For the past 18 months, UNH Cooperative Extension has worked with a wide range of residents, youth, educators, judicial officers and service providers across Carroll and Coos counties to create strategic plans in response to growing juvenile justice concerns.

A 2005 report from UNH Justiceworks identified a need for professionals in Carroll and Coos counties to review their juvenile justice issues in the context of their own regions. Each county was experiencing a disproportionate number of youth being sent out-of-county for costly services.

In Carroll County there was also a higher rate of court petitions for youth involved with alcohol and drug violations, while Coos County had a substantially larger percentage of their younger youth finding their way to the courts.

Through a variety of strategies, including focus groups, key informant interviews, and asset mapping, collaborators prepared to draft a strategic framework for changing these unsettling trends. Carroll County also benefited from youth input gathered by well-trained Teen Peer Educators.

These county-wide collaborative projects were supported by grants from the NH Dept. of Juvenile Justice and the U.S. Dept. of Justice. Extension Educators Ann Hamilton, Dotty Burrows, Larry Barker and Sue Buteau provided county leadership and support to the projects. Michele Gagne helped the teams with community focus group design and facilitation, and Paula Gregory served as project director.

As the projects come to an end, the community partners have formalized plans to continue as county-wide collaborative groups committed to carrying out their ambitious strategic plans with a vision for stronger families and communities able to meet the needs of youth.

The Carroll County project has received significant three-year funding from the Annette Schmitt Foundation and will continue as the Carroll County Collaborative. The Coos County Juvenile Justice Project is continuing as a project of the North Country Health Consortium and the Coos County Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention.