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More than 1,600 youth enter New York State’s institutional placement facilities each year, at an estimated annualized cost of $210,000 per child. Yet many youth leave more angry, fearful, or violent than when they entered. In September 2008, Governor David A. Paterson created the Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice to help the state shift toward a rehabilitative, treatment-focused model of care that promotes public safety, holds youth accountable for their actions, and produces positive outcomes for young people and their families.

The Vera Institute of Justice has learned that Widening the Lens 2008 reflects an undercount of detention admissions (secure and non-secure) for juvenile delinquency (JD) and persons in need of supervision (PINS) cases outside of New York City.

Under New York State law, a parent or guardian who does not ensure that his or her child attends school regularly can be found to have neglected the child. From 2004 to 2008, educational neglect allegations increased by 34 percent statewide. Most of these allegations involved children ages 13 to 17.

When children have contact with law enforcement, particularly if they are arrested, they can end up deeper than necessary in the justice system if their parents face language barriers. This paper chronicles the efforts of a multiagency work group that included the Vera Institute of Justice and sought to help limited English proficient parents understand their role and participate if their child is involved in the justice system—regardless of the language they speak.