Left to right: CSF Supervision Coordinator Elizabeth Smull; Director or Programs Paul Karaman; Director of Day Programs Rick Pforter; Director of Foster Care Rev Rhodes; RRC Coordinator Jerry Bradley; President Craig Adamson, Ph.D., and Bucks County Juvenile Probation Chief Ted Rice, Supervisor William S. Batty, and Deputy Chief William H. Rufe. (Photo by JCJC Event Photographer Julieann Newill)Community Service Foundation's (CSF's) Restorative Reporting Centers, a model program of the International Institute for Restorative Practices Graduate School, was named Community-Based Program of the Year by the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission, at the 2016 James E. Anderson Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice, in Harrisburg, on November 3.
The Restorative Reporting Centers (RRC), located in Sellersville and Feasterville, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have been very successful in reducing out-of-home placements for young people who have offended, in protecting the community and in reducing recidivism.
The evidence-based RRC program incorporates social skills training, learning strategies, extensive family involvement and community-service opportunities. The program operates according to the principles of restorative practices, working with young people to help them make positive changes.
The RRC collaborates with Bucks County Juvenile Probation, which co-created and refers young people to the program and the EPISCenter (Evidence-based Prevention and Intervention Support Center)of Penn State University to monitor ongoing success of the program.
"It's rare for such a good partnership between a referral source and a private provider to develop something that really creates an impact on youth, families and community," says CSF President and IIRP Provost Craig Adamson, Ph.D. "The outcomes have been really good in terms of reducing placements and costs." Besides this successful partnership, Dr. Adamson credits RRC Coordinator Jerry Bradley, for "creating an intensive treatment experience for youth to change their behavior. He's a leader who really cares about kids."
In nominating the RRC program for the award, Bucks County Juvenile Probation Supervisor William S. Batty wrote, "The program takes an innovative approach to keep offenders within their homes and communities as an alternative to placement. … [It] is unique, creative and supportive and permits an environment for offenders to develop competencies."
