JDAI Newsmakers
JDAI Transitions: Judith Cox
 |
| Judith Cox |
One of JDAI’s most accomplished reformers, Judith A. Cox, retired as Santa Cruz County, Calif., chief probation officer in July 2008. Cox, who began as a probation officer in 1978, hands over her duties to Scott MacDonald, a 24-year employee with the Santa Cruz County Probation Department and an experienced JDAI practitioner.
"The message I would like to leave is threefold: One, you can do this work without funding. Two, it is essential to look at who it is we are locking up in terms of race and ethnicity. … And three, make a commitment to share resources and open your justice system to community-based services," Cox said during a recent interview.
"It only makes sense that when we stop relying on detention, then we have to rely on the community," she added. "And I recommend really talking to the people who are using the services. Digging into the work will enlighten you."
In 1997 Cox was the assistant chief probation officer when John Rhoads was appointed chief probation officer after leaving a position in Sacramento, Calif., one of the original JDAI sites.
Relying on technical assistance from the Youth Law Center and working without any foundation funding, they implemented JDAI principles and practices in Santa Cruz. Cox quickly realized that the JDAI core strategies were a smart way to approach the administration of juvenile justice.
Santa Cruz adopted JDAI so thoroughly that its strategies were never seen as part of an outside initiative. In 1997 Santa Cruz became the first JDAI replication site and soon after was designated a JDAI Model Site.
In 2002 Cox was appointed chief probation officer. Under her leadership, Santa Cruz has amassed impressive results. Over a 10-year period, between 1996 and 2006, the county reduced its average daily population by 53 percent, admissions to detention by 51 percent and average length of stay by 31 percent.
Perhaps more than any other JDAI site, Santa Cruz has had a measurable impact on reducing minority overrepresentation. The Latino youth population in detention has declined by 59 percent during this time period.
Cox is particularly proud of the fact that the overall reduction in the percentage of minority youth detained was accompanied by a narrowing of the gap between the percentage of Latinos in detention and the percentage of Latino court-aged youth in the general population.
In 1997 there were 30 percent more Latino youth in detention than in the population, but by 2005 Santa Cruz had narrowed the gap to 12 percent.
"Recognizing the inequities and disparities has to be the prominent lens by which we do the work," Cox said. "Once we understand how the justice system works to disadvantage children of color, then we can improve services for everybody."
Bart Lubow, director of programs for high-risk youth at the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said Cox has been one of the nation's leading juvenile detention reformers.
"She not only led Santa Cruz County through a remarkable transformation, she also found the time and energy to inspire numerous other sites in efforts to reduce reliance on detention, eliminate racial disparities in juvenile justice, build genuine community partnerships and empower parents to help their court-involved children succeed, Lubow said.
Cox will remain closely associated with the initiative as a technical assistance provider, Lubow said. Her first assignment will be to help Hawaii start its detention reform process.
In addition to providing technical assistance to JDAI, Judy, who has a grown daughter, plans to stay in Santa Cruz, garden, read and travel.
Cox's successor, MacDonald, most recently was the assistant chief probation officer for the adult division. While working with the Santa Cruz County sheriff, he was responsible for successfully applying JDAI concepts to reduce crowding in the adult jail.
< JDAI Newsletter