| Belknap County Data Initiative
When the Citizens Council was created in 2002, Belknap County - like many jurisdictions across the country - did not have the capacity to collect, interpret, and share good data about juveniles who were either in or around the fringes of the court system. Recognizing this void, the Citizens Council quickly organized the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (JJAC), an advisory committee of juvenile justice professionals, to help gather and share juvenile data, knowing that such information would be the key rationale for any system modifications.
Over the past half-dozen years and using grant funds and networks of associates in the state and beyond, the Citizens Council and its partners have moved through a logical sequence of activities, bringing the County closer to its goal of integrated and coordinated data collection. A brief description of these steps follows:
- In early 2002, a five-member team attended an OJJDP-sponsored national training in Boston to learn more about developing an integrated information sharing system.
- In 2002-03, the Council formed a Data Committee to research current state data tracking and sharing initiatives, ultimately deciding that none provided a good match for Belknap County.
- In 2004, Dr. Gordon Bazemore, spent several days in Belknap County with the Citizens Council and juvenile justice professionals to discuss outcomes evaluation for the restorative justice approach underway in Belknap County. Bazemore, who is Director of the Community Justice Institute at Florida Atlantic University, is a nationally recognized expert in restorative justice practices.
- In 2005, the Council sent a team of five to a North Carolina national training session on performance indicators for tracking the rehabilitation of youth in the juvenile justice system. Sponsored by the National District Attorneys Association and the American Prosecutors Research Institute, this training assisted the Belknap County team in developing their own performance indicators appropriate to the restorative justice approach.
- In 2005, the Council’s Data Committee developed a “Case Closing Form” and guidelines for its use. This form was then used by all providers of juvenile justice services in Belknap County to capture outcomes data of juveniles exiting the pre-court, court-diverted, and court-involved programs in the county during 2005.
- In 2006, the Citizens Council used the 2005 Case Closing data to write, publish, and distribute the County’s first Report Card to the Community This report described the status of juveniles in Belknap through the lens of restorative justice principles.
- In late 2006 and in 2007, the Council used Title V grant funds to hire a team of consultants, Professors Stephanie Halter, Danielle McDonald, and Scott Meyer from Plymouth State University, to refine and automate the Case Closing Form and to train providers in the use of this electronic database.
- In late 2007, the Citizens Council used 2006 data from the newly automated Case Closing Form to write, publish, and distribute a second Report Card to the community on the County’s juveniles, comparing progress where possible to the 2005 data.
- In 2007 and 2008, the Citizens Council worked with NH Rep Alida Millham, a Belknap County resident and former member of the Citizens Council, and others to draft and pass legislation that allows Belknap County juvenile justice providers to share Case Closing data among themselves so they could better track recidivism. Titled Chapter 178 this new statute becomes effective on August 10, 2008.
- In late 2007 and early 2008, the Citizens Council and its Data Committee prepared and published an Issue Brief that examined CHINS, delinquency, and child maltreatment data specific to Belknap County and offered considerations for future planning. This report, along with the reduced municipal allocations to juvenile justice service providers in Belknap County, encouraged the Citizens Council to explore together with numerous local, county, and state stakeholders the potential for systems integration and coordination
With this increased capacity to collect, interpret, and share data about the juvenile justice system in Belknap County, the Citizens Council will continue to:
- Ensure that this information reaches consumers and citizens in an accessible format
- Develop the capacity of county service providers to collect, interpret, and share appropriate data by working with JJAC and others
- Improve the environment in Belknap County for children and families
Contact Information:
Alan Robichaud, Executive Director
Andre Paquette, Citizens Council member
Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families
ajrobich@bccj.org
36 County Drive,
Laconia, NH 03246
(603)527-5477
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Belknap County Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (JJAC)
- now known as Professional Advisory Council (PAC)
In 2002, the Belknap County Citizens Council organized an advisory council of juvenile justice professionals, service providers, representatives from the business and faith communities, and lay citizens in order to develop a unified voice and a countywide plan for the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. This network of professionals and interested volunteers works with the Citizens Council to:
- Promote the principles of balanced and restorative justice
- Advocate for community-based rehabilitation for juvenile offenders
- Advocate for a continuum of services and programs that includes primary prevention, intervention, treatment, family services, and appropriate supports for youths exiting the juvenile system.
In addition to providing regular professional advice to the Citizens Council, JJAC is a forum for its members to:
- Discuss together the challenges and barriers to achieving good outcomes
- Identify collaborative solutions to these challenges
- Share information about individual programs and services
Current and past JJAC projects and initiatives include:
- Mapping the County’s system of juvenile justice
- Developing a Victim’s Restitution Fund
- Sponsoring a week-long observance of National Crime Victims Rights Week
- Publishing and distributing a Victims of Juvenile Crime Rights brochure
- Developing policies and protocols for data collection and exchange
- Developing an integrated approach to program evaluation
- Creating a pocket resource guide to the County’s system of juvenile justice
- Creating a Directory of Juvenile Justice Resources for providers, educators, and parents
- Exploring strategies for the prevention of juvenile delinquency
- Exploring the potential for systems coordination and integration
- Assisting with the publication and distribution of two Report Cards to the Community that describe the status of juveniles in Belknap County
JJAC meets monthly, usually on the 4th Friday of the month from 7:30-9am.
Contact information:
Alan Robichaud, Executive Director
Andre Paquette, Citizens Council Associate and JJAC Chair
Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families
ajrobich@bccj.org
36 County Drive, Laconia, NH 03246
(603)527-5477
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Belknap County Observance of National Crime Victims Rights Week April 24-30th, 2006 †
Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families received funding from
the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), US Department of Justice, on behalf of a county-based
team of organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals to lead the first countywide observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), during the last week of April in 2006. The goal of this week was to promote victims’ rights and services and to educate citizens about the devastating impact of crime on victims, neighborhoods, schools, the state, and the nation.
Titled “It’s Personal: Strength in Unity for Victims’ Rights”, the week-long observance included a Proclamation from the County Commissioners; the première of a DVD that incorporated interviews with victims and victim advocates in Belknap County; a traveling exhibit of life-size, faceless figures representing the loss of identity and focus that victims often feel in the aftermath of crime; library book displays; a print and broadcast media campaign; the distribution of numerous educational materials; Speakers Bureau presentations around the county; a community discussion in Barnstead; and a public presentation on protecting children and youth from cybercrime.
While this was designed as a one-time community awareness event, the products generated by this week, including the DVD and the life-size cutouts, are available for loan.
Contact Information:
Alan Robichaud, Executive Director
Belknap County Citizens Council on Children and Families
ajrobich@bccj.org
36 County Drive, Laconia, NH 03246 Tel: (603)527-5477
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