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Advocacy

The mission of the case planning and advocacy program is to support youth in the juvenile justice system by helping them identify their needs and strengths so that they have opportunities to make positive changes in their life. The case planning and advocacy process begins with intake and assessment. However, the deeper and more individualized work begins with the case-planning process. YJI staff is trained as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and have adopted a similar role for youth in the juvenile justice system. We provide an objective, third-party assessment and recommendation regarding the needs and strengths of youth that can be presented to the court for review.

We consider our role critical to representing the youths’ best interest, perspective, and needs. This will focus on services and resources meant to address issues such as victimization, criminality, academic achievement, employment, and critical needs such as housing, food and clothing. The courts, which acknowledge the value of the third-party perspective, appreciate the recommendation of services for their consideration when they are making decisions about a young person. These services are provided in both San Francisco, (karen@yjinstitute.org) and Oakland, (robin@yjinstitute.org)

Timeline of Court Processes and YJI Support

Court Process

YJI Youth Advocacy

  1. Arrest & booking
    of a young person

  2. Intake interview with the probation department

  3. Petition filed with
    District Attorney

  4. Detention Hearing
    (determines whether or not child is detained)

  5. Pre-trial conference

  6. 1st Jurisdictional Hearing
    (plead guilty or not guilty)

  7. 2nd Jurisdictional Hearing
    (Trial facts are presented)

  8. Dispositional Hearing
    (Judge determines conditions of release)

  9. Release

  1. Youth Advocate receives referral for clients from:

    • Court
    • Probation
    • Public Defender
    • Community Based Organization

  2. Clients are interviewed by Youth Advocate for intake and assessment of needs and strengths.Youth Advocate use YJI Gender Responsive Intakes for young women and men, Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS) and other global assessment tools as needed. Interviews take place in detention or in community.

  3. Youth Advocate may attend court with client

  4. Youth Advocates contact other parties relevant to the case for input: Probation, Department of Public Health , Family, Attorneys, School, other support systems including community based service providers.

  5. Youth Advocates present the cases of all their clients weekly in case review with collaborative partners and consult with YJI supervisors and other partners on how to best support each client through advocacy case plan based on the CASA model.

  6. Youth Advocates continue to meet with youth while they are detained to provide stabilization while in detention: support youth and family through court process, updates client's input and progress on case plan, continued collaboration on accessing supportive services upon release.

  7. Youth Advocates develop case plan to present to the court. These reports represent the need and strengths of clients as assessed by the YJI team and include support services, resources and programs that will assist the client in successully completing probation and exiting the system for good. These reports that are filed directly with the court on the youth's behalf can include the following:

    • Attending in court with client and family for disposition
    • Stabilization Resources for housing, food, clothing
    • Employment training and placement programs
    • Educational Resources and assistance with school enrollement
    • Internal referral to YJI Mental Health and Mentoring programs
    • Referral to health and mental health resources
    • Substance abuse treatment
    • other supportive resources

  8. Ongoing 'post release support' includes:

    • Reporting to probation and courts on clients progress
    • Weekly contact between client and Youth Advocate to track progress
    • Reassessment of needs/strengths/proress at 3, 6 and 9 months
    • Referrals to additional services and resource as needed