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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 12:25 pm
Time: 12:25 pm
Results for status offenses
6 results foundAuthor: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty Title: Alone Without A Home: A State-by-State Review of Laws Affecting Unaccompanied Youth Summary: Each year, an estimated 1.6 million children and youth (ages 12-17) experience homelessness without a parent or guardian. These youth leave home for a variety of reasons, including severe family conflict, parental abuse or neglect, parental mental health issues, or substance abuse. Whether runaway or throwaway, once on the street, unaccompanied homeless youth face numerous legal barriers that often complicate their attempts to meet the basic necessities of life on their own and prevent them from reaching out for assistance to state agencies and service providers that could otherwise help them. Further complicating matters is that many of these laws vary considerably from state to state, creating misinterpretations by service providers and mistaken avoidance of services on the part of homeless youth who may fear being taken into state custody or assume they will be turned away. This report reviews the state of current law in 12 key issue areas that affect the lives and future prospects of unaccompanied homeless youth in all 50 U.S. states and 6 territories. The report offers an overview of the range of approaches taken by states and their relative prevalence, and reveals significant differences in many cases. The report also provides recommendations for policy change in each of the areas, with a view towards strengthening the supports available to unaccompanied youth. While many issues surrounding unaccompanied youth remain controversial, the aim of this report is to recommend steps that can protect their safety, development, health and dignity, and thus increase their prospects for positive future outcomes. Details: Washington, DC: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty and The National Network for Youth, 2012. 251p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 15, 2012 at: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/Alone%20Without%20a%20Home,%20FINAL1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/Alone%20Without%20a%20Home,%20FINAL1.pdf Shelf Number: 126728 Keywords: Juvenile RunawaysPovertyStatus OffensesStreet ChildrenYouth Homelessness (U.S.) |
Author: Hall, Jennie L. Title: Evaluation of Truancy Reduction Efforts in Utah Summary: Truancy is a legal term that refers to a pattern of unexcused absences from school by a minor over a certain period of time (Sutphen, Ford, & Flaherty, 2010). Individual states have developed laws that specify the age when a child must begin school, the age when they can legally drop out of school, and the number of unexcused absences allowed by law (NCSE, 2007). Once a student has exceeded the number of absences allowed under state law, they are considered “habitually truant.” Research has clearly identified an association between truancy and poor academic performance, low school attachment, delinquency, school expulsion and dropout, substance/drug use, and other problematic behaviors (Bell, Rosen, & Dynlacht, 1994; Maynard, McCrae, Pigott, & Kelly, 2012; Sutphen et al., 2010; Yeide & Kobrin, 2009). These problems can continue into adulthood, increasing the likelihood of adult criminality, drug and alcohol abuse, marital problems, violence, lower status occupations, unstable career patterns, and unemployment (Eastman, Cooney, O’Conner, & Small, 2007; Sutphen et al., 2010; Yeide & Kobrin, 2009). In 2009, over 50,000 truancy petitions were filed in juvenile courts throughout the United States (Puzzanchera, Adams, & Hockenberry, 2012). Although the degree of the problem undoubtedly varies by state, only a small portion of all truancy cases are referred to juvenile court and there is general consensus that these figures significantly under-represent the scope of the issue (Reimer & Dimock, 2005). For instance, in a recent study, researchers in Denver, Colorado found that only 2% to 4% of students who met the state’s criteria for habitual truancy were actually referred to juvenile court (MacGillivary & Erickson, 2006). Even if these results are atypical, this example highlights the limitations of relying solely on juvenile court referrals to measure the prevalence of truancy. Unfortunately, due to discrepancies in the definition of truancy and a lack of consistent record keeping by schools, there is no way to know the extent of the problem nationwide. Examination of the truancy issue is further confounded by state variations in how unexcused absences are defined (e.g., majority of the day vs. entire day, school excused vs. parent excused) and the number of absences required before a child is considered habitually truant (Yeide & Kobrin, 2009; NCSE, 2007). Despite the difficulty in defining and measuring habitual truancy on a national level, there has been a growing movement to understand the underlying causes of truancy and identify effective methods for reducing and preventing truancy. Details: Salt Lake City: Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah, 2013. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 27, 2015 at: http://ucjc.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013TruancyReport_final1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://ucjc.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013TruancyReport_final1.pdf Shelf Number: 129965 Keywords: School Attendance Status OffensesTruancy Truants |
Author: Texas Appleseed Title: Class, Not Court: Reconsidering Texas' Criminalization of Truancy Summary: This report continues Texas Appleseed's school-to-prison pipeline work by delving into how Texas' approach to truancy is driving more children away from school and into the adult criminal courts. The report explores causes of truancy, evaluates the current approaches to addressing truancy, highlights the disproportionate impacts of truancy charges on certain groups of students, and makes recommendations for ways that the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and school districts can increase attendance and help children in a meaningful way. - Details: Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed, 2015. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/TruancyReport_All_FINAL_SinglePages.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/TruancyReport_All_FINAL_SinglePages.pdf Shelf Number: 137322 Keywords: At-Risk YouthSchool AttendanceSchool-to-Prison PipelineStatus OffensesTruancy |
Author: National Center for School Engagement Title: Jacksonville, Florida Case Study: Evidence of Effectiveness in Reducing Truancy Summary: In recent years, truancy has become a focus of policy discussions across the country. School districts, juvenile courts, and police departments across the map are trying new methods to keep children in school (Cantelon and LeBoeuf, 1997). The business community has been vocal about the need for a workforce with a more solid foundation in the basic skills that public education is expected to provide. In response to concerns about school attendance and achievement, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention funded several model community-based truancy reduction programs to operate in various cities nationwide. One of these programs is located in Jacksonville. This chapter reports the results of a six-year evaluation of that program. Subsequent chapters will report on the progress being made in two other OJJPD-funded programs in Houston, TX and Seattle, WA. It is "common knowledge" among those who work in the field of juvenile justice that truancy leads to a number of undesirable outcomes, yet the body of research on truancy - its causes, outcomes, and methods of prevention - is still limited. Retrospective studies of juvenile delinquents show th at truancy is common among that group, and attitudes toward school are poor. However, the only prospective study - one that begins with the population of truants and investigates th eir propensity to be involved with delinquent behavior - is being conducted by the Study Group on Very Young Offenders, sponsored by OJJDP. This longitudinal study, conducted in Denver, CO; Rochester, NY; and Pittsburgh, PA, shows that truancy is one of the early behaviors that may eventually lead to serious delinquency (Loeber and Farrington, 2000). They identified truancy as a "disruptive behavior" a nd found that one quarter to one half of disruptive children are at risk of becoming juvenile delinquents. Results of the recent National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health show that frequent problems with school work is the single greatest risk factor for four of the five risky behaviors studied: cigarette smoking, under-age alcohol use, weapon-related violence and suicidal thoughts and attempts (Blum, Beuhring, and Rinehart, 2000). With the new trend toward truancy reduction and the general belief that truancy is a precursor to other more serious problems, the National Center for School Engagement has been conducting one of the few longitudinal studies regarding the effectiveness of truancy reduction approaches, and their relative costs and benefits. The National Center for School Engagement has conducted a proc ess evaluation of seven community-based truancy reduction programs, and an outcome evaluation of three of the sites; Jacksonville is one of these. Specifically, the comprehensive process, outcome and cost-benefit evaluation have been conducted with the Truancy Arbitration Program in Jacksonville, Florida. The following research questi ons were used to guide this study: Research Questions 1. What is the relative cost effectiveness of these interventions given their propensity to produce high school gradua tion and deter criminal activity? 2. What specific parent, school, and community interventions are consistently effective in improving school attendance, attachment, and academic achievement for truant youth? Details: Denver, CO: Colorado Foundation for Families and Children, 2005. 18p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 4, 2016 at: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/JacksonvilleFloridaCaseStudyEvidenceofEffectivenessinReducingTruancy.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://schoolengagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/JacksonvilleFloridaCaseStudyEvidenceofEffectivenessinReducingTruancy.pdf Shelf Number: 130049 Keywords: School AttendanceStatus OffensesTruancy |
Author: Coker, Elizabeth Title: Truancy in Washington State: Filing Trends, Juvenile Court Responses, and the Educational Outcomes of Petitioned Truant Youth Summary: Truancy and its correlates, school disengagement and failure, negatively impact life chances for children, the well-being of communities where they live, and the vitality of the state as a whole. The Washington State legislature passed the 1995 "Becca Laws" in response to the case of Becca Hedman, whose chronic truancy and running away from home led to her tragic murder at the age of 12. The Becca Laws are intended to empower families, schools and students to jointly address and overcome barriers to attendance with support from the juvenile courts as necessary1. Since that time, local juvenile courts and school districts across Washington have implemented a variety of programs and practices designed to fulfill the requirements of the Becca Laws while respecting the unique strengths and challenges present in their own communities. Some of these attempts have failed while others have survived and even shown promise over time. All are potentially instructive. Twenty years later, it is time to capitalize on these experiences in order to develop effective truancy intervention programs that reach the students they are meant to serve. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of Community Truancy Boards (CTBs), and yet these model programs are available in only a handful of Washington State juvenile courts. The truancy petition process is meant to provide families, schools and communities with the legal backing needed to enforce school attendance by identifying and removing barriers to attendance, yet barely one-third of eligible students receive truancy petitions. Of those who do receive truancy petitions, few attend school districts that have quality court-school truancy intervention programs in place. The truancy petition process represents the letter of Washington's truancy laws, but ignores their spirit and intent. The intent of the Becca Laws is to unite schools, courts, communities and families in an effort to provide the services needed to help students to overcome their own personal barriers to school attendance. Truancy petitions are a means to this end, if used in that spirit. This is the second in a series of WSCCR reports describing statewide trends in truancy petition filings, school performance and outcomes for petitioned youth, and current truancy prevention and intervention programs in juvenile courts across the state. This report describes the current condition of truancy practices in Washington State from the perspective of the juvenile courts; outlines recent and historical trends in truancy petition filings; and reports on the educational progress and 3-year outcomes of students who were petitioned truant during the 2010/11 academic year (AY). Drawing from a statewide survey of juvenile courts, linked juvenile court and education data, and other sources, the two studies reported herein describe the common educational pathways of truant youths, both before and after court contact, and provide an overview of the current range of juvenile court responses to truancy in Washington State Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Center for Court Research, 2015. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: https://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/WSCCRTruancyUpdate2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/WSCCRTruancyUpdate2015.pdf Shelf Number: 140422 Keywords: Juvenile CourtSchool AttendanceStatus OffensesTruancyTruancy Court |
Author: George, Thomas Title: Truancy in Washington State: Trends, Student Characteristics, and the Impact of Receiving a Truancy Petition Summary: Using multiple research methods, this study examined recent trends, student characteristics, and the impact of receiving a truancy petition on youth outcomes over the past several years and from a variety of perspectives. It draws on numerous published reports, a newly created educational research database containing nearly one million student records, over 1,000 responses on a recently developed risk and needs assessment administered to youths and their parents, and a comprehensive court contact and recidivism database detailing youths' court histories Details: Olympia, WA: Washington State Center for Court Research, 2011. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: https://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/TruancyEvalReport.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/TruancyEvalReport.pdf Shelf Number: 145576 Keywords: Juvenile CourtSchool AttendanceStatus OffensesTruancyTruancy Court |