MACEM&PS is pleased to announce our receipt of a grant in excess of $180,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Emergency Planning Demonstration Program for Juvenile Justice Residential Facilities grant program. This marks the first Department of Justice grant that MACEM&PS has applied for and won.

With that money, we’ll be creating a free, openly accessible emergency planning guide web app that individuals at juvenile justice agencies, even with minimal emergency planning experience, can use to navigate the crucial information needed at each stage of the planning process. The app will incorporate best practices, family input, and provide resources to support the planning process. Youth and family voices are essential to this process, as their input is crucial for both the positive impact on juvenile justice and because they are part of any residential facility’s community. A focus group of family members will provide input on various aspects of the planning process, ensuring that their perspectives are incorporated into the web app’s guidance, prompts, and plans. 

This project aims to address the uneven state of preparedness among juvenile detention facilities, where some jurisdictions have facilities with well-developed plans for the safety of their residents, and some have no plan at all. Some of this can be attributed to resource gaps; however, even well-resourced areas can face significant challenges in areas such as specialized staffing or navigating complex state policies, which can complicate planning and implementation. The MACEM&PS project seeks to “level the playing field,” making it easier and more accessible for any facility, anywhere, to be prepared and make a plan, and thereby help keep their residents, families, and communities safer and more secure. 

The MACEM&PS team is looking forward to the opportunities this Department of Justice grant presents and the positive changes our web app can bring to emergency planning in juvenile justice facilities. As we embark on this innovative project, we envision a future where all facilities, regardless of their resources, can develop comprehensive, high-quality emergency plans that prioritize the safety and well-being of youth and staff. We are grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the juvenile justice system’s emergency management capabilities and look forward to the improvements and positive impact our work will bring to facilities nationwide. 

If you’d like to learn more about this project, please contact Steve Carter at scarter@frederick.edu.

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