Talking About Youth Probation, Diversion, and Restorative Justice

SESSION INFO

Tuesday, August 29, 2023
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Session Type: Workshop

This session helps probation leaders and staff use plain language to explain youth probation, diversion from courts to community-based responses and restorative justice to general audiences. To develop the recommendations, the Annie E. Casey Foundation partnered with communications experts at Fenton and The Harris Poll. The experts conducted research in 2021 to understand public perception of the juvenile justice system and followed up with additional survey questions in 2022 to gauge the public’s thoughts on crime trends and opinions on youth gun possession. The research-informed language is meant to educate, persuade and inspire other practitioners, decision makers and the public to keep more young people away from the formal justice system and pursue strategies aimed at young people’s personal growth, positive behavior change and long-term success.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Carol Abrams
Senior Communications Associate, The Annie E. Casey Foundation


Carol Abrams is a senior communications associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She directs the communications strategy to spur juvenile justice reform among decision makers, influencers and the wider public. Within that strategy, she collaborates with subject matter experts to frame messages that are clear, compelling and persuasive. Before joining Casey in 2016, Abrams was the chief communications officer for a public university, government agencies in Washington, D.C. and New York City and a museum.


Jinnie Horan
Public Information Specialist, Pierce County Juvenile Court


Jinnie Horan has managed the communications for Pierce County Juvenile Court in Tacoma, WA since 2021 when the position was created. She has been working to help transform how the community views the work of the youth justice system, as well as strengthening internal communications and community engagement. Prior to joining the agency, she spent 17 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound leading the marketing, communications, and special events initiatives. Jinnie graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a B.B.A. and Marketing Concentration, where she discovered her passion for supporting young people to strengthen the community.