Resource
Features From the Field - November 2022
Features from the Field is a series of resources compiled by NDTAC in partnership with The Department of Education on topics relevant to Title I, Part D State coordinators. This month's resources cover topics related to equity and support of LGBTQ+ youth involved with the criminal justice system, as well as human trafficking as it relates to TIPD populations. For both, information about the vulnerabilities these groups face and resources for creating safe environments are presented.
LGBT Youth Population in the United States
Link: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/lgbt-youth-pop-us/
Audience: Educators, Delinquent Facilities, Practitioners, Youth, Families, Communities, or Advocates
Resource Type: Reports & Briefs
Topics: Prevention, Student Support Services
Resource Date: September 2020
Summary: This resource from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute provides data on the number of LGBT youth state-by-state. Title I, Part D State Coordinators and educators in Title I, Part D facilities can compare this data with their facility data to assess whether LGBT youth are overrepresented in their facilities. Included data provide estimates of the total number of youth ages 13-17 who are LGBT; transgender; transgender youth; cisgender youth who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual; and transgender youth who are LGB. Sources are collected from several databases, including the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, estimates from the Williams Institute, and population estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Unjust: LGBTQ Youth Incarcerated in the Juvenile Justice System
Link: https://www.lgbtmap.org/file/lgbtq-incarcerated-youth.pdf
Audience: Delinquent Facilities, Secure Long-Term Settings, Secure Short-Term Settings, Policymakers
Resource Type: Report & Briefs
Topics: Safety
Resource Date: June 2017
Summary:
This report, published by the Center for American Progress, The Movement Advanced Project, and Youth First, examines how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth within the juvenile justice system face discrimination. Statistics in this report can be helpful to Title I, Part D State Coordinators and subgrantees to recognize the disproportionate placement of LGBTQ youth in the juvenile justice system as well as gaps in protection for LGBTQ youth in facilities. Educators within Title I, Part D facilities can use these data to understand better the demographics of the students they are teaching.
LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. As of 2017, eight percent of youth in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), but 20 percent of youth in juvenile justice facilities identify as LGB. When analyzing by gender and race the data shows that 40 percent of girls in juvenile facilities identify as LGB and of all youth that identify as LGB, 85 percent are youth of color.
This resource further discusses the experiences of LGBTQ youth in the juvenile justice system. LGBTQ youth are more likely to receive inadequate health services, mistreatment within facilities by staff and other youth, and a lack of support. Additionally, transgender youth are often inappropriately placed based on their sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity. This increases safety and health concerns for these youth. Unfortunately, there is little oversight for LGBTQ youth in facilities; as of 2017, 60 percent of states do not have any sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ youth.
Toward Equity: A Training Curriculum for Understanding Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression, and Developing Competency to Serve Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Link: https://familybuilders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Equity_Curriculum_Complete.pdf
Audience: Educators, Delinquent Facilities Secure Long-Term Settings, Secure Short-Term Settings, Policymakers, and Administrators
Resource Type: Reference and Implementation Guide
Topics: Safety
Resource Date: March 2021
Summary: Toward Equity is a free training curriculum that provides tools and resources for working with LGBTQ+ youth in the juvenile justice system. This curriculum can be used by educators in Title I, Part D facilities to better understand the experience of LGBTQ+ youth in the juvenile justice system and develop strategies to support LGBTQ+ through their educational experiences. The curriculum includes six modules that cover improving communication and building trust, promoting a safe environment, and fostering equity among youth that identify as LGBTQ+. Additionally, it provides activities and prompts for discussions that promote professional competency.
U.S Department of Education: Supporting Transgender Youth in School
Link: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/ed-factsheet-transgender-202106.pdf
Audience: Educators, Delinquent Facilities, Neglected Facilities
Resource Type: Tips, Tools & Toolkits
Topics: Safety
Resource Date: 2021
Summary: This factsheet published by the U.S Department of Education highlights the increased risk that transgender students face, noting that transgender students are three times more likely to miss schools compared to their peers. This document offers recommendations that educators in Title I, Part D facilities, and school staff generally, can implement to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for transgender students. Recommendations include using inclusive language, ensuring school policies protect LGBTQ students, implementing policies that guide staff communication with LGBTQ families, providing youth with a safe and supportive environment, and providing school staff with training on equitable treatment.
Supporting Trans and GNC Students
Link: https://www.glsen.org/supporting-trans-and-gnc-students
Audience: Educators, Delinquent Facilities, Neglected Facilities
Resource Type: Tips, Tools & Toolkits
Topics: Safe & Supportive Learning Environments, School Discipline Policies, Academic Support Services, Safety
Resource Date: Not Dated
Summary: This website hosts a collection of guidance documents aimed at creating supportive educational environments for transgender and non-binary students. Educators within Title I, Part D facilities can use these resources to create policies and practices that affirm students’ identities and overall create safer learning environments Gender affirming practices include using preferred names and pronouns, national awareness events that schools can recognize, and strategies to make schools and classrooms trans-inclusive. The resource also provides a model school district policy on transgender and gender non-conforming students.
System Involvement Among LBQ Girls and Women
Link: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/system-involved-lbq-girls-women/
Audience: Delinquent Facilities, Practitioners, Youth, Families, Communities, or Advocates
Resource Type: Reports & Briefs
Topics: Prevention, Student Support Services, Safety, School Discipline Policies
Resource Date: April 2022
Summary:
This resource from the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute describes the relationship between foster care, incarceration, and the overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth, especially those who are girls or youth of color. This report can be helpful for Title I, Part D facilities who are implementing programming to address the disproportionate impact the juvenile justice system has on girls and women, especially those who are lesbian, bisexual, queer, or LBQ. Although there is no adequate population-level data from juvenile and adult facilities on the size of the transgender girl and woman population, available research suggests that incarcerated transgender youth and adults face more violence than cisgender inmates.
Additionally, this resource presents data on the disproportionate number of LBQ women and girls within the juvenile justice and foster care system. Women and girls in the LBQ population, especially women and girls of color, are more likely to have interactions with the juvenile justice system or foster care system. Because foster care data are transgender-inclusive, this report also notes that transgender women and girls are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. Additionally, LBQ girls of color are more likely to be an overrepresented population that is involved in both the foster care system and the juvenile justice system. The report supports the need for stronger preventative care to prevent dual-system involvement, and the systemic foster care-to-prison pipeline.
Organizations with additional resources for supporting LGBTQ+ students
Human Trafficking: Intersections of Human Trafficking and Title I, Part D Populations
Human Trafficking in America’s Schools
Link: https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/human-trafficking-americas-schools/vulnerable-populations
Audience: Educators, Delinquent Facilities, Practitioners, Youth, Families, Communities, or Advocates
Resource Type: Reports & Briefs
Topics: Prevention, Student Support Services
Resource Date: 2021
Summary: This resource from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments discusses subpopulations of youth that are at an elevated risk for being trafficked, which include youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Understanding the relationship between the juvenile justice system and human trafficking can be helpful to Title I, Part D State Coordinators and facilities to inform the implementation of programs to prevent human trafficking for justice-involved youth. Research demonstrates that youth who have been trafficked are likely to have been in juvenile detention at least once. Factors such as poverty, mental health issues, substance abuse, and homelessness make young people more vulnerable to arrest.
Issue Brief: Safe Children
Link: https://caseyfamilypro-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/media/20.07-QFF-SC-Sex-trafficking.pdf
Audience: Delinquent Facilities, Non-Secure Settings
Resource Type: Reports & Briefs
Topics: Student Support Services
Resource Date: 2020
Summary: This issue brief by Casey Family Programs highlights the increased risk of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the child welfare system. Facilities with Title I, Part D programs can incorporate this research into programming to prevent sexual exploitation. Youth placed in congregate care settings are at higher risk for future sexual exploitation compared to youth in foster homes. The author cites research that found congregate care facilities often did not recognize the signs of CSEC, lacked an understanding of human trafficking, and were unable to identify potential victims. A later study found that traffickers intentionally target congregate care facilities because of the vulnerability of the population. The resource states that jurisdictions should be aware of the role of congregate care facilities in serving CSEC.
The Impact of Bias, Inequities, and Injustices in Supporting Students Impacted by Human Trafficking
Audience: Educators, Neglected Facilities, Delinquent Facilities, Non-Secure Settings
Resource Type: Webinar
Topics: Prevention, Student Support Services
Resource Date: 2022
Summary: This webinar, hosted by the Department of Education’s National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments, provides critical training for educators – including those in Title I, Part D facilities – to understand how to better support victims of human trafficking. The webinar helps educators focus on how their biases may contribute to how they approach issues around human trafficking and strategies to create more equitable practices to support human trafficking victims.