Institute of Justice. May 1998 22% of youth arrested on delinquency cases in NYC have open child welfare cases. 65% of girls in OCFS custody had been involved in the child welfare system at age 12 years or older. Source: NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Childhood, April 2008 46% of boys in OCFS custody had been involved in the child welfare system at age 12 years or older. Source NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Adulthood, April 2008 42% of girls released from OCFS custody become perpetrators of child abuse or neglect by the time they reach age 28. Source: NY State Office of Children and Family Services, Long-Term Consequences of Delinquency: Child Maltreatment and Crime in Early Adulthood, April 2008. Black youth (2,463) accounted for 56.9% of admissions and Latino youth (1,191) accounted for 27.5% of admissions; the 189 White youth admitted account for 4.4% of juvenile admissions. When other categories are factored in (1.8% classified as “Other” and 9.4% classified as “Unknown”), non-white youth accounted to 95.6% of youth admitted to DJJ custody in 2005. Source: New York City Department of Juvenile Justice 2005, reported in the New York State 2006-2008 Three Year Comprehensive State Plan for the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Formula Grant Program p. 78 “OCFS has not systematically compiled data on the number of youth in its juvenile facilities who have had previous contact with the child welfare system. However, a pilot survey conducted at one girl’s facility found that 100% of the girls had previous experience with the child welfare system”. Source: Conversation with OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion, December 8 2007. “The cost of locking up children is far more than the cost of educating them. The average annual detention cost for one youth in a New York City secure detention center in FY2008 was $214,620. The average annual cost per pupil in New York City public high school is $11,844. Data from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) shows that youth of color account for 86% of youth in state custody statewide. However the disparities are even more striking when one considers the placement of New York City youth in OCFS custody. A sample of New York City youth placed in OCFS custody during the first three months 2007 shows that 71.6% were African-American, 24.5% were Latino, 2.4% were white youth, and 1.6% were other. According to this data, children of color accounted for 97.6% of total admits from New York City. Alternatives to incarceration also cost much less than placement in OCFS. “ Source : Mishi Faruqee, Director of Youth Justice Programs, Children’s Defense Fund, NYC The Family Preservation Collective/CCFP Recommendations The Criminal Justice System and the Child Welfare System must begin to remedy the traumatic impact of placing children in the child welfare system. Youth in foster care are far more likely to enter the criminal/juvenile justice system. The federal government must support innovative community projects including mentoring for youth in foster care to prevent incarceration. The services must include drug and alcohol treatment facilities for parents and youth that allow them to live together during treatment. Youth must have equal access to college preparatory courses and scholarships in high school, as well as programs that train and facilitate access to coveted higher paying blue-collar fields. The federal government and state must support and fund programs which are designed to integrate family, school and community efforts. Training for teachers should include cultural and sensitivity courses which are designed to de-stigmatize youth in foster care and those who have entered the juvenile justice system.
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