MJJA's continued leadership in the following Juvenile Justice Arenas:

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Statewide Juvenile Justice Educational Conferences
Priding itself on quality faculty, cutting edge topics, and leading with the spirit of collaboration, MJJA hosts two statewide educational conferences each year, attended by a wide range of professionals—those with an interest in and who may touch the life a child within Missouri’s juvenile justice system. Some of those who attend are professionals of: juvenile and family courts, the Judiciary, Division of Family Services, Division of Youth Services, Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Office of State Courts Administrator, juvenile detention, attorneys, educators, private care providers, guardians ad litem, Court Appointed Special Advocates, law enforcement, child care providers, parents, community leaders, and state and community lawmakers.

Fundamental Skills for Good Juvenile Probation Practice: MJJA provides this week-long, 40-hour program twice each year to new juvenile probation officers.

Fundamental Skills for Good Juvenile Detention Practice: MJJA provides this week-long, 40-hour program three times each year to new juvenile detention professionals.

STANDARDS

Juvenile Detention
This MJJA effort resulted in the development of the first Minimum Standards for the Operation of Missouri’s Juvenile Detention Facilities. They were presented to the Missouri Supreme Court who promulgated these Standards as a part of the Missouri Supreme Court Rules of Practice and Procedures for Juvenile Court.

Guardians Ad Litem
The result of this effort was the development of the first Minimum Standards for Missouri’s Guardians Ad Litem. These Standards were presented to the Missouri Supreme Court and subsequently approved.

PUBLICATIONS

MJJA is pleased to provide a number of juvenile justice related publications:

Missouri’s Juvenile Code – Includes Chapters 211, 210, 219 RSMo statutes and interstate compact information; Missouri Supreme Court Rules of Practice and Procedures for Juvenile Courts, which also includes Missouri’s Juvenile Detention Standards. These publications are provided to MJJA members as a benefit of membership.

Missouri’s Juvenile and Family Court Directory, which lists contact information for each of Missouri’s 45 Judicial Circuits – Juvenile Divisions and respective juvenile detention facilities. This publication is provided to MJJA members as a benefit of membership.

Spanish Phrasebook for Juvenile Court Personnel - for use by juvenile court personnel on their initial contact with a child and/or family whose primary language is Spanish. This is available for download from the MJJA website.

Missouri's Law Enforement Guidelines on Juvenile Issues designed specifically for Missouri’s law enforcement professional. This is available for download from the MJJA website.

MJJA's Weekly Legislative Update (by subscription only – significantly discounted to MJJA members) provided weekly during Missouri’s legislative session, this publication highlights legislation filed relating to children – specifically those within Missouri’s juvenile justice system.

Juvenile Law Report, provides recent case law decisions relating to juvenile law.

LEGISLATION

During Missouri’s legislative session, MJJA provides a Weekly Legislative Update to those who subscribe. It follows legislation relating to children, specifically those within Missouri’s juvenile justice system.

ADVOCACY

MJJA continues its leadership in serving as the consulting organization in the state relating to juvenile justice legislative advocacy and efforts.

JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURTS

At the heart of Missouri's juvenile justice system is the Juvenile/Family Court. MJJA provides a forum for juvenile court administrators to meet, discuss and make recommendations on a variety of issues as they impact the administration of Missouri's juvenile/family courts, the "hub" of Missouri's juvenile justice system.

MJJA'S FEDERAL GRANT EFFORTS

MJJA Children in Meth Labs Project
Beginning the fall of 2005, a federal earmark grant to MJJA will allow us to pursue this Project designed to improve the safety and medical care of children found in meth labs in Missouri through the development of a coordinated, multi-disciplinary and inter-agency response. The project will: develop, implement, and publish coordinated interagency protocols for children found in meth labs; develop a multi-disciplinary training curriculum based on the protocols; utilizing the curriculum, provide six regional training pograms to multi-disciplinary personnel; develop a web-based course focused on these protocols. Please see the Press Release on this project under "Media/PR" on this website.

Detention: Performance based Standards Grant
Provided funds to present a one-day training program to juvenile and family court administrators, judges and juvenile detention superintendents regarding PbS and its implementation. MJJA Board has endorsed PbS for Missouri Juvenile Detention.

Missouri Compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act:
MJJA was awarded a federal Title II grant annually, from 1985 to 2003, from the Department of Justice-Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, via the Missouri Department of Public Safety and the State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. Compliance Monitoring: The ultimate purpose of this grant was to monitor the state of Missouri's compliance with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. Through MJJA's monitoring effors, Missouri has remained in compliance with the Act since 1985, which has allowed Missouri to continue to receive over $7 million in federal OJJDP funds each year for juvenile justice programming.

Juvenile Detention Challenge Grant
Provided funds for the development of Minimum Detention Standards; funded the ability of juvenile detention superintendents to attend nationally accredited education programs on cutting edge juvenile detention issues and trends.

Gender Challenge Grant
Provided funds for the provision of a statewide conference focusing on gender specific programming in Missouri’s juvenile justice system.

Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) Challenge Grant
A three year project, this federal grant allowed MJJA to analyze and ultimately set plans for the state in reducing minority overrepresentation in Missouri's juvenile justice system. For more detail, please click here.
Please see DMC on MJJA's Resources web page, found under "Special Reports" for more information.

Spanish Phrasebook
Funded through an OJJDP Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG), this project allowed MJJA funds for the development, publication and distribution of a Spanish Phrasebook to be distributed to Missouri’s juvenile/family court personnel for their use to enhance their ability to meet the needs of children coming to their attention who may have, or whose family members may have, Spanish as their primary language. This publication has been recognized nationally, and received Missouri's Gubernatorial Award for Quality. (Please see News Articles under Media/PR for more information.)