Program Description

Our Services

Publications

Training Seminars and Presentations 
CJCJ Evaluations of Correctional Facilities

Testimonials

Contact Information

Program Description
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice’s Sentencing Service Program (SSP) is the foremost advocate of incarceration alternatives in Northern California.  CJCJ provides testimony and disposition case advocacy for youths facing commitment to California’s youth correctional institutions. In addition, CJCJ offers training and technical assistance to juvenile justice systems on developing incarceration alternatives.  SSP staff also consults on a wide array of adult cases ranging from alternate placements to capital punishment mitigation.  Our expertise with the juvenile institutions provides additional insight in adult cases where the client is a long-time participant in the justice system.

CJCJ’s SSP is committed to providing professional expert criminal and juvenile justice services nationwide.  SSP staff maintains high levels of expertise by analyzing expert reports, touring facilities, and crafting innovative recommendations to the Court.  SSP staff are frequently requested to present at state and national conferences such as the Beyond the Bench XIX: Communicating and Collaborating and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice & California Public Defenders Association Annual Conference.  Local training and presentations are often provided to organizations such as the San Francisco Bar Association and Pacific Juvenile Defender Center.

Daniel Macallair, MPA, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, is known nationwide for his expertise in the development of model correctional programs and incarceration alternatives for the youth and adult offender population.  He has thirty years experience in the criminal and juvenile justice field.

Catherine McCracken, M.S., Program Director, has extensive experience in the development of individualized sentencing options and provides her clients with comprehensive recommendations to the Court.  Both Catherine and Daniel have educated California Judges at the Juvenile Law Institute, 2009, hosted by the Administrative Office of the Courts.

 Selena Teji, J.D., SSP Case Specialist, began at CJCJ as an intern developing her expertise in juvenile pre-sentencing investigation and became fully employed in September 2009. Ms. Teji has a Jurisdoctorate specializing in international law from UC Hastings and received outstanding pro bono recognition for her work in juvenile justice during the course of her degree program. 

Our Services 

Expert testimony

~ Sentencing, Disposition, and Placement Recommendations

~ Research and Reports (fitness and personal history)

~ Facility Evaluations

For more than two decades, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice Sentencing Service Program (SSP) has provided technical assistance to courts, counsel, and correctional personnel throughout the state and nationwide.  In addition to researching and testifying on the current state of California’s Division of Juvenile Facilities, SSP staff also develops sentencing, fitness, and disposition reports for individuals facing criminal sanctions.  Reports are prepared using information gathered from defendants, their families, friends, teachers, colleagues, and other supporters.  In addition to placement recommendations,  the reports also  include the  client’s extensive  social history,  family system, educational or vocational goals.

The Sentencing Service Program was developed in 1985 to ensure that appropriate information is discovered and shared with the courts during the sentencing phase.  The reports provide counsel, the court, and probation with a more complete picture of the defendant, whose background, goals, illnesses, and other issues may have been neglected throughout the institutional process.
 

Publications

Recently updated in July 2008, the Juvenile Placement Manual contains information on over 200 alternative placement options for juvenile offenders. Every placement listing describes services offered, rate classification level, gender, number of beds, and contact information. The manual is divided into Northern and Southern California placement options, and includes a special index on placements specializing in the treatment of juvenile sex offenders.  Since the CJCJ’s first release in 2002, the Juvenile Placement Manual has provided defense counsel, prosecutors, and probation valuable information about juvenile placement options throughout California and the nation.

CJCJ is pleased to offer its Juvenile Placement Manual for purchase as a bound copy for $20 per copy, including postage. Please contact SSP Director, Catherine McCracken for purchase.  See below for contact information.

Executive Director Daniel Macallair has written numerous comprehensive articles on sentencing issues.  The History of the Pre-Sentence Investigation explores the origins of one of the most influential documents in criminal sentencing.  Proof of Facts is the leading resource on the role of sentencing experts in criminal proceedings.  Disposition Case Advocacy is an in-depth look at San Francisco's approach to de-institutionalization of the criminal justice system.

In addition, Daniel Macallair has written and coauthored detailed policy articles regarding juvenile corrections and detention facilities:

~ Closing California’s Division of Juvenile Facilities: An Analysis of County Institutional Capacity

~ Restructuring Juvenile Corrections in California

~ Community-based Alternative to Juvenile Detention is a Success with Youth Offenders

CJCJ has performed a leadership role in helping forge a broad consensus for reforming California’s juvenile justince systems.  Daniel Macallair and SSP staff have actively participated with the ongoing Farrell vs. Cate litigation, resulting in the following essays about reforming the CYA:

~ Troubles in the CYA Nothing New

~ Third Special Master Report Filed in Farrell v. Hickman: Implementation of Remedial Plans Only Just Beginning

~ Aftercare as Afterthought: Re-entry and the California Youth Authority

Training Seminars and Presentations
CJCJ also seeks to educate juvenile and criminal justice stakeholders on emerging issues in the criminal justice field, such as juvenile justice reform, and train our partners on practical matters such as mitigation for juvenile incarceration.

The following are examples of previous training titles:

~ Defending a 707 Proceeding and Preparing for   Dispositions in Complex Juvenile Delinquency Case

~ Implementing SB-81: Creating Model Interventions at the County Level

~ Juvenile Justice Reform: Realizing Responsibility

~ Juvenile Incarceration as Mitigation

~ Delinquency Dispositional Topics

Please contact Catherine McCracken, Program Director, for further information regarding training for individuals or groups.

CJCJ Evaluations of Correctional Facilities

CJCJ staff regularly review audits written by independent experts and state regulators as well as attending tours or inspections of correctional facilities and detention centers.  We utilize this information to inform our understanding and present our case plans based on the level of need for each individual.  Informed placement of this kind insures better chances for success and reduces recidivism. 

In death penalty mitigation, SSP staff present analyzes the impact of institutionalization on individuals facing sentencing.  A comprehensive evaluation is prepared for presentation at the penalty phase of the case.  This information may also prove useful for the defense counsel during the guilt phase.

Testimonials 

An Alameda Attorney related his client’s relief for avoiding a commitment to the DJF.  In this decision, the Judge cited Daniel Macallair’s expert testimony that the DJF is not beneficial to youth and specifically noted educational deficiencies and gang violence.

A San Joaquin County client, facing DJF commitment, was accepted into a residential facility.  At his last hearing, he told his attorney, “Thank you for saving my life.” The attorney replied, “That thanks goes to Catherine and Daniel.”

A San Diego County Attorney stated, "I was impressed with CJCJ's ability to start with materials I had obtained and complete independent research uncovering more potential problem areas.  The depth of knowledge of Catherine and Daniel are truly impressive."

A Chicago Attorney stated, "Daniel was 'exceptional' in rebutting the State."

A Riverside County Attorney stated, "I enjoyed working with CJCJ very much.  Together we achieved the desired result.  CJCJ communicated regularly with me and in a timely manner.  CJCJ's costs and fees are very reasonable.  I am grateful the people at CJCJ are there to assist me when I need them."

Contact Information

To learn more about SSP, please contact:
Catherine McCracken M.S., Program Director 
Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
440 9th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel: (415) 621-5661 ext. 309
Fax: (415) 621-5466
Email: ssp@cjcj.org