Online Program

Oral

There is a growing recognition within the criminal justice system, especially those areas that interact with children and youth, that heath and developmental factors must be acknowledged and considered in both practice and policies. Two areas of health that have been of particular interest to criminal justice practitioners and leaders are: the impact of early trauma and exposures to violence on brain development, behavior and the risk for involvement with the criminal justice system, and the growing understanding of the importance of physical, emotional, and neurological development during adolescence on risk for involvement in violence and other criminal behaviors. Increasingly the science that is advancing the understanding of these two issues is influencing the thinking in the criminal justice system and this is clearly evidenced in several signature programs that are currently present in the US Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs, Defending Childhood and the National Forum for Youth Violence Prevention. Three leaders from the Office of Justice Programs will participate in this session presenting the health and public health issues relevant to criminal justice policy followed by discussions of how these issues have influenced and been integrated into juvenile justice programs/policy and into the broad federal interagency initiative addressing youth violence in urban centers.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the implications of early exposure to trauma on the risk for involvement with the criminal justice system. 2. Identify the developmental issues occurring during adolescence that have implications for juvenile justice policy. 3. Discuss the manner in which an understanding of health and developmental issues of childhood and adolescence have influenced criminal justice policy and practice.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)