Montana’s Justice System Reduces Number of Children in State Care

The number of children in Montana state care is down 17 percent from the year
2000, with more children exiting the system through both adoption and home placement.

That’s according to the 2008 Montana Kids Count Data Book http://www.montanakidscount.org published by The
University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research http://www.bber.umt.edu/ .

This year’s data book features an analysis of Montana’s juvenile justice system
and highlights the state’s efforts to reform the juvenile justice system and improve
outcomes for Montana youth entering the system.
“Our goal was to expand people’s understanding of what happens to youth
entering the juvenile justice system and highlight through data and analysis the positive
efforts being made in Montana,” said Montana Kids Count Director Daphne Herling.

Two features of Montana’s juvenile justice system have proved to be valuable in
reducing the number of youth in custody across the state. They are the mandatory use of
an assessment instrument for all youth placed on probation and the use of a Juvenile
Court Assessment Tracking System, which identifies mental health needs. The system
also aids in crafting customized case plans for each youth, with an emphasis on involving
families in the process.

The book explores American Indian child and maternal health in Montana, with a
focus on examining the data needed to address public health problems for all of
Montana’s populations. The article showcases that without adequate data to assess the
maternal health issues, existing disparities cannot be addressed through individualized
programs.

The article also highlights measures that are in progress to increase awareness of
strengths and weaknesses throughout populations to best increase outcomes for young
women and children.

New to this year’s book is the inclusion of information from the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey, a national, school-based survey that monitors priority health-risk
behaviors, including the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco use among youth in the state.

The 2007 results show that 46.5 percent of youth drank alcohol in the last 12 months and
32.7 percent of youth engaged in binge drinking behavior.
This dataset provides information on youth risk behavior and is segmented by
race. Therefore it provides insight on behavior among Montana’s American Indian youth
as well.

“Data provided for the total population can easily mask differences among the
state’s various sub-groups, in this case the differences between American Indian and
White youth,” said Thale Dillon, Montana Kids Count director of economic analysis.

“With the YRBS dataset providing racial breakdowns, it provides a valuable tool to not
only track behavioral changes over time, but differences in these behaviors across groups
as well.”

Funded through the Annie E. Casey Foundation http://www.aecf.org/ , the Montana Kids Count
program is a statewide effort to identify the status and well-being of Montana children by
collecting data, providing analysis and publishing an annual data book. The data book
highlights information regarding Montana’s children and families at the state and county
level in such areas as demographics, economic indicators, education, health and health
insurance, safety and early childhood.

The book includes more than 100 indicators at the state level and more than 30
data items for each of Montana’s 56 counties. This year’s publication also reveals the
following data facts regarding Montana’s children and families:

Teen motor vehicle crashes decline

The number of motor vehicle crashes where the driver is under 18 has seen an
impressive 27 percent decrease since 2000. Young drivers also decreased their share of
total motor vehicle crashes.
Immunization rates decline

Immunization rates are down, sometimes dramatically, in 42 of Montana’s
counties, primarily because of changes in the definition of “fully immunized.” Most
recently the number of required inoculations increased when three doses of hepatitis B
were added to the vaccination series.

Number of Montana’s children declines
While Montana’s population as a whole has seen a steady increase during the last
several years, the number of children under 18 is going down. The decrease amounts to
about 8,870 fewer children under 18 in the state since 2000. However, the number of
children under 5 has increased by close to 4,540, suggesting a cyclical population pattern
in the state.

The 2008 Montana Kids Count Data Book can be viewed online at
http://www.montanakidscount.org. For more information contact Montana Kids Count at
406-243-5113.

Contact: Daphne Herling, director, Montana Kids Count, 406-243-5614,
[email protected].