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.

With so much new school reform activity within the United States centering on charter schools, a fresh appraisal of the situation is in order. This briefing summarizes the history of charter school laws and updates their current status across the country. Although this is not intended to be a comprehensive review, several charter school research projects are described: some that have revealed lessons learned in the implementation of charter school laws, and others, more national in scope, that were designed to systematically describe existing charter schools and document their impacts.

This study was conducted as a progress evaluation of charter schools in Arizona. The study was funded by the Arizona Department of Education and conducted during calendar year 1998 by the Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

A total of 303 parents of charter school students, 171 students, 123 teachers and 54 directors completed surveys about charter schools. Fourteen focus groups were held around the state with parents, students, teachers and directors. Individual interviews were conducted with 23 persons, most of whom either hold policy-making positions related to charter schools or are employed by professional organizations that interact frequently with the schools.

The Arizona Head Start--Public School Transition Project is 1 of 31 demonstration projects designed to test whether advances by Head Start children could be maintained by continuing Head Start-type services into kindergarten through the third grade, and to identify, develop, and implement transition practices to bridge the gap between Head Start and public schools. This study evaluated the Arizona project in its fourth year of implementation. Participating were two cohorts of students at three transition and three comparison schools in Phoenix. The program components evaluated were: (1) developmentally appropriate practices, curriculum, and materials; (2) physical health, mental health, and dental services; (3) family services; and (4) parent involvement. Findings indicated that all components had been implemented by the time of the 1995-96 evaluation. Both cohorts had similar public assistance participation, and all groups showed dramatic decreases in public assistance since program entry. The vast majority of parents from all groups reported positive interactions with schools; qualitative data confirmed continuing positive impact on teachers, schools, and the Head Start agency. Transition services, especially those of family advocates, were seen as crucial to smooth transitions. There were observable differences between transition and comparison classrooms; however, quantitative data showed few significant differences in gains made by children between transition and comparison classrooms. Confounding variables of high attrition, variations in student English proficiency, and the existence in comparison schools of transition-like services may have influenced the results. Promising practices and further challenges were identified and recommendations were made for improving the collaboration between the Head Start program and the public schools, and improving the evaluation process. (Three appendices include a summary of data collection instruments. Contains 20 references.)