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The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
    • Overview
    • Financial Information
    • Annie E. Casey Foundation Careers and Jobs
    • Our History
    • Our Leadership
    • The Casey Philanthropies
    • Workforce Composition
    • Overview
    • Child Welfare
    • Community Change
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    • Expanding Opportunity for All
    • Impact Investments
    • Juvenile Justice
    • KIDS COUNT and Policy Reform
    • Leadership Development
    • Research and Evidence
    • Overview
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Juvenile Probation Transformation Training Series

In this free, online training series, you’ll learn what probation transformation is, the urgency behind it and its implications for day-to-day practice. Also, you’ll have opportunities to reflect on the bigger picture of youth justice in the United States, the role of probation and our highest aspirations — for what we bring to the work as individuals and what we hope to achieve for young people in the juvenile justice system.

The courses are interactive. You’ll learn, reflect on and apply strategies that make fundamental changes to the structure and culture of this work. The overall purpose is better and more equitable outcomes for youth, families and communities.

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) has approved The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Probation Transformation Courses 1 through 7 for a total of 12 APPA Contact Hours.

Navigating This Page

  • Who Should Use the Courses
  • How to Access the Courses
  • How to Use the Courses
  • Course Descriptions
    1. Course 1: Introduction to Probation Transformation
    2. Course 2a: Introduction to Racial Equity
    3. Course 2b: Racial Equity and Community Partnership
    4. Course 3: The Adolescent Brain and Youth Development
    5. Course 4: Youth Partnership and Positive Youth Justice
    6. Course 5: Family Partnership
    7. Course 6: Introduction to Trauma
    8. Course 7: Organizational Culture
  • Why Transform Juvenile Probation?
  • What Is Probation Transformation?
  • FAQs
  • Register for the Training Series

Who Should Use the Courses

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The courses are for anyone interested in probation transformation; however, they are primarily designed for probation leaders, supervisors and staff, based on the level of detail and types of reflection questions and activities.

How to Access the Courses

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Complete the registration at the bottom of this page. You will then receive an automated email from the learning platform (Reach 360) prompting you to log in. Click 'accept invite' in the email and then create a password. You will be taken to your learning dashboard where you will see the courses available to you. Bookmark or save this page to return to the course after you’ve registered.

How to Use the Courses

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The order of the seven courses is intentional, with content from early courses informing and providing context for those that follow. See the course numbers below. If desired, however, each course can stand on its own.

Jurisdictions and individuals are invited to use these courses in creative and interactive ways. Some jurisdictions may have participants complete the courses individually at their own pace, and then come together for discussion. Others may prefer to offer the courses as a collective experience, with real-time pauses for facilitated dialogue and implementation planning.

There are two companion resources to deepen engagement with the course material: 1) a notebook for individuals to use for exercises and reflections and 2) a discussion guide for use with groups. Links to these resources can be found within each course.

Course Descriptions

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Course 1: Introduction to Probation Transformation

Participants explore why juvenile probation transformation is needed, what it entails and how it can address racial inequities, support positive youth development, decrease confinement and achieve better outcomes for youth, families and communities.

Course 2A: Introduction to Racial Equity

Participants explore why transforming juvenile probation requires a commitment to racial equity and begin to explore how to achieve equitable results.

Course 2B: Racial Equity and Community Partnership

Participants explore how partnership between public systems and communities most directly affected by the justice system helps center racial equity in probation.

Course 3: The Adolescent Brain and Youth Development

Participants explore what is developmentally appropriate for young people based on the ongoing maturation process of the brain. This course offers important context for teen behavior and probation transformation.

Course 4: Youth Partnership and Positive Youth Justice

Participants explore the core principles and practices of Positive Youth Justice (PYJ), a strengths-based, relationship-focused approach to working with youth in the justice system. PYJ is grounded in broader concepts of youth voice and positive youth development and is central to probation transformation.

Course 5: Family Partnership

Participants explore what authentic family engagement looks like, why it is a necessary part of probation transformation and what steps individuals and agencies — in partnership with families themselves — can take to bring it to life.

Course 6: Introduction to Trauma

Participants explore what trauma is, how it shows up and why it is necessary to understand its impact when working with youth and families and setting out to transform youth justice practices.

Course 7: Organizational Culture

Participants learn how a department’s values and other aspects of organizational culture — including the broader system in which the department operates — can support probation transformation.

Why Transform Juvenile Probation?

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Probation is the most common experience young people have in juvenile justice. But evidence shows surveillance- and compliance-oriented probation doesn’t work. Despite the dedication and admirable intentions of probation professionals, probation, as it’s currently designed, often pulls young people — even those with first-time or low-level offenses — deeper into the legal system without offering the support and guidance that would put them on the right path and reduce the likelihood of re-arrest. Probation also plays a large role in perpetuating the vast and continuing overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, Latino and other youth of color in juvenile justice systems.

For young people to thrive, we need to respond more effectively when they make mistakes, even when they cause harm. This means moving away from a culture of punishment toward more developmentally appropriate responses, including options that keep more kids away from the justice system altogether.

What Is Probation Transformation?

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Probation transformation fundamentally reimagines how probation officers work and whom they work with. Probation transformation examines and addresses what’s in the way of getting probation right, from structure and culture to resources, relationships and more. This big-picture thinking, combined with tested strategies to improve outcomes for young people, is at the heart of probation transformation.

What Are the Key Concepts of Probation Transformation?

Transforming probation requires:

  • maximizing diversion and making it community grounded and community led;
  • focusing probation on young people with serious offense histories and making it a time-limited, relationship-based intervention that fosters community connections and opportunities that support long-term positive behavior change;
  • handling more serious cases through probation rather than out-of-home placement, thus minimizing placements in all forms;
  • leading with race by insisting on initial, primary and continuing focus on achieving equity for youth of color; and
  • grounding all of the above in meaningful community partnerships that include young people and families affected by the legal system.

FAQs

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  • Can I start, stop and return to a course? Yes, once you’re logged in, you may stop and restart a course at any point and your progress will be saved. After you’ve registered, the URL to return is https://caseyfoundation.reach360.com/.
  • How long will it take me to complete each course? Each course is estimated to take roughly between 90 minutes to complete. The overall time will vary by learner.
  • How is participation in each course measured and documented? Will I get a certificate of completion? Learners will receive a certificate after completing all lessons in a course.
  • Can I earn professional development credit or contact hours for completing these courses? The ability to receive professional development credit or contact hours for these courses depends on your jurisdiction, field of practice and specific licensing or certification requirements. The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) has approved Courses 1–7 for a total of 12 APPA contact hours of learning (1.5 hours per course). Learners are encouraged to submit their course certificates as evidence of learning to their respective licensing or credentialing bodies for consideration. We recommend checking with your employer, licensing board or professional association to determine eligibility for credit.
  • Does it make sense to use both the RJJ training courses and the probation transformation training courses in our jurisdiction? Yes. The free, online Reimagining Juvenile Justice curriculum by School & Main Institute, sponsored by the Casey Foundation, provides a strong foundation for anyone interested in juvenile justice reform — no matter what specific types of reform a jurisdiction is undertaking (e.g., detention reform, reducing youth incarceration, probation transformation). Probation leaders and staff may want to recommend RJJ courses to their community partners and colleagues in other youth-serving agencies to promote alignment with probation transformation. The PT courses are designed as a deep dive for probation leaders and staff.
  • Who should I contact if I have a question, need to report a technical issue with a course or want to suggest an additional resource for my peers? Please email [email protected].
  • What are the accessibility features of this course? Each course within this series has compatibility with screen readers, closed-captioned videos and transcripts for audio. Read more about the accessibility features within the course platform.

Register for the Training Series

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Complete the form below to register for the Juvenile Probation Transformation Training Series.

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