Category: Monographs & Reports

Monographs & Reports

Cost-benefit Analysis of Reclaiming Futures

The findings of the national evaluation of Reclaiming Futures suggest that the 10 communities involved in the pilot phase of the initiative did effectively change the operations of their service-delivery systems.The extent of these changes varied, but the evaluation results show that the systems for responding to justiceinvolved youth in most of the communities improved over time.The critical question for this study is about a cost-benefit threshold. If we infer the extent of individual behavior change from the size and direction of reported system change, and if we can estimate the number youth affected by such change, are the economic benefits of those changes sufficient to justify the costs of the reform initiative? … According to this study, the answer is “yes.” Continue reading Cost-benefit Analysis of Reclaiming Futures

Unknown's avatarJeffreyButts
Monographs & Reports

Delays in Youth Justice

Results from a project funded by the National Institute of Justice. As juvenile and family courts work to improve the timeliness of their services and sanctions, and to share what they learn with others, they need better information about the causes and consequences of delay, sound methods for controlling unwanted delay, and flexible techniques for tracking case processing time. Chapin Hall worked in collaboration with the National Center for Juvenile Justice to analyze recent patterns in delinquency case processing time and review the methods used by juvenile courts to monitor and improve their timeliness. Continue reading Delays in Youth Justice

Unknown's avatarJeffreyButts
Monographs & Reports

Organizing for Outcomes

Based upon four independent evaluations, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Reclaiming Futures initiative appears to have been successful in inspiring important changes in the juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment systems of New Hampshire, Chicago, Santa Cruz, and Seattle. In these communities, more youth received effective screening and assessment after the implementation of Reclaiming Futures. Youth tended to move more quickly through the screening and assessment process, and they participated in more treatment programs and received more support services, including mentoring and various forms of prosocial activities. Continue reading Organizing for Outcomes

Unknown's avatarJeffreyButts
Monographs & Reports

Past, Present, and Future of Juvenile Justice: Assessing the Policy Options (APO)

This report presents the results of research that examined changing trends in juvenile justice legislation and surveyed juvenile justice professionals across the nation to measure their impressions of recent juvenile justice policy reforms. Researchers learned there is considerable consensus among diverse practitioner groups, with survey respondents viewing rehabilitative programs as more effective than punitive ones – a perspective consistent with recent legislative trends. Together, these data suggest the policy pendulum is swinging toward more progressive measures after years of “get tough” reforms. Continue reading Past, Present, and Future of Juvenile Justice: Assessing the Policy Options (APO)

Unknown's avatarJeffreyButts