HomeMy WebLinkAbout20140673.tiff RESOLUTION
RE: APPROVE APPLICATION FOR JUVENILE RESTORATIVE JUSTICE DIVERSION
FUNDING FOR PILOT PROJECTS AND AUTHORIZE ELECTRONIC SUBMITTAL
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the Board has been presented with an Application for Juvenile Restorative
Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot Projects from the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and
through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the 19th Judicial District
Attorney's Office and the Youth and Family Connections agency,to the Colorado Restorative Justice
Council, commencing upon full execution, with terms and conditions being as stated in said
application, and
WHEREAS,after review,the Board deems it advisable to approve said application, a copy of
which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld
County, Colorado, that the Application for Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot
Projects from the County of Weld, State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County
Commissioners of Weld County, on behalf of the 19th Judicial District Attorney's Office and the
Youth and Family Connections agency,to the Colorado Restorative Justice Council be,and hereby
is, approved.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County,
Colorado,that Krista Britton, District Attorney's Office, be, and hereby is, authorized to electronically
submit said application.
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted by
the following vote on the 5th day of March, A.D., 2014.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY COLORADO
ATTEST: d,6titev ;t1
Douglas Rademacher, Chair
Weld County Clerk to the Bo
arbara Kirkmey r, Pro-Tem
BY2I_. 1 !. � • . r 1.iw �_ 1 .:il.� _.
Det5u Clerk to the Bo-
ean Conway
APPROVED {7FORM:
Mike re
oun Attorney
William F. Garcia
Date of signature: 5'c&61/4
CC): bh?
3.026-.,4 2014-0673
DA0024
Jennifer Fuller
From: Kirsta Britton
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 4:15 PM
To: Jennifer Fuller
Cc: Michael Rourke
Subject: Diversion/Restorative Justice information for BOCC pass around
Attachments: Juvenile RJ Diversion funding Pilot Projects 2.20.14.docx; wspassaround - RJ funding app
4.14-6.14.doc
Thank you!
Kirsta Britton
Director of Juvenile Diversion
Weld County District Attorney's Office
(970)356-4010 ext. 4775
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2014-0673
1
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
PASS-AROUND REVIEW/WORK SESSION REQUEST
RE: Restorative Justice Pilot Program fund application for April 1,2014-June 30,2014
DEPARTMENT: DA DATE: 2.27.14
PERSON REQUESTING: Kirsta Britton
Brief description of the problem/issue:
As a part of the state Restorative Justice Pilot Program, HB 13-1254, certain funds are to be provided by the
State to administer the program. An application for these funds was provided on February 21, 2014 with a due
date of March 7, 2014. Multiple meetings to determine what needed to be included in the application were
required before the application could be completed. Sufficient time did not exist to get the application done and
have a work session prior to a Board meeting.
The funds will be used by the District Attorney's Office and the Youth and Family Connections program to
administer the Restorative Justice Program. There is no match required as a part of these funds.
What options exist for the Board? (Include consequences, impacts, costs, etc. of options)
In order to get the application submitted by the due date, we won't have the option of meeting face to face to
answer questions about the process. These funds are only for April 1, 2014 — June 30, 2014. A further
application for funds to be used July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015 will be completed at a later date. There is no cost to
the county as a result of acceptance of these funds.
Recommendation:
Allow the application to come before the Board at a regular meeting for approval by March 5.
Approve Schedule
Recommendation Work Session Other/Comments:
Douglas Rademacher,Chair
Barbara Kirkmeyer
Sean P. Conway
Mike Freeman Mt
William F. Garcia
Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot Projects
Section 1. Information
Judicial District Information:Include the judicial district number, elected District Attorney name, and the counties
served the district.
The 19th Judicial District serves Weld County. The elected District Attorney for the 19th Judicial District is Ken Buck.
Primary Contact Name: Kirsta Britton
Email: kbritton(&,co.weld.co.us Office Phone: 970-356-4010 Alt.Phone:
x4775
Mailing Address: PO Box 1167 City: Greeley CO I Zip: 80632
Amount Requested:How muchfunding are you requesting for FY 2014?(This - $ 16,500
is forApril--June 2014).
Section 2. Juvenile RJ Diversion Program Information
Program Status: Is this a new or existing program?
Existing Diversion program with new RJ program.
Target Population:Describe the program's target group of juvenile offenders,and how many juveniles you anticipate
will be served.
The Juvenile Diversion Program serves first time offenders age 10-17. The Diversion program has a goal of serving 200
juveniles in calendar year 2014 and will refer approximately 100 of those juveniles to Restorative Justice Services.
Partner Organizations: If applicable, identify,any partner organizations.Include partner name,main contact person,
phone,'e=mall, and mailing address. These are organizations expected togrovide direct services to juveniles on
diversion.
Youth and Family Connections will coordinate the Restorative Justice volunteers.
Kelly Schramm—Executive Director
2835 W. 10th Street
Greeley, CO 80634
970.351.5475 Office
970.673.2152 Cell
970.351.5484 Fax
kschramm@youthandfamilyconnections.org
Partner Organizations'Roles and Responsibilities:For partners identified above, describe any collaborative effort,.
partnership,or contract support that is directly related to this program. Include what services partners will provide
and their qualifications for providing those services.
Youth and Family Connections(YFC)will employ or contract with a Restorative Justice Coordinator who will coordinate
training and conference scheduling of Restorative Justice volunteers. The DA's Office Diversion program will send
referrals for RJ Conferencing to YFC who will then coordinate the volunteers to facilitate the conference. Youth and
Family Connections is a central hub for juvenile and family services in the county, making their partnership with the Pilot
Program desirable to stakeholders.
Please include with this application a Letter of Commitment or MOU from each partner organization,clearly stating
their understanding of their role in the District Attorney's juvenile RJ diversion program.
Section 3. Juvenile RJ Diversion Program Narrative
A. Description of Juvenile Diversion Program:Describe the program, including how you are incorporating
the principles and best practices of RJ. What are the eligibility criteria for participants? What is the
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Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot Projects
implementation plan? What training is needed for staff How will you know ifyour program is successful?
For existing programs,summarize implementation&measures of success to date. Limit response to one page.
The Weld County Juvenile Diversion Program diverts first time juvenile offenders from traditional prosecution in the
juvenile court system. Drug, gang, violent,and sex related offenses are ineligible for Diversion. Restorative Justice has
been used sporadically when volunteer facilitators have been available. Through collaboration with the existing Youth
and Family Connections (YFC)program, and as a result of HE 13-1254, a process to provide Restorative Justice services
to Diversion youth has been initiated. The Diversion program refers youth to YFC who will coordinate a pool of trained
Restorative Justice volunteer facilitators who will then facilitate appropriate Restorative Justice conferences with referred
juveniles. This has been a work in process as we determine what needs we have for implementation. It has been
determined that an experienced Restorative Justice Coordinator will be necessary to help build the program. The intention
is to lay a foundation with someone with a good knowledge base so that the program will be able to expand to provide
Restorative Justice to juveniles from other referral sources. Once money is provided from Pilot Project funding, we will
be able to hire this person so that we may fully implement the program. The biggest training need is for volunteer
facilitators so that they may become trained to facilitate conferences. Also, staff will need to be trained on state reporting
processes. Ideally, satisfaction surveys will be provided so that victims and offenders will be able to help us understand
our level of success. Additionally, subsequent offense rates for youth who go through a Restorative Justice Conference
will be gathered to determine if RJ has an impact on recidivism.
B s-State Mandates:All state-funded Juvenile RJ diversion programs must meet the legislative mandates of
HB13-1254-and related protocols developed by the RJ Council-in the design,implementation,evaluation
and data collection for the program.Describe your program protocols,technology and staff capacity to meet
these specific mandates:1)appropriate screening for eligibility;2)administration of pre/post participant
surveys;3) collection of data on participant demographics& case outcomes;4)collection of recidivism data;c{
5)timely reporting to the state of all required program information.Be specific as to how all required data will
be collected&reported,including who will be responsible for this. Limit response to one page
(note:The RJ Pilots are expected to utilize the cloud-based data collection system upon its launch.)
The Diversion Director, employed by the District Attorney,will provide referral to Restorative Justice and all case
management for Diversion participants. All cases are screened for Restorative Justice appropriateness based on the
offense and victim response. A diversion intake process then occurs. If the juvenile appears appropriate for RJ and
Diversion at the intake,the referral is made to the YFC program to coordinate volunteers who will carry out the
Restorative Justice process. Volunteers are provided a packet of information for each juvenile as well as blank forms
including consent to conference,agreement and report forms. Once pre and post-surveys are available,those will also be
given to facilitators who will administer those surveys as a part of the conference. These forms will be returned to the
Diversion Director as soon as possible after the conference. The Diversion Director will collect the information from
these forms and any agreement items that result from conference. Demographic data is collected at intake and maintained
in multiple databases for other reporting obligations. All demographic data, outcomes and recidivism data, along with any
other mandated information, will be gathered and reported by the Diversion Director to the state by required dates. All
data is maintained in an Excel spreadsheet and exported into required data systems for reporting. In order to perform
these functions, additional technology and staff will be required for both the District Attorney's Office Diversion Program
and the Youth and Family Connections program in order to be in compliance with HB 13-1254 requirements.
C. Goals,Objectives,Outcomes and Timeframes:Please briefly note the program's overarching goals. Use the
form below and add goal%bjective outcome/timeframe sections as needed. Objectives are relative stepping;
stones with Measurable outcomes and timeframes.
Program Goal: Increase community safety and decrease recidivism,through the use of Restorative Justice conferencing
to help build a stronger community. Through the pilot program, facilitate and encourage diversion of juveniles
from the juvenile justice system to Restorative Justice practices, both to provide data to assess the efficacy of
Restorative Justice to reduce recidivism, to assist in repairing the harm caused to victims and the community,
increase victim, offender, and community member satisfaction, and reduce cost; and to promote the restorative
justice principles of reconciliation, responsibility, reintegration, respect, relationship-building and restitution
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Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot Projects
Objective: Gather data regarding Objective: Increase victim, Objective: Promote the 5 R's of
juveniles who have been diverted as a offender,and community member Restorative Justice by involving
result of Restorative Justice satisfaction with the criminal community volunteers in training
sanctioning and the resulting justice system through RJ and conferencing.
recidivism rates. conferencing.
Outcomes: 80% of juveniles who Outcomes: At least 75% favorable Outcomes: Train and maintain a
complete an RJ Conference won't and constructive exit surveys to pool of 20-30 community volunteers
reoffend within one year. help inform program development. in RJ conferencing.
Timeframe: Recidivism will be Timeframe: Survey administration Timeframe: Recruitment and
checked one year post completion. will occur after each conference. training will be on-going so that
sufficient volunteers are available to
facilitate conferences.
D. Long Term Plan: What plans does the district have to sustain juvenile RJ diversion? What would happen in
the event state funds are not available or later become unavailable? Limit your response to a half page.
The existing Juvenile Diversion Program will provide referrals to YFC for Restorative Justice as long as YFC is able to
coordinate volunteers for conferences. Additionally,the DA's Office will assist in doing background checks for YFC
volunteers. Being able to offer Restorative Justice conferences to multiple referral sources fits into the long term goals for
YFC. Ideally, once the program is established as a result of the pilot program funds, YFC will be in a position to offer
conferences to other referral sources which will provide better service to our community and also diversify funding
sources. Successful outcomes from the pilot program phase will be used as evidence of success when applying for other
funding opportunities.
Section 4. Juvenile RJ Diversion Budget
Budget Narrative:`Explain program needs relative to expenses.If this is a continuation of an existing program,how
will this new money help continue Juvenile RJ Diversion services? What other sources of funding or in-kind
contributions are available? What fees, if any, will be charged to the juvenile? What is the anticipated cost per referral,
including your formula for this estimate?Limit your response to a half page.
The existing Juvenile Diversion Program is funded with a goal of diverting 100 juveniles per year. As a result of FIB 13-
1254 and the addition of a Restorative Justice referral opportunity,the goal has been increased to divert 200 cases per year
and refer 100 of those cases to Restorative Justice Conferencing. Additional funds are needed to increase the capacity of
juveniles served and the data reporting requirements required of the existing program. The Restorative Justice program is
new and requires new staff and additional dollars for start up expenses. The existing Diversion Program is currently
funded by DCJ Diversion grant funds and a match from the county. Youth and Family Connections is funded by grants
and state and local dollars. In kind contributions from both agencies include space,technology, phones, and supervision
costs. The recommended $125 Restorative Justice program fee, or a reduced amount, will be collected when possible.
However, based on the economic realities of our community,this is not anticipated to be a significant contribution. As
additional needs have been realized since initial dollar needs were estimated,the anticipated cost to operate the program is
more than the amount of funds requested. However, based on the amount of funds requested, plus roughly 12% in kind
donation of overhead costs,divided by the anticipated number of youth served,we anticipate that for this quarter our cost
per referral is approximately$760. This number increases significantly if we include the existing costs of program
operation that must occur in order to run Diversion and YFC so that we have a platform by which to participate in the
Pilot Program.
Expenses Category Explanation/Detail Total
Personnel:
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Juvenile Restorative Justice Diversion Funding for Pilot Projects
Training: Training needs to occur to get all volunteer $2000
facilitators educated on conference facilitation.
Provider/Service Contracts: A Restorative Justice Coordinator will be hired in $9000
order to develop the program and facilitate
conferences.
Operating: This includes expenses for technology(tablets for $3500
survey administration), copies,toner, conference
refreshments and other operating supplies.
Travel: Travel funds will cover expenses to trainings and $500
meetings that are allowable by the limited budget.
Other:please specify Spanish Language form translation—all existing and $1500
newly created forms need to be translated into
Spanish. Additionally, $500 is budgeted in the event
that a Spanish speaking facilitator needs to be
obtained in order to serve monolingual Spanish
speaking conference participants.
Please note by name any other revenue sources for the Juvenile RJ diversion program.
DCJ Juvenile Diversion funds are secure through June 30, 2014.
Total Anticipated Offender Fees: $ 500 Match or In Kind support $2000
Total State Funds Requested:; -F` $16,500 Total Cost for Juvenile RJR $19,000
Diversion Program:
Other information you feel important for the RJ Council to know:
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