Policies and practices in the juvenile justice system are often developed in reverse. Problems are remodeled to fit existing solutions. Too often, interventions that are appropriate for particular subgroups of juvenile offenders — those charged with serious and violent crimes or those afflicted with serious drug problems and mental disorders — are allowed to become the model for all youth. Continue reading A Sensible Model for Juvenile Justice

As part of the national evaluation of Reclaiming Futures, researchers conducted a network analysis of organizational relationships in eight communities. As a group, the eight Reclaiming Futures communities improved their network performance during the Reclaiming Futures initiative. If all positive network statistics are added together, the eight communities generated nineteen positive statistics in 2004, twenty-four positive statistics in 2005, and twenty-six positive statistics in 2006. This general trend, however, obscures many differences between communities. Continue reading Agency Relations

As part of a national evaluation, the Urban Institute and Chapin Hall conducted biannual surveys in each community participating in the Reclaiming Futures initiative. The findings suggests that Reclaiming Futures is a promising strategy for improving substance abuse interventions for youthful offenders.  Continue reading Changing Systems

Being concerned about violent crime is always reasonable, but recent reports of mounting violence have been exaggerated. In most U.S. cities today, crime rates are similar to the levels of 2003 and 2004 when the nation was benefiting from the lowest violent crime rates in more than 10 years. Continue reading Violent Crime in American Cities 1986-2006