Maximizing Risk Reduction through Effective Case Planning & Understanding, Identifying and Responding to Traumatic Stress Reactions

Morning Session- Moving Risk/Needs Assessment Results from Research to Practice: Maximizing Risk Reduction through Effective Case Planning---- The juvenile justice community has a wide variety of risk/needs assessment tools that have demonstrated reliability and predictive validity in identifying youth at elevated risk for future delinquent behavior. Researchers have also determined that focusing case planning efforts on dynamic factors results in lowered recidivism rates among justice involved youth. Two important challenges remain: 1) how to translate key research findings into everyday practice/case management decisions and (2) how to incorporate and consider mental health alongside risk/needs assessment results. This workshop will being with an update on research findings focused on the use of the YLS/CMI in case planning with justice-involved adolescents and then review and highlight how case plans developed consistent with the core tenets of the Risk-Needs-Responsivity model enhance risk reduction efforts. Using practical case examples, alongside current research findings, recommendations for integrating mental health screening into the overall case planning process will be highlighted. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Afternoon Session- Understanding, Identifying, and Responding to Traumatic Stress Reactions: Helping Justice-Involved Adolescents Cope, Respond, and Recover---- Significant attention has been raised to both the prevalence of lifetime traumatic event exposures and current trauma reactions found among adolescents who come into contact with the justice system. These high rates have reinforced specific calls for a more trauma-informed juvenile justice system. Becoming more trauma-informed requires that juvenile justice staff understand the impact of trauma, how to identify current trauma reactions, and then what steps are available to help adolescents cope, respond, and recover. This workshop will highlight current knowledge or both the rates and impact of traumatic event exposure and current trauma reactions on justice-involved adolescents; highlight how stress in general, and traumatic stress in particular, impacts the brain and body; offer practical suggestions/tips for identifying trauma reactions in justice-involved adolescents, and discuss in what ways trauma-specific treatment services can assist in improving an adolescent's overall functioning and also impact case planning and risk reduction efforts. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ About the Presenter: Keith Cruise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Fordham University and Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a technical assistance center that is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of youth within the juvenile justice system. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized risk assessment protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. Dr. Curise's clinical forensic practice has involved providing direct care assessment and treatment to justice-involved youth, providing expert testimony to juvenile courts, and providing technical assistance and consultation to local and state juvenile justice systems. Dr. Cruise holds a Ph.D in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas and a M.S.L from the University of Nebraska. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A box lunch will be provided and training has been approved for 6 hours of CLE credit & 6 hours of criminogenic CEUs for juvenile justice