Strengthening Juvenile Justice Involved Youth and Families through

Strengthening Juvenile
Justice Involved Youth and
Families through Cultural
Connections
By Jerry Tello
& Marcia Rincon-Gallardo
April 17, 2013
JDAI Inter-site Conference, Atlanta, Georgia
Welcome to La Cultura Cura
An Introduction:
• 
La Cultura Cura (LCC) – strengthening youth &
families through Cultural Connections
• 
La Cultura Cura & the JJ system
• 
La Cultura Cura - Transformational Healing & the
Curricula:
•  Joven Noble
•  Cara y Corazon
•  Xinachtli
•  Healing Circulos
• 
La Cultura Cura - Summary & closing
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
“Within the collective
dignity, love, trust and respect
of all people,
exists the wisdom and resources
for a beautiful,
harmonious tomorrow.”
-Jerry Tello
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Circle of Life
Elderhood
Childhood
Adulthood
Adolescence
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
"   You are WANTED… You are SACRED
"   You have a SACRED PURPOSE
"   You have TEACHINGS (VALUES) and TEACHERS
to guide
"   You are PROTECTED – SAFE and SECURE
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
TRAUMA
FEAR.BASED.LIVING.
=
Living
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Confusion
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Confusion
Anger
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Confusion
Anger
Hate
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Confusion
Anger
Hate
Self-hate
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Confusion
Anger
Hate
Self-hate
Rage
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
“What is
wrong with
you?”
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
•  Incarcerate
•  Medicate
•  Educate
•  Subjugate
•  Isolate
•  Negate
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
“What happened to you …
to disconnect you
from your sacredness?”
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Walking and guiding this
person through a process to
recover, uncover, and discover
their SACRED SELF
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
La Cultura Cura & the
Juvenile Justice system
Strengths in Culture
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Historic Cultural Approaches:
Youth in trouble with the Law
"   Peace Making
"   Elders Council
"   Employing Youth
"   Sending Youth to relatives
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
United States leads in the world as
country that most incarcerates its
population…
2,186,230
Prison Population for Selected Countries
United Nations Development Programme, 2007
1,548,498
869,814
361,402
332,112
214,402
United China^
States
Russia
Brazil
India
Mexico
^Note: China’s data does not include people in labor camps.
165,716
Ukraine
164,443
Thailand
157,402
South
Africa
88,458
34,096
Series1
United
Kingdom
Canada
Racial Characteristics of Male Youth in Public Juvenile
Correctional Institutions, 1880 to 2000
100
90
80
70
White
Percent
60
50
40
30
20
Non-white
US Non-white
10
0
1880 1890 1904 1910 1923 1933 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
National Data: Shift in Composition of
Public Detention Centers
23
1985
1997
28%
2010
29%
37%
63%
71%
72%
White
YOC
Detention of youth of color has increased since 1985. By 2010, more than 70% of detained youth nationwide were youth of color.
Source: Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional and Shelter Facilities, 1985.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997 & 2010.
JDAI is driven by a vision that seeks to change the odds for
court-involved youth
VISION:
Youth involved in the juvenile justice system will have
opportunities to develop into healthy, productive
adults . . .
JDAI states: “Detention leads to worse outcomes. After release,
detained youth are far more likely to drop out of school and use
drugs and alcohol”
LIKELIHOOD OF BEHAVIOR: INCARCERATED VS. NONINCARCERATED YOUTH
59%
49%
42%
34%
30%
Youth who are
detained are more than
three times as likely to
be found guilty and
incarcerated than
similarly situated peers
21%
Using alcohol
Using any illicit drug
Dropping out
Youth who have been detained or incarcerated (post-release)
Youth who have not been detained or incarcerated
Source: Office of State Courts Administrator, Florida Juvenile Delinquency Court Assessment (2003); LeBlanc, (1991), “Unlocking Learning” in Correctional Facilities,
Washington, D.C.; Substance use, abuse, and dependence among youths who have been in jail or a detention center: The NSDUH report, The National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, (2004); America’s Promise report on national rates of high school dropouts: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/
23889321/.
JDAI states: “Arrests for serious crimes do not explain detention
use; local policies and practices are key”
Index arrests have declined by 43%...
2,673
…but detention has only declined by 12%
95
95
88
2,051
1,782
1997
1999
2001
1,657
2003
83
84
2003
2006
1,526
2006
INDEX ARRESTS PER 100K YOUTH
1997
1999
2001
DETENTIONS PER 100K YOUTH
NOTE: Index arrests are classified as more serious crimes including murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny,
motor vehicle theft, and arson; skip in 2005 for detention data is due to “unforeseen delay in mail-out” for Census of Juveniles in
Residential Facilities for detained population.
Source: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book: Juvenile Offenders and Victims 2006; Easy Access to FBI Statistics database 2007
JDAI states: “Youth of color are being detained
at increasingly disproportionate rates”
YOUTH OF COLOR AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL U.S.
DETENTION POPULATION
62.0%
65.0%
69.0%
56.4%
43.4%
1985
1995
1999
2003
2006
National Detention Rates (2010)
per 100,000 youth in the population
28
179
180
160
140
120
100
78
80
88
60
33
40
20
16
0
Asian
White
Latino
Native Am.
Black
In a one-­‐‑day count of detention facilities around the nation, youth of color were overrepresented in detention. • Latino youth were 2.4 times as likely to be detained as White youth.
• Native American youth were 2.7 times as likely to be detained as White youth.
• Black youth were 5.4 times as likely to be detained as White youth
Source: Sickmund, M., Sladky, T.J., Kang, W., and Puzzanchera, C. (2011) "ʺEasy Access to the Census of Juveniles
in Residential Placement."ʺ Online. Available: h\p://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/ezacjrp/ JDAI uses eight interconnected strategies to enable jurisdictions to
safely reduce reliance on secure detention
PURPOSE:
To demonstrate that jurisdictions can establish
more effective and efficient systems to
accomplish the purposes of juvenile detention.
8 CORE STRATEGIES:
Collaboration
Use of accurate data
OBJECTIVES:
1) Eliminate inappropriate or
unnecessary use of secure
detention
2) Minimize failures to appear and
incidence of delinquent
behavior
3) Redirect public finances to
successful reform strategies
4) Improve conditions in secure
detention facilities
5) Reduce racial and ethnic
disparities
Objective admissions criteria and
instruments
Alternative to detention
Case processing reforms
Reducing the use of secure
confinement for ‘special’ cases
Deliberate commitment to reducing
racial disparities
Improving conditions of
confinement
La Cultura Cura has been used in Santa Cruz County by their Probation
Department in the following ways, yet can be utilized in other areas such
as:
Used by Santa Cruz Probation:
•  As a component within their
ATD – Evening Center
•  For Post-adjudicated youth
•  By CBO’s as Family
Strengthening Program
•  Reduced Latino youth in
detention
LCC can also be used to:
•  Strengthen Collaborative with
youth & family voices
•  Strengthen detention staff
capacity to be culturally
responsive
CORE STRATEGIES:
Collaboration
Use of accurate data
Objective admissions criteria and
instruments
Alternative to detention
Case processing reforms
Reducing the use of secure
confinement for ‘special’ cases
Deliberate commitment to reducing
racial disparities
Improving conditions of
confinement
Example of LCC use in JDAI
site using data:
"   Please refer to handout “Salsipuedes”, USA
"   Hypothetical Data
"   Brief discussion Questions
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Summary - LCC Increases Positive
Outcomes for Youth in JJ system by:
• Stakeholders use LCC philosophy & lens to
examine where systems improvements can be
made in policy or practice
• Guiding JJ systems to view & utilize existing
cultural strengths in community to keep youth out of
detention
• Strengthening court involved families and youth
whose voice at the policy table is critical to making
changes
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Huehuetlatolli
LA EDUCACIÓN:
Character
Development
Cara
Dignity
(Acknowledgement)
Corazon
Respect
(Acceptance)
Love (Compassion)
Trust (Commitment)
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Acknowledgement
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Acknowledgement
Acceptance
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Acknowledgement
Acceptance
Compassion
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
Acknowledgement
Acceptance
Compassion
Commitment
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
COMMUNITY
MOBILIZATION
AND ADVOCACY
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
La Cultura Cura Curricula
" Joven Noble
" Xinachtli
" Cara y Corazon
" Healing Circlulos
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN
La Cultura Cura
Transformational Health
& Healing
For further information contact:
Marcia Rincon-Gallardo 408 664-8802
www.nationalcompadresnetwork.com
Jerry Tello, La Cultura Cura/NCN