University of Memphis School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Prepared for: Memphis City Schools Prepared by: Wayne J. Pitts, Ph.D. Highlights November 2011 School House Adjustment Program • In July 2007, Memphis City Enterprise: Two-year Outcome and Schools (MCS) received grant funding through the Dispropor- Evaluation Study, 2009-2011 tionate Minority Contact (DMC) What is the SHAPE Project? Pilot Project to implement the School House Adjustment Pro- Background amount of funding available from The School House Adjustment TCCY, one middle school and sev- gram Enterprise (SHAPE). Program Enterprise, commonly known enteen high schools were selected • The purpose of SHAPE is to by its acronym SHAPE began in July for inclusion in the program. In sub- reduce the number of minority 2007. Memphis City Schools (MCS) sequent years, new SHAPE schools students referred to Juvenile received grant funding through the Dis- were added and others were dropped Court for minor offenses. proportionate Minority Contact (DMC) from the program. The decision to • Many incidents involving juve- Pilot Project administered by the Ten- include or exclude a school from niles do not require the police to nessee Commission on Children and SHAPE were based on local staffing transport and in fact, most can be Youth (TCCY)to implement the issues and emerging trends in settled with a juvenile summons. SHAPE Program. The program is a transport trends. The schools with •The SHAPE program has clearly collaborative effort between MCS, the the highest transport number were Memphis Police Department (MPD), always targeted and included in the had the effect of reducing trans- the Shelby County Mayor’s Office, the program. In 2006-07, the number of ports to Juvenile Court from the Memphis City Mayor’s Office, the Dis- transports for SHAPE eligible charg- targeted schools. trict Attorney’s Office, the Public De- es from SHAPE schools was near- •SHAPE has made a significant fender’s Office, and the Shelby County ing 1,000 students. Approximately impact on the number of minori- Juvenile Court. one-tenth of all juveniles booked ty youth being held in juvenile SHAPE is a diversion program that into Shelby County Juvenile Court detention in Shelby County. seeks to reduce the number of minority in 2006 were transported for minor •62.5% of student referred to youth who are transported and booked charges and were likely eligible for SHAPE graduate by completing into juvenile detention for especially SHAPE diversion. at least twelve sessions of the minor charges. Mr. John Hall, a Mem- Originally, the SHAPE eligible phis City School employee working in charges were limited to three types Mendez curriculum sessions and the Security Division, has seen the of delinquent offenses: criminal tres- meeting all other requirements of number of minority youth being trans- passing, disorderly conduct, and the program. ported to Shelby County Juvenile Court simple assault. In 2010-2011, gam- •The SHAPE Juvenile Court re- throughout his career. In 2007, Mr. bling was also added as SHAPE cidivism rate of 19.1% is far less Hall, who is also the Chair of the Shel- eligible offenses. (about half) than reasonably by County Task Force on Dispropor- comparable rates. tionate Minority Contact (DMC) and the Chair of the Statewide DMC Task- This project is supported by Grant# force, developed a funding proposal to 626000360 awarded by the State of address the high number of minority Tennessee, Tennessee Commission on youth being transported from Memphis Children and Youth. Points of view in City Schools. this document are those of the author In the proposal, the number of and do not necessarily represent the transports to Juvenile Court from each official position or policies of the State MCS High school and Middle School of Tennessee, or Tennessee Commis- were counted and prioritized. Using sion on Children and Youth. this data and with considerations of the Shape Eligibility SHAPE Diversion whatsoever that the student has had any A basic premise of the SHAPE contact with Juvenile Court. At the end In order to be eligible for the project is that minority youth expe- of the six month period, if the student SHAPE Program students must rience disproportionate levels of complies with the program the juvenile meet the following conditions. contact at all levels of the criminal summons is destroyed. Thus, the stu- justice system and that this situation dent’s name never enters any record at • Students must have a pending is unjust. Individuals charged with Juvenile Court. Student accountability juvenile charge for criminal one of the SHAPE eligible charges for their behavior is a major component trespassing, disorderly con- are not required to be transported to of SHAPE. duct, simple assault with no Juvenile Court. Law enforcement serious injuries, or gambling. officers have substantial levels of SHAPE Curriculum discretion in the decision to Those students and parents who • Simple assault charges involv- transport. The SHAPE program agree to the SHAPE intervention must ing school personnel are not reinforced the use of discretion and complete the SHAPE curriculum. The considered SHAPE eligible. urged officers to instead make use current SHAPE curriculum is based on of the juvenile summons rather than best practice models developed by the • A student must have no felony transport students with minor charg- Mendez Foundation. See http:// adjudications, convictions or es. In the SHAPE program, the www.mendezfoundation.org/ . The pending charges. form that precedes an actual juve- curriculum is known as “Too Good for nile summons form is know an the Drugs and Violence.” It is a 14-week • Participants cannot have any Pending Document Form. Discre- program which focuses on the latest violent misdemeanor adjudica- tionary use of summonses instead of research related to resiliency, risk and tions, convictions, or pending transports to detention is in agree- protective factors. Each session, which charges. ment with juvenile statutes which lasts two hours, is designed to equip encourage detention only in cases students with the knowledge and be- • Any other misdemeanor charg- where the juvenile poses a threat to havioral skills they need to remain drug es that have occurred within themselves or the community. free, to improve decision-making, and the past twelve months make a to achieve positive outcomes. The cur- student ineligible. SHAPE Accountability riculum is delivered after school The SHAPE program is more through the week and some schools • The student must agree to vol- than an adjustment in juvenile jus- have weekend sessions as well. The untary participate in the pro- tice processes, however. SHAPE is MCS staff who work with the SHAPE gram and the parent or guardi- also an early intervention program program have received training to ad- an must give permission. and that includes substantial empha- minister the curriculum. Students who sis on student and parental account- do not complete at least twelve sessions ability. Once a student has received of the curriculum as prescribed are re- a Pending Document Form for a moved from the program and their de- SHAPE eligible charge and meets ferred juvenile summons is filed with all of the other requirements to be Juvenile Court. SHAPE eligible, the student is re- ferred to enter the SHAPE program. SHAPE Administration Participation is voluntary. If stu- The SHAPE Program at each dents and their parents agree to the school has a Site Coordinator. Most program, a juvenile summons will schools are coordinated by a Behavior- not be filed with Juvenile Court. al Specialist who receives extra com- The potential summons remains pensation from the funds provided by active for six months and can be the Tennessee Commission on Children filed any time during this period. In and Youth. Most Behavioral Special- addition to reducing the number of ists are managing programs at multiple minority youth transported on minor schools. In addition to specific training charges, SHAPE also seeks to sub- to deliver the Mendez curriculum, stantially reduce the number of mi- those who are dedicated as behavioral nority youth who make any contact specialists have additional education in with Juvenile Court. A true diver- training to deal with at-risk youth. The sion occurs when there is no record SHAPE coordinator is Mr. John Hall 2 Evaluation Methodology The data were transferred to the Introduction University of Memphis evaluation Early emphasis was placed on the team in three ways: (1) a site visit evaluation of the SHAPE program. to the SHAPE schools in which Wayne J. Pitts, Ph.D., an external interview protocols were copied by evaluator from the Department of the Behavioral Specialist and given Criminology and Criminal Justice at to a member of the evaluation the University of Memphis, has been team; (2) the requested information working with the program administra- was sent to the project facilitator tors since the original proposal to The interview protocols included: and picked up by a member of the TCCY was developed. This partner- referral forms, intake forms, evaluation team; (3) the infor- ship has been especially beneficial for monthly tracking forms, and exit mation was sent via fax or mail. As guiding self-corrections to SHAPE forms for each student enrolled in data were received from the site and monitoring the overall implemen- the program. These forms were coordinators, each form was en- tation of the program. designed by the evaluator and ap- tered into a password protected This report includes data for two proved by Memphis City Schools Microsoft Access™ 20 database. consecutive school years between officials. In addition to the data obtained 2009-2011. During this time period, Extreme emphasis was placed on by the individual MCS Behavioral there have been slight variations in the preserving student confidentiality Specialists, data regarding participating schools due to funding and all methods discussed here students’ grades and behavioral and staffing issues.