Kansas' grassroots juvenile justice reform.

"Ad Astra per Aspera," the state motto of Kansas, is Latin for "To the Stars Through Difficulties" and exemplifies the pioneer spirit of state corrections professionals undertaking the task of creating a new juvenile justice system. Juvenile justice reform, spearheaded by Gov. Bill Graves and the state Legislature, recently gave birth to a new state agency in 1997 called the Juvenile Justice Authority (JJA). The agency is comprised of four juvenile correctional facilities, 31 central office staff and a number of contracted staff. Led by Commissioner Albert Murray, the agency has a $63.6 million budget and responsibility for some 2,500 juvenile offenders.

History of Reform

Prior to 1997, juvenile offender services were offered by the Department of Corrections (intensive juvenile supervision), the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (juvenile correctional facilities, out-of-home placements and other community-based services), Court Services (intake and assessment, probation and restitution) and the Department of Health and Environment (licensing of juvenile detention centers).

In 1995, due to concern over an increase in violent juvenile crimes at both the state and national levels, the Legislature created the Kansas Youth Authority (KYA) and the separate JJA. The seven-member KYA, appointed by the governor, was charged with developing policies relating to the scope and functions of the new JJA.

The youth authority's recommendations gave rise to a mission statement to govern the reform efforts, and called for specific legislation in the areas of delinquency prevention; the organization, powers, duties and functions of JJA; juvenile justice system nomenclature; juvenile intake and assessment; juvenile information systems, including court records and judicial proceedings; parental responsibility; and juvenile offender placement options. These recommendations were included in the Juvenile Justice Reform Act introduced as House Bill 2900 during the 1996 legislative session.

A year later, House Substitute Senate Bill 69 passed, creating further changes in Kansas law governing juvenile offenders. The bill also enumerated initiatives, such as community planning, that were to be the responsibility of the new agency. Today, KYA serves as the advisory group to JJA.

The New System

Based on the philosophy of separating chronic, serious and violent juvenile offenders from nonviolent offenders, the state's four juvenile correctional facilities will be reserved for the more serious offenders. To balance the system, a range of graduated sanctions will be created at the community level to serve first-time or nonviolent offenders. Believing that the greatest changes could be made in a prevention-focused system, the mission of JJA was outlined in statute:

1. to improve public safety;

2. to encourage accountability on the part of juveniles and their families; and

3. to help juveniles live more productively and responsibly in the community.

Community Planning

Kansas is seeking local solutions to local problems through its community planning initiative. Community planning is a grassroots team effort involving representatives from 21 different entities, ranging from mental health providers to the business community and public schools. Local citizens who work with or care about youth have formed 29 community planning teams across the state. These teams have been collecting and analyzing data about their communities according to an adapted version of the Communities That Care planning process.

The Communities That Care model, founded by David Hawkins and Richard Catalano of the University of Washington at Seattle, helps communities create strategies for prevention of adolescent problem behaviors. Communities identify risk factors within schools, communities, families and individuals that contribute to juvenile crime and "protective factors" - "good things" that keep juveniles on a path toward productive growth. The National Council on Crime and Delinquency teamed with Developmental Research and Programs, an affiliate of the University of Washington, to train Kansas teams to build graduated sanctions, and prevention and early intervention programs.

Local planning teams created data-based plans that include suggestions and cost projections for recommended programs. Communities have been asked to develop plans based on needs, not available funding, in an effort to move away from the common practice of creating services driven by the type of funding available.

Benefits of Kansas' community planning process include:

* Creating a system according to community norms and values: Because community planning teams are comprised of local citizens, they can create community sanctions, intervention and prevention services according to their own norms.

* Creating data-driven plans: Community planning teams are using youth attitude surveys, archival data, such as arrest, conviction statistics and other information about their community, to base their recommendations upon actual data.

* Community ownership of the plan: Because plans are locally created with diverse representation on the team, there is broad ownership of each plan.

Challenges include:

* Patience and time to allow the planning process to work: Community planning began in November 1997 and continued through November 1998. Legislators and those within the juvenile justice system have been asked to be patient throughout the process so that teams will have enough time to complete their work. The time frame, outlined in legislation, is considered by some team members to be tight, while others in the Legislature find it slow.

* Cultural shift for local government to accept a community-based system as opposed to a state-operated system: As responsibility for community plans and community-based services are passed to the local level, local entities such as community corrections and mental health agencies contract with JJA to provide services to juvenile offenders in the community. This is a fundamental shift from the previous system, in which state workers made case management decisions regarding juvenile offenders in communities.

* History of a lack of community-based services: As in many states, there is a shortage of community-based services. Plans have been made to expand capacity across the state, especially for out-of-home placements, sex offender treatment programs and substance abuse treatment centers.

The development of the new juvenile justice system is in a planning period until July 1, 1999, when other changes in statute will change the way juvenile offenders are sentenced, with a new sentencing grid outlining minimum, maximum and aftercare terms for specific crimes. The legislation that created these changes - including new changes in open records and open hearings of juvenile cases - is considered to be one of the most sweeping, far-reaching initiatives in juvenile justice nationally. The challenges are many, but the opportunities to improve the system and the lives of young people are unlimited.

Denise Casamento Musser is the public information officer for the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.