HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 94931        FILED ON: 7/26/2010

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4931

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Ten

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An Act establishing a special commission on gender-responsive programming for system-involved girls..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

There shall be a special commission to investigate and study methods of instituting gender-responsive programming for system-involved girls and to improve the effectiveness of services for system-involved girls.  The commission shall: (i) conduct a national review of gender-responsive programming implementation successes and challenges by other states’ juvenile justice systems; (ii) conduct a national review of the published reports, curricula and best practices for gender-specific programming by government, foundations and non-profit organizations; (iii) conduct a national review of leading indicators that lead to girls becoming involved in criminal justice systems; (iv) review all relevant state training curricula; (v) review all relevant state agencies’ methods of data collection and aggregation by gender and race; (vi) analyze and evaluate all relevant state contracts with private or community-based vendors for the purpose of confirming that there is a consistent approach to the delivery of girls’ programming; (vii) analyze and report the rates of recidivism for girls within an agency as well as between agencies; (viii) track and analyze educational attainment of system-involved girls; (ix) hold at least 3 regional community-wide meetings to solicit the input of community members and agencies serving high-risk girls; and (x) establish a mechanism for incorporating the opinion and values of young system-involved girls.

The commission shall be comprised of 20 members: 2 of whom shall be senators appointed by the senate president, 1 of whom shall serve as co-chair of the commission; 2 of whom shall be representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, 1 of whom shall serve as co-chair of the commission; the secretary of health and human services or a designee; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education or a designee; the commissioner of probation or a designee; the commissioner of the department of youth services or a designee; the commissioner of the department of children and families or a designee; the commissioner of the department of mental health or a designee; the commissioner of the department of public health or a designee; the chief counsel for the committee for public counsel services or a designee; and 8 of whom shall be community members who are geographically representative and who represent current state vendors that provide direct services to high-risk girls appointed by the governor. 

The commission shall meet at least 6 times a year and at the call of the chairpersons or a majority of its members. The commission may seek assistance from other organizations or individuals on a pro bono basis.  The commission shall file periodic reports that include recommendations concerning the adoption of gender responsive practices in programs, both community-based and state-wide, serving high-risk and system-involved girls with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities.  The initial report of the commission shall be filed not later than January 31, 2012 and updated biennially thereafter.