Juvenile Court Aligned Action Network
The Juvenile Court Aligned Action Network (JCAAN) is a structured, data-driven collaborative comprised of 15-20 members who meet monthly to focus on improving education outcomes and increasing the graduation rate of youth in the juvenile justice system. This program is particularly impactful, as Studies show that youth engaged in the justice system were seven times more likely to have adult criminal records than youth with self-reported delinquency and similar backgrounds, but no system engagement; ultimately, the more restrictive and more intense the justice system intervention are, the greater its negative impact.
JCAAN strives to ensure those who enter the system leave on a trajectory that includes graduation from high school and engagement in post-secondary education. School districts, juvenile court, the probation department, and community based service providers work together to use data to inform planning, drive results, and implement evidence-based strategies to reconnect youth engaged in the justice system to school and learning opportunities. JCAAN’s three areas of focus are: 1) Creating accelerated credit recovery opportunities, 2) Building school attachment, 3) Cultivating a college and career mindset.
Partner organizations include Bay Area Tutoring, City of San Jose – Youth Empowerment Alliance, County of Santa Clara, Santa Clara County Office of Education, Youth Law Council, Youth Liberation Movement, and the National Center for Youth Law.
The JCAAN program has made significant impact for youth in Santa Clara County through their partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. (SCCOE). Specifically, JCAAN supported the SCCOE on establishing a practice to help students re-enroll in their home school after spending time in detention; rather than disenrolling a student from their home school, if they are in Juvenile Hall Court School for less than 20 school days, they are “dually-enrolled” in their home school and the court school, any disruption. Additionally, JCAAN also partnered with the SCCOE’s Education Equity Committee to pilot a summer school attendance challenge that provide Target Gift cards at the beginning and end of the 3-week summer school sessions offered in ESUHSD and Gilroy School District targeting students 15+ credits behind and engaged in the justice system, foster care system and McKinney Vento. We had 96 students participating and a summer school session completion rate of 83%.
(Sources: 9. Gatti, Umberto, Tremblay, Richard E., Vitaro, Frank. Iatrogenic effect of Juvenile Justice. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 50:8 (2009) pp 991-998. OR link to page 57 of Data Book, 2024).
JCAAN College & Career Fair: Impact & Recap
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Hosted 110 participants and 24 post-secondary and career tabling organizations
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At the event students and families were able to meet post-secondary and career organizations, get headshot photos taken and be provided a professional shirt for job interviews, get hands on support with beginning post-secondary or financial aid applications, and get childcare while at the event, if needed.
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JCAAN brought together a number of cross sector partners to coordinate the event: SJSU, SJ Public Library, Santa Clara County Probation's Education Services Unit, Fresh Lifelines for Youth's Youth Advisory Council, and additional JCAAN member organizations
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In addition to supporting youth in connecting with post-secondary and career/workforce organizations, as a result of the event, community partners were able to connect with each other and identify further ways to collaborate and strengthen their efforts to support probation-involved students (Example, OYCR supporting exploration of the development of a pathway for Secure Track Youth to access SJSU Project Rebound and attain their bachelor's degrees, partnership development between Santa Clara County Probation Department's Ed. Services Unit and Gavilan
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College Rising Scholars Program to better connect youth to juvenile-justice specific support programming at the community college)
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In addition to supporting youth, the event had generational impact. Parents also shared that they were able to connect with trade training programs and loved getting headshots that they could use, as well.
District 4 Supervisor Sue Ellenberg for sponsoring the "College & Career Fair"
Media Coverage
Improving outcomes: California event connects justice-involved youth to college & career supports | by National Center for Youth Law | NCYL News | Apr, 2025 | Medium
Quotes from Youth Participants:
It was a great event thank you for caring
Got many resources, thank you.
I really enjoyed meeting new people and seeing all the programs that are there to support us!
Thank you for providing a space for youth who are/have been juvenile justice impacted and show them that there are options to pursue both higher education and go the vocational route and that they can take up space in colleges and other majors!
