Funding to Track Outcomes around RJ Benchmarks |TODAY|

Submitted by dan. on 2007-03-05 15:15.
Restorative Systems

The Belknap County (New Hampshire) Citizens Council on Children and Families has received a grant of $47,710 from the New Hampshire Division for Juvenile Justice Services to aid in data collection among the providers of services to juvenile delinquents in Belknap County.

Robichaud said the role of the Citizens Council is not to provide direct services to clients but rather to facilitate communication and coordinate efforts among a variety of networks of professionals that do offer services to children, youths, and families.

"One of these networks," he said, "is the Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (JJAC), created in 2001 to promote communication and collaboration among juvenile justice professional providers, lay citizens, and volunteers."

JJAC members have been working together for more than five years to address the challenges and barriers that are part of a decentralized system, said Robichaud. Under the leadership of retired school superintendent Andre Paquette, JJAC produced the first Report Card on the Belknap County Juvenile Justice system in June 2006. Benchmarks and indicators around the principles of Restorative Justice, including victim restitution, community service, and offender competencies, were included in this report.

"But we still need to streamline and automate the collection of data so that we can accurately track progress from year to year," said Robichaud.

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