This report was compiled by members of the Injury Prevention Advisory Council Subcommittee on Violence. Its purpose is to present an overview of youth violence in Arizona, using data from the health care and criminal justice systems. Presenting both the health care and criminal justice perspectives presents a more comprehensive picture of youth violence and provides greater opportunities for developing solutions.

Since the release of the CDC’s recommendations to improve preconception health in 2006, the Arizona Department of Health Services and its partners across the state have made steady progress in improving awareness about preconception health and increasing access to preconception health services. The Bureau of Women’s and Children’s Health assessed internal programs serving women and children to identify opportunities for integrating preconception health education and services into program policies and procedures.

The Arizona Injury Surveillance and Prevention Plan establishes objectives and proposes strategic actions to avoid injury. The actions proposed are based on the knowledge that many seemingly accidental injuries could have been prevented by taking precautions, avoiding unnecessary risks, and/or enacting and enforcing laws such as drunk driving laws or seat belt laws.

The Arizona Department of Health Services offers a vast array of programs that benefit every state resident and visitor. I like to remind people that we are with you from birth to death. In fact, we provide certificates for both events through our Office of Vital Records. If you drink the water, eat the food, require hospital or nursing home care or use a child care facility, the Arizona Department of Health Services has touched your life in some important way. Assuring the quality of our food and water, setting standards for hospitals and nursing home and child care, maintaining the State’s vital records, screening newborns for genetic diseases, protecting the public from disease and overseeing the state’s mental health system and Arizona State Hospital are just some of the duties of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections has put together this handbook for you. You should use this Youth Handbook to help answer questions about your stay in Secure Care and as a guide to help you successfully transition from Secure Care into the community. This handbook will be discussed with you during your Orientation process.

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections has put together this handbook for you, the Parents/Legal Guardians of a youth who has been adjudicated by the courts to ADJC. This Family Handbook will help answer questions you might have concerning your child’s stay with ADJC and provide you with names and numbers of staff to contact should you have questions.

The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections has put together this handbook for you, the Parents/Legal Guardians of a youth who has been adjudicated by the courts to ADJC. This Family Handbook will help answer questions you might have concerning your child’s stay with ADJC and provide you with names and numbers of staff to contact should you have questions.

According to official reports, juvenile crime in Arizona has declined. In fact, the number of juvenile arrests has declined by 27.5%, and the percentage of crimes cleared by the arrest of a juvenile has also declined. The decline in juvenile crime was greater in Arizona than it was nationally, or in other western states. Director Michael Branham asked the Research and Development Division to examine the decline and research why it has occurred. In addition, Representative John Huppenthal of the Arizona House of
Representatives and Mr. Richard Stavneak, of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee requested research on how charter school enrollments may have contributed to the decline. The purpose of this report is to present the results of a study designed to gain a better understanding of the recent decline in Arizona juvenile crime.

On October 13, 2000 the Research and Development Section submitted a report entitled Commitments/Releases from ADJC Secure Custody by Race to the Minority Over Representation Group. At the June 20, 2002 Group meeting a request was made to update certain items of interest contained in the original report. This updated report includes the items of interest specified by the Group and it provides a simple yet dynamic picture of this important issue by displaying data for 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Assaults within correctional facilities can cause major problems. Assaults can disrupt the operation of correctional programming efforts and create an environment of fear and intimidation. They can result in serious injuries requiring transportation of staff or juveniles to a hospital. The purpose of this report is to 1) provide the Director and the committee with background data on assaults within ADJC, 2) provide the Director and the committee with an overview of requirements contained in the existing ADJC procedure(s) and information on how some ADJC staff report they are complying with those requirements, and 3) provide the Director and committee with background on three recommendations designed to address the assault dilemma within ADJC.