Last week, case managers from the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville and East New York were introduced to the Gang Assessment Form through a training by Family Justice. Groundwork hosted the training on engaging youth and their families about gang involvement.

Over the two days, youth-serving agencies in Brownsville and East New York discussed the impact of gangs on their community, learned techniques to engage youth and their families about gang involvement and its effects on the family, and thought through how asking about gangs helps achieve case-management goals.

Attendees also practiced using the newly developed Gang Assessment Form—a complement to traditional assessments. Using opened-ended questions and building on the strengths of the youth, family, and community, this case-management tool has two goals: to assist staff in creating a nonjudgmental atmosphere for dialogue about gangs and gang activity, and to assist youth in making healthy choices about gang affiliation or involvement.

Last week, partners from California, New Mexico, and Oklahoma joined us for a three-day training event in New York—and it was a fabulous success!

As part of an initiative funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, participants completed the train-the-trainer curriculum "Integrating a Strength-Based, Family-Focused Approach in Corrections." The team spent two days learning the material through an experiential model, then gave a lively presentation on the third day, showing a growing mastery of the content.

Front row, from left: Courtney Woodard, probation and parole team supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections; Rosalinda Rosalez from the California Division of Juvenile Justice; and Sarah Clawson, family services development coordinator and newsletter editor for the New Mexico Corrections Department. Back row, from left: Margaret diZerega of Family Justice; Amanda Stinson, female offenders compliance officer for NMCD; Shola Shopeyin, a unit manager with Oklahoma DOC; and me.

(Photo by Ryan Shanahan)

In an op-ed piece in The New York Times Sunday, the Correctional Association of New York's Robert Gangi urges New York to "help point criminal justice in a more sensible and constructive direction — and show other states how to save money — by downsizing its prison system." His recommendations make sense for families and communities in New York and throughout the country.

At 9 p.m. this Wednesday, October 7, the "Lives in Focus: Family Life Behind Bars" web radio show will resume, hosting Marika Turano, director and producer of the documentary The Word Is Love. The film features moving interviews with children whose mother or father has been incarcerated.

On Wednesday night you can listen online live here or by calling 347-326-9981. (You can also follow that link to hear the show after it airs.) Read more about the program here.

You can watch excerpts from The Word Is Love here.