Gardena’s New Perspective
The City of Gardena is working to address these problems
prevalent in the community and collaborated with the USC
School of Social Work to partner with Master of Social Work
interns to create the Gardena Juvenile Justice and Intervention
Program (GJJIP). The GJJIP provides accountability and structure
for youth in Gardena that has been cited for a low-level misdemeanor or status offense, as well as any at-risk youth with behaviors likely to lead to criminal conduct. This program functions
through six main components: case management service plans,
restorative justice sanctions, life skills workshops, community
referrals, writing workshops, and mentorship. When cited, the
juvenile goes through a vetting process by juvenile detectives to
see if they are suitable to participate in the program. If selected,
the juveniles are diverted into the GJJIP. Alternatively, non-cited
youth can be referred directly into the program by community
members, educators, police officers or relatives.
Social workers, working under the supervision of a Licensed
Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the GJJIP, will serve as mentors
and conduct clinical assessments of youth to develop service
plans tailored to the youth’s need. Through these service plans,
juveniles are held accountable for their actions via minor sanctions and proactive life skills workshops. In addition, youth are
also assigned to restorative justice sessions to help them better
understand the impact of their actions on the community and
victims. These methods have been proven to be effective and
efficient in ensuring that our youth receive the care and resources
that they need.
Additionally, special cases that involve substance abuse,
mental health concerns, or traumatic experiences are referred out
to a select group of non-profit agencies for intensive, direct services. If cited youth complete the program successfully, there will
not be charges filed on their citation/arrest and will thus keep the
youth from having any juvenile criminal record. By going beyond
the traditional sanctions, the Gardena Police Department intends
to find a holistic approach to keep our youth from entering the
criminal justice system and to help build critical skills necessary
to be successful in life.
Immediate Impact
In the first months of operation the response has been
extraordinary—over 75 kids have been referred or diverted
into the program. The GJJIP is focused on finding alternative
solutions to breaking the cycle of crime and delinquency for the
youth of Gardena. As law enforcement professionals working in
an environment of constant justice reform, it is important to take
the initiative to ensure that our youth do not continue to fall
through the cracks. Developing unique approaches such as the
GJJIP will ensure we do our part towards reducing delinquency
in our communities. ■
SPRING 2015 | California Police Chief
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