District of Columbia

2014 Diversion Team (State/District-level)

Contacts:

James Ballard, Clinical Program Manager, Residential Treatment Center Reinvestment Program

Hilary Cairns, Program Manager - PASS and TPAP Programs

Daniel Hickson, Commander - Metropolitan Police Department

Tania Mortensen, Special Assistant - DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Terri Odom, Director - Court Social Services

R. Daniel Okonkwo, Executive Director - DC Lawyers for Youth

Jamie Rodriguez, Juvenile Services Program Coordinator - Public Defender Service for the District Columbia

David Rosenthal, Senior Assistant Attorney General - Office of the Attorney General

Capstone Description:

Create a sustainable diversion program for youth in DC arrested for domestic violence, with an emphasis on developing a uniform and objective standards for evaluating diversion efficacy that will be replicated across the District’s diversion system.

Capstone Update (2017):

Agencies involved in the decisions to prosecute and divert cases have adopted diversion as an option for youth in domestic violence cases - In April 2017, D.C. Code 16-1031 was amended to divert youth under the age of 18 for intrafamily offense. Between June 2014 and September 2017, ACE has received 128 Domestic Violence (DV) referrals and served 121 of the 128. The outcomes of the diversion is promising. 40% of the referred youth had improved school attendance, 89% of the youth improved in their daily behavior and function assessment (through the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale), and 73% did not have further legal involvement after completing ACE.

2011 MSI (Public) DC Participant (Federal level)

Contact:

Bethany Case, Visiting Fellow - U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime

Capstone Description:

Develop a national-scope body of information on childhood victimization to better guide decision making for abused and neglected children—whose needs, when left unaddressed, may result in juvenile delinquency

2010 MSI (Public) District of Columbia/Maryland Participant

Contact:

John Rosiak, Senior Project Director and TA Specialist - Education Development Center, National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention

Capstone Description:

Draft an information sharing guide and implement it in Safe Schools/Healthy Students sites to help them share information more effectively with other systems to help improve outcomes for youth known to multiple systems of care. This guide will be distributed to Safe Schools Healthy Students (SSHS) sites in Maryland. 

2009 MSI Participant

Contact:

Renee Williams, Social Science Program Specialist - Office for Victims of Crime Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice 

Capstone Description:

Help improve case management of child abuse cases in tribal jurisdiction and facilitate collaboration between tribal, state and federal authorities.

2008 MSI CPI Participant (State/District-wide)

Contact:

David Muhammed, Chief of Committed Services - Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Capstone Description:

Collect data on crossover youth and develop resource guide, MOU, and protocols to improve services to these youth.

March 2019 RED American University Justice Program's Office (JPO)

Contacts: 

Matthew Collinson, Senior Research Specialist, American University Justice Program's Office

Zoë Root, Senior Policy Counsel, American University Justice Program's Office

Megan Ward, Program Associate, American University Justice Program's Office

Capstone Description: 

The AU JPO team aims to address racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile drug treatment courts through research-based onsite and remote training and technical assistance. Using a RED data collection tool developed by JPO, the team plans to support juvenile drug treatment courts to analyze RED data from their own program to reduce disparities in their specific jurisdiction. 

2011 MSI (Private) Coalition for Juvenile Justice Participant 

Contact:

Tara Andrews, Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programs - Coalition for Juvenile Justice

Capstone Description:

Reduce the number of status offenders processed and confined by the juvenile justice system by developing educational and technical assistance tools provided by CJJ that raise awareness how to address their unique needs (especially as crossover youth or youth at risk of crossing over). Technical assistance tools will be developed and disseminated during the Capstone period.

2018 YIC DC DYRS 

Contacts: 

Azalia Speight, Principal SeeForever Foundation, Maya Angelou Schools

Felecia Hayward-Lawson, Co-Principal/Director of Special Education Maya Angelou Academy

Shiresse Brewington, Clinical Social Worker Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Willie Fullilove, Deputy Director of Secure and Non-Secure Programs Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Rashida George, Restorative Justice Coordinator Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Mack McGhee, Superintendent Department of Youth & Rehabilitation Services

Jannifer Nevilles, Superintendent Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services

Diamond Vann, Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitor Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC)

Capstone Description:

The team plans to design a healthy, pro-social environment, as well as to reduce critical incidents and confinement by training staff in restorative justice practices, creating opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring, and fostering effective communication amongst the staff and residents in DYRS facilities.