UC program addresses the staffing crisis in our juvenile justice system

UC program addresses the staffing crisis in our juvenile justice system

The Transformative Leadership Vanguard helps workers reform a system in need

By Rodney Wilson Email RodneyEmail Rodney

7 minute read December 11, 2024 Share on facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Reddit Print StoryLike

Earlier this year, a working group assembled to advise Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine rendered findings that youth "do not respond well to adult-style incarceration." The report followed a series of investigations that found abuse and neglect within Ohio's juvenile justice system, understaffing and dangerous conditions for staff members, and traumatic experiences that encouraged recidivism rather than reform. Overall, teens who were put into the juvenile justice system had a 40 percent chance of returning to custody, with a distinct rise in chances of early mortality.

The working group, like many similar advisory boards across the nation, recommended sweeping reform. But recognizing change is needed is the easy part; knowing where to start is a whole other issue.

Some of that work is already being done at the University of Cincinnati, though, specifically in the School of Criminal Justice and associated centers within the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology (CECH). One such center is the UC Corrections Institute (UCCI), which launched its inaugural Transformative Leadership Vanguard (TLV) cohort in August of this year. The TLV is a 10-month collective training summit designed to support youth corrections reform by equipping front-line staff to address dire staffing needs in the system.

Assessing needs, addressing concerns

"We were awarded a federal grant from OJJDP, which is the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, to serve as a research partner for the juvenile justice staffing crisis that we are experiencing in the U.S.," says Jennifer Scott, Associate Director of UCCI, explaining the center's initial step was to perform research into the staffing crisis.

The second step was targeted intervention via the TLV, developed in collaboration with the Council of State Governments and Georgetown Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. "It's an effort to work with frontline staff," she says. "A lot of times we see change efforts come from management or upper leadership, but … everyone can play a role in staff retention and creating healthier organizations. The goal is to work with and learn from 'boots on the ground' people working day-to-day with youth."

The TLV invited agencies to apply for participation, with seven agencies ultimately chosen to send multiple staff members. Things started with an August kickoff event at UC that progressed thematically over four days. Day one examined what does work in the system, followed by a second day wherein participants looked closely at the services they, as individuals, execute in their work. Day three considered how work communities impact personal health and well-being among staff members, as well as digging into the effect of trauma on the still-developing minds of youth.

"Then the last day was really pulling it all together and saying, okay, we've learned a lot about ourselves, about our communities, and about how we have the capacity to implement change," says Scott. "How do we pick something that we want to do, go home and see if we can implement change from the ground up?"

A concentrated change effort

While the four-day kickoff event provided space for intensive work toward opportunities for change, the TLV also has monthly meetings where training and technical assistance are provided to each agency, and a series of follow-ups to further explore and develop change efforts for capstone projects. Follow-up sessions include webinars around best practices, peer-to-peer discussions, and technical and training assistance.

"We're meeting across the cohorts and discussing what's working and what's not working, checking in with each other and seeing what strategies would be helpful," explains Scott. "Peer groups allow us to learn from the challenges and successes of each other, and we find staff consistently asking to network in this way."

Ultimately, though, the end result of the 10-month program is an implementable capstone project around the change effort developed over the course of the program. The TLV will culminate with the cohort returning to UC in May 2025 for a closing event. Here they will present their capstone projects and discuss what transpired within each participating agency over the past 10 months, as well as how the change efforts will support retention of staff in the juvenile justice system. A short question-and-answer session is likely between presentations.

"At the closing, we'll encourage the cohort to lean into additional steps to take after this capstone," says Scott, "to measure the ongoing success and sustainability of their change efforts." At the time of this writing, the TLV is nearing the halfway point of its 10-month program, and organizers are already noting some lessons both they and participants have learned through the process.

"I think one of the biggest things we've learned is that change efforts are hard."

Jennifer Scott UCCI Associate Director

"In order to shepherd a change effort or a change movement, there are some key ingredients that we find ourselves, our team leading it, really leaning into," says Scott, adding, "Motivation is a key thing." She notes that additional lessons emerging from the program are the indispensable value of community amongst participants and the importance of a strong action plan as a success tool. "It's really easy to say, oh, yeah, I just need to schedule a meeting so that we can pitch this idea to my supervisor," she says. "But there are a lot of micro steps that go into setting a meeting and pitching an idea."

While the grant-funded vanguard was conceived as a onetime, 10-month program, the UCCI is working to ensure similar learnings will be offered in the coming years as well. "While the funded project is set to end after this cohort, we plan to reproduce the model moving forward within our Annual Training Institutes (ATI) each August at UC" says Scott. "The ATI will replicate the kickoff training with follow-up technical assistance available to agencies choosing to invest in the longer-term commitment with a cohort.

"UCCI has been hosting ATI events since 2012, bringing corrections professionals from across the U.S. and abroad to the university's Uptown Campus. While previously focused on training users on UCCI-structured assessments and interventions, this evolution to include the TLV model opens the door to what's next in how we strive to positively impact lives and shape safer communities."

UC Corrections Institute

Featured image at top: Participants in the inaugural Transformational Leadership Vanguard gathered for a four-day kickoff event at the University of Cincinnati campus. photo/provided

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