Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #19 - Excellence in Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice | Guest Editorial (ACJ19-A0000)

Guest Editorial: The Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (ACJ19-A0000) by Michael P. Dempsey and Wendi M. Davis

Abstract

The guest editorial highlights the partnership between the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA) and the International Corrections & Prisons Association (ICPA). The editorial celebrates international collaboration among juvenile justice professionals from eight countries. Key themes include pathways to desistance, educational and therapeutic interventions, and technology use in secure settings. The authors emphasize their hope that this publication will inspire researchers to partner with juvenile justice systems to improve services for justice-involved youth, their families, and communities. This partnership represents an important step in creating global connections to advance juvenile justice reform.

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Authors

Michael Dempsey

Executive Director, CJJA Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators

Michael Dempsey is the Executive Director of the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA). Prior to joining CJJA, Michael served as Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Corrections, Division of Youth Services (DYS) from 2009 to 2015. He began his work with the Indiana Department of Corrections as Superintendent of the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility in June 2006. Prior to moving to Indiana, he served as the Superintendent of the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex for approximately two and a half years. He began his career in corrections with the Missouri Department of Corrections, starting as a Corrections Officer at the Missouri State Penitentiary in 1985. Since that time, Mike has held positions as a Correctional Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Major. He has also held positions as Correctional Training Officer, Internal Affairs Investigator, Assistant Superintendent and Associate Superintendent.

He has extensive experience with CJJA and Performance-based Standards (PbS). He served as president of the CJJA Board of Directors for two years (2012-2014), and on the PbS Board of Directors for four years, two of those years as president. Mike was an active member of CJJA while he was Director of Indiana DYS. Mike has over 30 years of experience working in both adult and juvenile correctional and detention facility settings and continues to be committed to assisting juvenile justice systems on improving conditions of confinement, reforming systems, and improving long-term outcomes for youth. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration and Criminal Justice and has been actively involved with the American Correctional Association (ACA) as a member and certified auditor. He has served as the President/COO of Youth Opportunity Investments and brings a unique experience and perspective in both the public and private sectors in the juvenile justice field.

Wendi Davis

Assistant Executive Director, CJJA Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators

Wendi Davis is the Assistant Executive Director of the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators. Prior to joining the Council, Wendi served as Deputy Director of the Division of Facility Support for the Ohio Department of Youth Services. She was responsible for security, classification, operations, unit management, treatment and programming within the DYS facilities. The division also included Medical Services and the Buckeye United School District.

Before this role, she served as the Bureau Chief of the Office of Quality Assurance and Improvement for the Ohio Department of Youth Services. She was responsible for agency quality assurance efforts to include policy, research, auditing, and process improvement. In addition to this considerable responsibility, Wendi also had oversight of the agency’s Office of Information Technology Services which involved networking, telecommunications, desktop computing, application development, project management services, and unified communications such as email and calendaring. Serving as a trusted advisor, Wendi serves as a mentor to those who work under her leadership. With over 23 years of experience in criminal and juvenile justice, Wendi has served on numerous national and statewide policy committees and councils. During her career, she has presented to various audiences on a wide range of criminal justice and juvenile justice topics. Her breadth and scope of the criminal justice and juvenile justice fields, specifically correctional administration, makes her not only a leader but also a subject matter expert. Wendi received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration with a Leadership concentration from Franklin University.

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #19 - Excellence in Juvenile Justice Policy and Practice | Guest Editorial (ACJ19-A0000)

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