PHILOSOPHY - MISSION AND VISION STATEMENT

     The philosophy of the FCJJC is founded on research from two sources. 
The first is based on research from Search Institute, Inc.  Search Institute is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to advance the well being of adolescents and children by generating knowledge and promoting its application. To accomplish this mission, the institute generates, synthesizes, and communicates new knowledge, convenes organizational and community leaders, and works with state and national organizations. 
At the heart of the institute’s work is the framework of 40 developmental assets, which are positive experiences, relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. Created in 1990, the framework is grounded in research on child and adolescent development, risk prevention, and resiliency. Surveys of more than 1 million 6th - 12th-grade youth in communities across the United States consistently show that young people who experience more of these assets are more likely to make healthy choices and avoid a wide range of high-risk behaviors. The relative absence of these assets in the lives of young people in every community studied has prompted hundreds of communities to mobilize on behalf of young people. 

     The 40 assets are divided into eight categories:

•  Support
•  Empowerment
•  Boundaries and expectations
•  Constructive use of time
•  Commitment to learning
•  Positive values
•  Social competencies
•  Positive identity

     The second source of direction comes from the Juvenile Justice System.  It is based on the philosophy of restorative justice.  The goal of restorative justice is to put things right.  Rather than concentrating on laws that were broken, it addresses the harm that was done, the causes of the harm and the ways to make amends or heal the harm.  Restorative justice is concerned about the restoration and reintegration of offenders and victims, in addition to the entire well being of the community.  It offers a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.

     To accomplish these goals, restorative justice creates a balanced framework made up of offenders, community members and victims.  Accountability, competency development and community safety are outcomes that are expected.  Instead of emphasizing punishment and labeling an offender as “bad” and an outcast, the approach gives priority to restoring the community and incorporating the offender back into it.
By concentrating on making things right, communities can work together to become healthy places. 

     With these two philosophies as it’s foundation, the FCJJC has been able to define the following vision and mission statements.

Vision Statement:

      The Ford County Juvenile Justice Council envisions a county where all citizens work together to maintain and improve a healthy community in which to live, to grow, to learn, and to prosper. 

Mission Statement: 
     
     The Ford County Juvenile Justice Council provides a collaborative, organizational network that increases opportunities for youth to be responsible community members by promoting positive youth development, and reduces juvenile crime by enhancing public safety, accountability, and care and concern for every child in the county.