Developmental Justice

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Darleen Claire Wodzenski, Orchard Human Services, Inc.Follow

First Presenter's Institution

Orchard Human Services,, Inc.

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

N/A

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Strand #1

Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

The presentation supports a developmental perspective of Juvenile Justice that explains strategies and orientations that promote 1) Social and Emotional Skills and 2) Mental and Physical Health. By identifying and meeting the developmental status and needs of youth who have contact with the Juvenile Justice System, professionals will be able to propel youth forward along their personal developmental pathway in the direction of efficacy and life satisfaction. In doing so, youth can be diverted from Juvenile Justice involvement or transitioned out of Juvenile Justice placement.

Brief Program Description

Explore specific factors contribute to the overwhelming and downward spiraling phenomenon of youth involvement with the Juvenile Justice system. Identify Juvenile Justice crossover, DMC (Disproportionate Minority Contact), and trauma-informed and developmentally responsive engagement to promote youth well-being, lawfulness and good citizenship. Identify strategies, protocols, and practices that prevent Juvenile Justice first contact, reduce DMC, and support successful youth re-entry and successful integration into family and community. Includes introduction to critical mental health, habilitative, and sociocutural factors implicated in Juvenile Justice involvement.

Summary

Developmentally oriented factors are implicated in the pathways that lead to Juvenile Justice contact. A trauma-informed and developmentally responsive approach to youth engagement can divert youth who have early contact with the Juvenile Justice system, support the reentry of youth who were placed in a facility, and ease the burden of DMC (Disproportionate Minority Contact). Explore the phenomenology of DMC; identify critical factors that lead to Juvenile Justice contact; and recognize evidence-based strategies and practices that promote youth learning, growth, development, and well-being. Critical concepts include developmental responsiveness, habilitation, and overview of pathways that lead to Juvenile Justice involvement. Trauma-informed, mental health supportive, and developmentally appropriate strategies are discussed as solutions for the future. Included is an introduction to community impact on youth challenges as well as strategies for promoting better youth outcomes through community outreach.

Evidence

This presentation draws from current evidence-based information that explains the phenomenology of youth involvement with Juvenile Justice systems as well as empirically supported strategies that both divert youth from first contact as well as support youth learning and development (including social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health-oriented factors) to promote reentry, lawfulness, and youth well-being. Academic literature also clearly explains the phenomenology of Disproportionate Minority Contact, including contributing factors and intervention strategies. Following is the list of references:

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Biographical Sketch

Darleen Claire Wodzenski, MS ESE, MA CMHC, QPPE, PhD Psychology Candidate - is the founder of Orchard Human Services, Inc. who focuses on the space between learning, developmental, and mental health. An author and national presenter, she specializes in attachment development, drawing upon an extensive background in clinical mental health counseling, exceptional student education, and child and youth development. A Qualified Professional Parent Educator, she also provides training and professional development for educators, juvenile justice professionals, and human services workers.

Keyword Descriptors

Juvenile Justice, Developmental, DMC, Crossover, Habilitation, Trauma-Informed, Developmentally Responsive

Presentation Year

2018

Start Date

3-6-2018 4:00 PM

End Date

3-6-2018 5:30 PM

Recommended Citation

Wodzenski, Darleen Claire, "Developmental Justice" (2018). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 89.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2018/2018/89