Statewide Implementation of

PBIS in Secure Juvenile Care:

Lessons Learned from Two States

Jeffrey Sprague, University of OregonBrenda Scheuermann, Texas State

UniversityKristine Jolivette, Georgia State

UniversityC. Michael Nelson, University of

Kentucky

This session will provide a rationale and guidelines for the adoption of PBIS practices in secure juvenile justice settings, including benefits for youth and staff members.

Session Objectives: 1. Describe the promise of PBIS implementation in

secure juvenile facilities2. Describe the adaptations needed to implement

facility-wide PBIS in secure juvenile facilities3. Describe intervention fidelity assessment methods4. Discuss implications for improving the juvenile

justice system

Objectives

The Promise of PBIS for Juvenile Justice Programs

PBIS is advocated as a promising approach for improving the Juvenile Justice System Research logic Legal and legislative remedy

PBIS practices are needed for adjudicated youth with (with and without) disabilities because: (a) they have the same rights to a free and appropriate public

education as do their peers in traditional school systems; (b) they must be afforded the protections and services under

the law that their peers with disabilities receive in general education schools; and,

(c) they need access to a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes both academic and social skill instruction and support.

General Education schools

JJ Facility and Alternative Education Programs

Classroom interventions:•CICO•Social Skills Teaching•Curriculum AdaptationUniversal school-wide positive behavior supports.

FBA-based behavior support plans with social skills training to teach appropriate replacement behaviors.

FBA-based behavior support plans with social skills training•Individual treatment protocolsClassroom and Facility Supports•Individualized CICO/incentives•Security

Coordinated school- and facility-wide positive behavior supports.•Rules•Teaching•CICO•Incentive/level systems•Social Skills Groups

Texas Initiated in response to 2009 legislative mandate Required for secure care facilities only

10, then 6, now 5 facilities Large facilities (2010 – approximately 2,700 youth)

Required for Education programs only As of 2013

Intent to expand PBIS to all areas of facility Georgia

Participating in an IES grant on the feasibility of PBIS across the tiers in all 28 detention- and long-term juvenile facilities

Overview of Our Projects

TEXAS JJ PBIS

Texas PBIS initiative

Ongoing elements Varying degrees of

central office oversight

External technical assistance

Fidelity assessments Outcome reports to

legislature

Changing elements 2010 – 2011

External coaches 2011 – 2012

Internal coaches 2012 – 2013

No coaches 2013 – 2014

PBIS coordinators Implementation

throughout facilities

1. Central office PBIS Leadership Team2. PBIS team at each facility3. Universal elements in place for all teams:

1. Five universal expectations2. Revised data forms (to capture major-minor

offenses)3. Data management system

4. Required universal elements (developed by facility teams):

1. Rules matrices2. Teaching plans and procedures3. Reminders4. Acknowledgement systems5. Consequences hierarchy 6. Review data*

Texas: Universal-level Elements

Texas FET

twice a year for each facility conducted by internal coach and external coach OR two

external coaches Reported results and inter-rater reliability Developed action plans for each facility

BoQ once a year for each facility

conducted by internal coach OR external coach Developed action plan for each facility

Texas - Fidelity Assessment

Lessons Learned from Texas

Status

TJJD is top-down, despite changes

PBIS is still not on the front burner with leadership

Facility-wide implementation is not progressing

Strategies

Central office leadership training

Education and Youth Services superintendents become agency PBIS coordinators

Establish one facility as PBIS pilot site

Georgia JJ PBIS

Facility-wide PBIS

DATA DECISION-MAKING

REINFORCE

TEACH & MODEL

Georgia Adaptations – FW-PBIS

Georgia Adaptations – Big Ideas

NOT FOR PUBLIC SHARING OUTSIDE OF PRESENTATION

Kristine will add a slide on-site

Adapted FET Quarterly Reports each time with LOP feedback State-wide average - 59/74 20%+ increases since initial FET (1 month

implementation) across all features Adapted TICs

Monthly Improvements in team processes and FW-

PBIS aspects in place

Promise within Georgia:10 months in

Decreases in Behavioral incidents Severity of incidents ‘noise’ behaviors

Improvements in Youth actively engaged in

programming Fidelity of implementation of

FW-PBIS LOP Staff self-efficacy Positive verbal interactions

between staff and youth/ staff and staff

Promise within Georgia

Youth Perspectives “It motivates me to do better” “Its changed this place – its more

positive and staff talk to us better” “I like it – staff are now on the same

page with what they want from us” “FW-PBIS is straight forward – I know

what I need to do to get what I want (reinforcers)”

“No one can take what I have earned from me – I earn it, I get it”

“Much better than level system – that was so easy to game and the scary guys got everything you earned”

“Its teaching me how to be successful for when I leave”

“Its fair” “I like to keep one of my raffle

tickets on my cot so when I am feeling down it reminds me that they care about me and I can do a good job”

Director/Staff Perspectives “Best thing this agency has done in my

30 years working here” “We are pleasantly surprised – FW-PBIS

has changed this place for the better” “Staff are commenting on how

programming/schedule disruptions are much better this year due to FW-PBIS”

“FW-PBIS is much easier than what we used to do – our business as usual has changed – and we like it”

“Now I know how to interact with the youth”

“I like my job much better – this is a much more positive place”

“Bullying and all that junk is down since starting FW-PBIS”

“Youth are now active participants in their programming as they do not receive credit just for showing up anymore”

Promise within Georgia

Across State JJ PBIS Adaptations and

Promise

Leadership: buy-in across systems (education, treatment security, housing)

Composition of PBIS leadership team: both agency and facility levels

Training across range of staff, settings, shifts (initial and ongoing)

Staff buy-in and fidelity of implementation Collection and use of data Expectations/rule matrixes for a variety of settings

(e.g., housing, treatment & vocational programs) High rates of turnover among youth, staff

Universal-level Adaptations Needed

Improved climate for teaching, learning, living

Less minor behavior: “white noise”Greater consistency, communication among staff

Better post-incarceration outcomes?

Promise of PBIS in Secure Care Facilities

Juvenile penology is top-down and a closed system

Punishment mold is hard to breakChange from reactive to proactive modus operandi takes time and persistence

Leadership, Communication, Collaboration are essential

Lessons Learned from All

Brenda Scheuermann brenda@txstate.edu

Mike Nelsonmike.nelson@uky.edu

Kristine Jolivette kjolivette@gsu.edu

Jeffrey Sprague jeffs@uoregon.edu

Thank You

Maximizing Your Session Participation

Work with your team

Consider 4 questions:

–Where are we in our implementation?

–What do I hope to learn?

–What did I learn?

–What will I do with what I learned?

Where are you in implementation process?

Adapted from Fixsen & Blase, 2005

Leadership Team Action Planning Worksheets: Steps

Self-Assessment: Accomplishments & Priorities

Leadership Team Action Planning Worksheet

Session Assignments & Notes: High Priorities

Team Member Note-Taking Worksheet

Action Planning: Enhancements & Improvements

Leadership Team Action Planning Worksheet