NCJ Number
193842
Journal
Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 53 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2002 Pages: 59-64
Date Published
2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article presents the findings of the Juvenile Justice Think Tank 2000 held in Louisiana in July 2000 to bring together practitioners and citizens from all aspects of the juvenile justice system to determine issues and make recommendations on ways to improve the lives of Louisiana’s children.
Abstract
Participants began by identifying the needs of youths and the categories of youths they believed should receive attention. The results of their discussions indicated greater interest in juvenile delinquency prevention and early intervention than in incarceration and control methods of addressing juvenile delinquency. The participants noted four main areas of concern. These included a fragmented juvenile justice system, education, family, and youth empowerment. The participants presented these results statewide through conference presentations. The Think Tank results indicated that participants supported expanding services and providing wrap-around programs to families to enable them to succeed, empowering communities to make better use of the resources already available to them, and focusing on juvenile delinquency prevention and early intervention. The analysis concluded that these approaches can promote positive youth development and that the Think Tank experience can serve as a catalyst for policymakers. 10 references