WELCOME PAGE
”Promoting public safety by holding youth accountable for their behavior and improving the ability of youth to live productively and responsibly in their communities.”
The Leavenworth Board of County Commission is the designated Administrative County of The First Judicial District Juvenile Justice Authority. The Administrative County is responsible for ensuring local compliance with Kansas Juvenile Justice Reform Act provisions.
The First Judicial District serves Atchison and Leavenworth Counties. A telephone directory of current year programs associated with the First Judicial District Juvenile Justice Authority may be found under the “Resource Directory”.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The Kansas Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1997 dramatically changed the way our juvenile justice system operates. K.S.A. Article 70 establishes the Juvenile Justice Authority (JJA) and gives powers and duties to the agency for the care, custody and control of juvenile offenders. More information about JJA may be found at http://jja.state.ks.us.
An important new factor of the reform act empowers communities to develop and direct local programs, services and placements sufficient to address juvenile crime and to appropriately provide programs and services to prevent juvenile crime. (K.S.A. 75-7033(e).
Many agencies and citizens participated in an extensive community planning process that was conducted as a first step in reform. Between 1997 and 1999, Community Planning Teams gathered and examined local information to develop implementation plans.
The Community Planning Process resulted in publication of Comprehensive Strategic Plans, which identify unique local factors regarding youth development. These plans are the foundation upon which local program implementation is based. More information about our local Strategic Plan may be found under the menu: “Current Funding Cycle.”
By 1999, communities were poised to implement their initial Strategic Plans. Administrative Counties were designated, local agreements formed, structures developed, and Juvenile Corrections Advisory Boards were appointed.
Juvenile Corrections Advisory Boards (JCAB) are established to make formal recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners concerning implementation and operation of local Comprehensive Strategic Plans. (K.S.A. 75-7046.) For more information about JD1 Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board, click here. JCAB’s are a crucial component of the effectiveness of the juvenile justice continuum.
Each year, local communities compliant to JJA rules have the opportunity to apply for grants to fund local juvenile justice and prevention programs. Many local stakeholders are involved in the ongoing planning and review process to ensure that resources are applied in the most efficient ways possible.
You are encouraged to explore this site and learn more about the outstanding work being done in our local communities through the juvenile justice reform initiative.THE JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM CONTINUUM
The community goal is to weave an effective continuum of services for youth at different developmental stages and diverse circumstances. Several distinct types of programs are implemented to accomplish this goal: prevention, intervention, and graduated sanctions.
The graduated sanctions, or core programs are those that are required as part of the juvenile justice system. Prevention and intervention services are relatively new additions to the system, which is designed to gradually increase attention to youth demonstrating anti-social or criminal behavior. Simplified, the reform continuum looks like this:
Click on menu items for more information about local continuum programs!
PROGRESS
During each State Fiscal Year many programs are included in JD1 Juvenile Justice Authority contracting. More details about current services may found by clicking those menu tabs.
Juvenile Justice Reform continues to evolve in efficiency and effectiveness. Some recent benchmarks of success are:
- The population of youth sent to Juvenile Correctional Facilities in Kansas dropped to all-time low of only 385 during 2006.
- Adult property crime arrests have shown steady decline in Atchison and Leavenworth 2003 through 2006. This is significant longitudinal data reflecting the positive impact of the resources invested in juvenile justice initiative.
- In Atchison, youth who reported that they thought it was sometimes okay to cheat in school is reduced from 42% in 1999 to 29% in 2006.
- Youth reporting perceived availability of drugs in their communities has shown decline in Leavenworth from 45.1% in 2001 to 34.8% in 2006.
- Although the community risk factor of Transitions and Mobility is uniquely higher in our district than the state, our community protection indicators remain higher. This reflects that positive community resources are helping to counter the potential negative effects of community transience.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
There are many types of programs designed to promote positive youth development and to promote public safety. The success of programs for our youth depends upon dedicated adults willing to get involved. We encourage you to join with other committed citizens in this important social endeavor.
There are several ways you can get involved:
- Volunteer or donate! Most prevention services rely on a solid corp of volunteers to help guide youth in ways such as mentoring, tutoring, life skills training, and community service opportunities. There are many youth service programs working in our communities that would wisely use your donation of time or money.
- Get involved! Apply for a volunteer position with a public advisory board and become active in overseeing public matters. Be sure to check out the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board tab from this Welcome Page.
- Tell a child that you’re proud of them for something positive they’ve done