DHHS to expand juvenile justice reform efforts with $825,000 federal grant

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced Friday that it will expand treatment options for youth involved in, or at-risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system, using a grant from the United States Department of Justice. 

According to a news release from DHHS, the $825,000 grant will allow the Department to implement its Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success project, with a continuum of care providing a range of prevention and intervention services. 

Project activities will include:

• Starting a juvenile justice planning council that will advance efforts to reduce the number of youths placed in detention or secure residential placements using prevention, intervention, diversion and reentry services. 
• Identifying evidence-based practices and culturally appropriate strategies to advance the long-term wellbeing and success of youth and their families. 
• Developing strategies for evaluating the economic impact of changes resulting in cost savings, and identifying how those savings can be reinvested into the continuum of care.
• Creating a sustainable framework that supports reducing youth incarceration and helps divert youths into community programs through a coordinated collaborative strategy that promotes safe communities. 

“Michigan has made so much progress in reforming its juvenile justice system to provide better treatment services to the youth it serves,” Demetrius Starling, senior deputy director of DHHS’s Children’s Services Administration, said in a statement.

“I’m excited by the additional opportunities for improvement that comes through this federal investment in our hard work. This award further solidifies that we are headed in the right direction with our reform efforts,” Starling said.