klmno
Active Member
I am actually finally writing this letter regarding our juvie CSU (court srvices unit) in this state! Instead of writing 2-3 different ones, I'm starting by writing one and then might copy it to vary a small amount of wording for each recipient. It's to file complaints about specific people, to wage a grievance with our state Department of Juvenile Justice, and to ask the legislators to consider new laws while they are reviewing the juvenile justice laws this session.
I have an opening paragraph stating the purpose of my letter, then have started bulleted specific complaints/grievances/what I believe are wrong-doings (the point there is to list specific issues with the people by name and to also make it obvious how out of control this is), then I'll have a sentence requesting that they consider laws to address 'the following' in order to close that loophole, meet the regs, policies, strategic plans, and overall objectives already defined in our state government, which of course, would cost the government and taxpayers less in the long run.
Then I'll bullet those things I think would help immensely (such as eliminating the exception for MH providers to be licensed if they work for the local gov and requiring a grievance procedure be developed and publicized for parents of juveniles on probation or parole, not just those incarcertaed, requiring POs, GALs and other attnys in juvie courts to have a min amount of experience instead of using our juvie courts to train those newly licensed since this is a state that doesn't expunge juvie records, etc), then I'll have a closing paragraph, and I"m done!
I think I could do a brief hx of difficult child/me as an attachment and send it to certain recipients, but all wouldn't necessarily need it. I'm thinking this will keep the 'main' letter shorter and to the point. I'm going to send it to enough agencies that I hope some conclude it wouldn't be a good idea to ignore it.
The thing is, when I read the state committees' studies/recommendations, the state regs, policies, objectives, etc, it says exactly what I think- well, as much as can be expected and goals that I could live with being the parent of a juvenile delinquent. But it sure as heck isn't playing out that way on the local level. Why? because NO ONE from the state level checks on the local CSUs. And I mean NO ONE. They spend all that on the facilities for incarceration- they have a grievance procedure there for the kids and an ombudsman for parents to contact, etc. But that isn't where the loophole is.
Please wish me luck. If they change one law out of the 4-5 I'll be requesting they look at, at least maybe one juvenile and family can get better than we have. I don't know why they can't figure out this would save them more money than they are spending now. Say if they spent $95,000 on a licensed MH prof who saw 20 families per year but only 1/2 of those juveniles were helped and didn't reoffend again- that's 10 kids kept from being committed to Department of Juvenile Justice. It takes over $100,000 per year to keep a kid in a Department of Juvenile Justice facility for a year- so they spend 95,000 to save 1,000,000. Duh!
That's just an example- I'm trying to keep my requests general and not specific to my son.
I have an opening paragraph stating the purpose of my letter, then have started bulleted specific complaints/grievances/what I believe are wrong-doings (the point there is to list specific issues with the people by name and to also make it obvious how out of control this is), then I'll have a sentence requesting that they consider laws to address 'the following' in order to close that loophole, meet the regs, policies, strategic plans, and overall objectives already defined in our state government, which of course, would cost the government and taxpayers less in the long run.
Then I'll bullet those things I think would help immensely (such as eliminating the exception for MH providers to be licensed if they work for the local gov and requiring a grievance procedure be developed and publicized for parents of juveniles on probation or parole, not just those incarcertaed, requiring POs, GALs and other attnys in juvie courts to have a min amount of experience instead of using our juvie courts to train those newly licensed since this is a state that doesn't expunge juvie records, etc), then I'll have a closing paragraph, and I"m done!
I think I could do a brief hx of difficult child/me as an attachment and send it to certain recipients, but all wouldn't necessarily need it. I'm thinking this will keep the 'main' letter shorter and to the point. I'm going to send it to enough agencies that I hope some conclude it wouldn't be a good idea to ignore it.
The thing is, when I read the state committees' studies/recommendations, the state regs, policies, objectives, etc, it says exactly what I think- well, as much as can be expected and goals that I could live with being the parent of a juvenile delinquent. But it sure as heck isn't playing out that way on the local level. Why? because NO ONE from the state level checks on the local CSUs. And I mean NO ONE. They spend all that on the facilities for incarceration- they have a grievance procedure there for the kids and an ombudsman for parents to contact, etc. But that isn't where the loophole is.
Please wish me luck. If they change one law out of the 4-5 I'll be requesting they look at, at least maybe one juvenile and family can get better than we have. I don't know why they can't figure out this would save them more money than they are spending now. Say if they spent $95,000 on a licensed MH prof who saw 20 families per year but only 1/2 of those juveniles were helped and didn't reoffend again- that's 10 kids kept from being committed to Department of Juvenile Justice. It takes over $100,000 per year to keep a kid in a Department of Juvenile Justice facility for a year- so they spend 95,000 to save 1,000,000. Duh!
That's just an example- I'm trying to keep my requests general and not specific to my son.