Dr. Apryl Alexander Awarded Three-Year Grant

Dr. Apryl Alexander has been awarded a three-year, federal grant from the Department of Justice/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) via their Reducing Risk for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System project, to develop the Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project. The funds will aid in the creation of an empirically-based trauma treatment program for juvenile justice involved girls.

Dr. Tracy Vozar and the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health program will also provide PCIT services to at-risk/at-promise girls and their families. The project will involve collaborations with the Denver Juvenile Probation Department and local Juvenile Assessment Centers (JACs). The project will also involve delivery of trainings on trauma-informed care and adolescent development to community stakeholders, such as probation officers and JACs.

Congratulations, Dr. Alexander!

Project Abstract

The Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project aims to provide gender sensitive and culturally competent evidence-based intervention and prevention services to juvenile justice involved girls in the Denver metro area. Implementation of services and care delivery will occur in three phases: 1) screening, intake, and assessment; 2) treatment and recovery supports; and 3) case management and discharge planning. Additionally, the proposed project will provide trauma-informed care trainings to key community stakeholders who work with juvenile justice involved girls. Finally, the project will entail program evaluations of proximal and distal outcomes, such as a reduction in behavioral problems and mental health symptoms and recidivism.  

The Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project will achieve the following goals: 1) Increase the number of child and adolescent girls (ages 6 to 17) receiving comprehensive treatment for behavioral disorders, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma, 2) Increase involvement of parents/caregivers in their child’s treatment, 3) Improve behavioral and mental health outcomes for participating child and adolescent girls, 4) Decrease program participants’ involvement in and exposure to crime and violence, and 5) Increase the number of trauma-informed community stakeholders (i.e., attorneys, probation officers, case workers, judges).