Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

4-2020

Abstract

Safety Net is a program that aimed to reduce juvenile contact with the justice system by linking youth and families with mental health services and supports to promote healthy development. Barret and Janopaul-Naylor (2016) found Safety Net to decrease juvenile arrests by almost 60% in a previous study via the training of police officers in youth mental health and implicit bias, establishing sustainable collaboration between police officers and mental health service providers, and diverting youth to receiving care from mental health providers as opposed to the JJS. Ideally, I would like to implement a Safety Net program for the Applied Psychology Counselor Education department at the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO). According to Johnson (2016), Juvenile delinquency trends in Greely, Colorado have continued to decrease since 2009; however, the number of arrests for juveniles under 18 was approximately 1,530 in 2015. With the contacts I have at NRBH, the community members I have worked closely with at the Department of Human Services, and various police officers from the Greeley Police Department (GPD), there may be potential to implement a social justice collaboration between human service providers in the area. Barret and Olle (2016) not only call for the replication of Safety Net in other areas, but also provide an outline for how one counseling psychologist was successful in its implementation this program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Comments

This presentation is a finalist for the Graduate Social Sciences, Education, Business Research Excellence Award

COinS