Different Worlds with Common Concerns: How
Dependency and Delinquency Systems Can
Achieve Better Results by Authentically Engaging
Youth and Families
Hernan Carvente and Ryan Shanahan, PhD
Engaging Families
• What are some BENEFITS
to working with families
of youth?
• What are some
CHALLENGES to working
with families of youth?
Why Work with Families?
• Families are experts on their own lives.
• Family members know each other best.
• Family is a natural support system for early crisis
intervention.
• Families have a long-term investment that outlasts
treatment and government interventions.
Research on Family Engagement
Family Justice Program
• Vera’s Family Justice Program provides extensive training and
strategic support to government and community partners to help
them effectively draw on the resources of families and
communities. These systemic interventions are designed to
benefit people at greatest risk of cycling in and out of the justice
system.
• The Vera Institute of Justice is an independent nonprofit that
combines expertise in research, demonstration projects, and
technical assistance to help leaders in government and civil
society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety.
Family Engagement Matters
 A family-systems approach not only reduced
recidivism rates for justice-involved youth as
compared with other models of treatment, but also
reduced rates of siblings’ involvement in the justice
system. (Klein, 1977)
 The protective effect of receiving parental visits
during incarceration exists regardless of the quality
of the parent-adolescent relationship. (Monahan,
Goldweber, Cauffman, 2011)
Youth Who Receive Visits Have Fewer
Behavior Incidents
Youth Who are Visited Weekly Have
Better GPA’s
90
85.0
GPA
85
80
80.4
82.0
75
70
Never
Less 1 week
Visitation Frequency
Weekly
Distance to Facility Is a Barrier to
Visitation
School District 11
2
5
7
9
8
4
1
Average
Number of
21.5 19.3
Visits per Year
18.8
13.3
9.6
9
3.6
3
6
10
2.1
0
FACILITY
High visitation rates
Medium visitation rates
Low visitation rates
Tools for Authentic Family Engagement
Juvenile Relational Inquiry Tool
• Goals of the Juvenile
Relational Inquiry Tool:
• To provide staff with a
user-friendly method of
recognizing and
reinforcing positive
connections to family and
social networks during
and after incarceration.
• To build rapport between
the professional using
the tool and the
incarcerated individual.
The Genogram
X
X
James
1929-2006
Eleanor
1932-2007
MALE
Grace
b. 1952
Robert
b. 1953
FEMALE
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
James Jr.
b. 1955
Cynthia
b. 1978
Henrietta
b. 1960
Incarcerated
Martin
b. 1984
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
INVOLVEMENT
Paula
b.1961
MENTAL ILLNESS
CHRONIC ILLNESS
DECEASED
EMPLOYED
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION
HIGHSCHOOL GRADUATE
TAKES CARE OF CHILDREN
IN SCHOOL
Ray
(Mr. A)
b. 1957
Annette
b. 1960
Chloe
b. 1994
MARRIED
SEPARATED
DIVORCED
FAMILY VIOLENCE
The Ecomap
The Ecomap
Godmother
Religious
Services
School
YOUTH
Friends at
Facility
Unit Staff
Psychologist
CONFLICT
NEUTRAL
STRONG
Mother and
Sister
Miracle Question
Imagine you go to sleep tonight and a miracle happens: your challenges no longer exist.
When you wake up tomorrow, what will you notice first that tells you a miracle has
happened and things are different?
Scaling Questions
Resiliency Questions
What keeps you going?
How have you managed?
Exception Questions
Were there times recently when the problem did NOT occur?
When was the most recent time you were able to…How did th
happen? What was different? Who was involved?
Implementation
• Write down one thing you can do the moment you
get back from this training.
• Write down one thing you will do within one week.
• Write down one thing you will do within one month.
Contact Information
http://www.vera.org/centers/family-justice-program
Hernan Carvente
(212) 376-3113
hcarvente@vera.org
Ryan Shanahan, PhD
(212)376-3071
rshanahan@vera.org