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Other Reports And Publications Of Interest

 

Reports and Publications

One of the primary goals of the JJAG is to offer the latest research information regarding juvenile justice. Reports published by the JJAG are offered below.

2008 Annual Report
JJAG Annual Report (5 mb .pdf)
Gender Responsiveness in the Juvenile Justice System
Gender Responsiveness (166 kb .doc)
Gender Responsiveness (79 kb .pdf)
Abigail Comee-McCourt, JJAG Intern

Gender responsive programming works to find the cause of the girls’ status offenses and help them to overcome them. If the status offense is substance abuse, for example, gender responsive programming is designed to deal with the emotional or familial problems that cause the girl to use in the first place. More importantly, gender responsive programming in facilities works on these problems when a girl is first committed, not just when they are detained for violations. If we can eliminate the problems or stressors that cause a girl to use drugs or run away before we release them back into the community, the rate of recidivism will drop.
A Survey of Maine Police Departments
Diversion Survey Report (318 kb .doc)
Hannah Kiernan, JJAG Intern
According to research and the survey data, juvenile substance abuse is a significant issue in Maine. Many alcohol and drug offenses are often non-violent first-time offenses and early intervention is critical in rehabilitating these juveniles. Diversion programs are a beneficial alternative to incarceration but there are only a few programs currently offered in Maine. The police departments who utilize these programs, such as JumpStart or Healthy Androscoggin, have positive reports about their success with juveniles. Other communities would benefit greatly from adopting similar programs so that more juveniles can be given a second chance to succeed in life and in their community. Not all program participants will necessarily be a success story, and some will re-offend and will probably be incarcerated. However, there will undoubtedly be some participants who will learn from these programs and who will make positive life changes. The time and effort put into operating these programs is absolutely worthwhile and detrimental for the health and growth of our communities in Maine.
Disproportionate Minority Contact
DMC September 2005 (126 kb .rtf)
Moire Kenny and Tatyana Mishina, Research Associates, Maine Statistical Analysis Center
Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) refers to the overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system in certain areas of the United States. Because research at the national level has demonstrated that minority youth are often overrepresented at key decision points, such as arrest and confinement in juvenile detention centers, in a state’s juvenile justice system, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) requires all states to assess whether DMC exists in their jurisdiction. This report describes Maine’s first attempt to not only identify whether DMC exists, but also to evaluate gaps in current data systems and the quality of the available data to assess Maine’s capacity to effectively identify DMC. This evaluation of the data systems and the quality of the data they provide will inform the state about potential next steps to take to ensure the quality of its juvenile DMC data.
School Expulsion / Suspension Report
School Expulsion / Suspension Report (January 2003 98 kb .pdf)
School Expulsion / Suspension Report (January 2003 426 kb .doc)
The purpose of this document is to answer six research questions using Maine data sources and school discipline policies.  The questions are:
  1. Who is suspended / expelled?
  2. Why are they suspended / expelled?
  3. What happens after the initial disposition?
  4. What are the needs of the suspended / expelled youth?
  5. What are the university of Maine Local Education Agency (LEA) suspension / expulsion policies?
  6. What models exist to provide schools with intensive supervision resources to support high-risk youth?
Secure Detention of Youth in Maine
What Can We Do to Reduce the Number of Youth in Secure Detention in Maine? (.pdf)
This paper addresses detention in Maine's two secure detention centers and provides a portrait of the centers and the youth there.