Partners for Change

Technical Resource Center

In order to connect efforts in the various Models for Change states and ensure that they are coordinated, documented, and measured, the National Center for Juvenile Justice has been engaged to serve as a Technical Resource Center for the initiative. The Technical Resource Center supports state-level strategic planning, establishes baseline measures, documents the implementation of state work plans, and monitors the progress of each state toward its individual goals and the overall goals of the initiative. As part of this work, the Technical Resource Center will track a small number of “vital sign” indicators in the jurisdictions in which Models for Change works:

• frequency of transfer/waiver to adult criminal court
• juvenile participation in education, rehabilitation, and treatment programs
• use of alternatives to incarceration and formal handling
• recidivism
• racial disparities

Though broad, these measures may serve as useful markers of each state’s progress toward a more rational, fair, effective, and developmentally appropriate system

The Technical Resource Center is also charged with developing materials and resources that can be used by other states wishing to learn from Models for Change system reform efforts. Over time, the Technical Resource Center will attempt to understand the reform process that unfolds in Models for Change states, assess the outcomes of reforms, and develop and disseminate information about the initiative—including the knowledge it generates, the innovations it fosters, and the lessons it suggests—to a national audience. A range of vehicles and strategies will be used for this purpose, including reports and issue briefs, conferences, sponsored site visits, and the ongoing development and expansion of this website.

Finally, the Technical Resource Center engages an initiative-wide project coordinator, who assists lead entities with troubleshooting, monitors and tracks the work across multiple sites to ensure that the needs of each state are met and the resources of the National Resource Bank are effectively used, and organizes cross-fertilization and networking activities.

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