CJI’s Pamela Lachman and Ryan Thornell collaborated with stakeholders of the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and the Department of Education to discuss and advance the various juvenile justice policy initiatives across the state. CJI was also joined by AUSA Stephanie Collins as they met with the state’s Juvenile Justice Oversight Council.
The Crime and Justice Institute, the recipient of the Smart on Juvenile Justice Initiative grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), visited with key juvenile justice stakeholders in Kentucky regarding their continued implementation of Senate Bill 200, the state’s juvenile justice reform legislation (passed in 2014).
After making a presentation regarding the performance measurement component of Senate Bill 200 to the Oversight Council, CJI held a cross-agency meeting to discuss collaboration and upcoming training efforts. The aim of the next phase of implementation is to improve information-sharing and increase stakeholder buy-in as several components of the legislation become formally effective in the coming months. CJI staff also met with individual agency leadership to discuss specific policy initiatives, continued training efforts, and plans for long-term sustainability of the current reforms.
Several key successes have already been achieved in Kentucky, including the creation and start-up of both the enhanced Court Designated Worker program and Family, Accountability, Intervention and Response (FAIR) Team process within the Administrative Office of the Courts. The state has also expanded behavioral health community-based services and increased trainings within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Other areas of progress include the development of juvenile court rules, agency-specific policy drafting and training, and piloting new risk and needs assessments within the Department of Juvenile Justice. CJI will continue to provide technical assistance as OJJDP’s selected grantee in the coming months as Kentucky continues its implementation progress.