{"id":61020,"date":"2019-09-11T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-09-11T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4d04481058.nxcli.io\/?p=61020"},"modified":"2019-09-18T15:54:34","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T20:54:34","slug":"special-report-a-tale-of-two-cities-new-york-juvenile-justice-program-stresses-safety-by-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milwaukeenns.org\/2019\/09\/11\/special-report-a-tale-of-two-cities-new-york-juvenile-justice-program-stresses-safety-by-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"SPECIAL REPORT: A tale of two cities: New York juvenile justice program stresses \u2018safety by relationships\u2019","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Second of three parts

Editor\u2019s note:<\/em><\/strong> Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has changed the names of youths in New York\u2019s justice system upon request to ensure their safety and privacy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW YORK \u2014 Four teenage young men stand in a circle around a long wooden dining room table. Staff members, some of whom wear polo shirts and on-trend khaki pants with elastic around the ankles\u2014matching the kids\u2019 attire\u2014stand in the circle as well. Colorful tissue paper decorations hang from the ceiling, and taco toppings are spread out on the table ready for lunch.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Youths eat lunch with staff members at a big family-style kitchen table at a limited-secure Close to Home facility in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After waiting for their court date in a more traditional detention center, the young men around the table were placed in this Close to Home facility in Brooklyn operated by the nonprofit Rising Ground. It is one of the small facilities for six to 12 kids that replaced the state\u2019s youth prisons, and it\u2019s meant to resemble a homelike environment. The idea is a shift from the traditional idea of \u201ccorrections\u201d to make the space and program less punitive and more constructive, said Lisa Crook, vice president of justice for youth and families programs at Rising Ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initiatives such as Close to Home<\/a> have gained the attention of leaders in Milwaukee County in the year and a half since the state legislature passed a bill to close Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons<\/a> and replace them with smaller regional facilities, and they will come into question as a state committee allocates funds to replacement plans across Wisconsin in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before sitting down for lunch, each person completes the sentence out loud, one after the other, \u201cI\u2019m checking in and I\u2019m feeling … ” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlessed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRelaxed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFocused.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSad.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone intercedes, \u201cDo you want to talk about it?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The circle continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m checking in, and I\u2019m feeling optimistic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one skips a beat, a sign the youths obviously are familiar with the practice.
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This type of check-in and open discussion about feelings is an integral piece of the model of care this home embraces, Crook said. They follow what\u2019s called the Missouri Model<\/a>. The model focuses on building trust and accountability between youths and staff and relies heavily on group therapy. Anyone, staff or youths, can call for a \u201ccircle\u201d at any point throughout the day if they want to talk a situation through or check in as a group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to get a contract from the city\u2019s Administration for Children\u2019s Services to run a Close to Home facility, provider organizations such as Rising Ground are required to have a specific, evidence-based model of care that guides their work. The providers say this has contributed to their homes\u2019 success, but leaders from some grassroots organizations counter that these types of stipulations have become a barrier to smaller, locally trusted organizations that seek Close to Home contracts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Felipe Franco, the deputy commissioner of New York\u2019s Administration for Children\u2019s Services, said the point of this requirement is to have a unifying philosophy so all staff and youths work within the same structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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