Skip to main content

This site was archived January 1, 2018 and is no longer updated.

Innovation/knowledge briefs

All Innovation/knowledge briefs publications

Sort by    Most recent    Title

Publication cover Policy Brief: Assuring the Future of Developmental Reform in Juvenile Justice
Apr 24, 2017, Thomas Grisso, PhD
The mid-1990s saw the beginning of resistance to the punitive reform in juvenile justice that had gripped the nation for about ten years. A new perspective on juvenile justice arose, acknowledging…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Implementing Evidence-based Practices in a Louisiana Juvenile Drug Court
Dec 8, 2014, LSUHSC Institute for Public Health and Justice
Operating since 2005, the 4th Judicial District’s juvenile drug court made a decision in 2009 to modify their screening, assessment, and treatment offerings based on newly emerging practice…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Indicators of Success: Developing System and Youth Outcome Measures for Juvenile Justice Agencies
Dec 8, 2014, LSUHSC Institute for Public Health and Justice
Knowledge of the effectiveness of the Louisiana Models for Change reform efforts has, in large part, been attributable to the implementation of local data driven programs that monitor and track the…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Using Evidence-Based Intervention with Youth Who Have Committed Sexual Offenses
Dec 8, 2014, Illinois Models for Change Invitative
Despite a growing body of research challenging traditional assumptions about youth who sexually offend, few jurisdictions have made a systematic effort to use this research to re-engineer the way in…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Mental Health Screening as a Valuable Tool for Truancy Intervention
Dec 8, 2014, Center for Children & Youth Justice
The Clark County Truancy Project (CCTP) was designed to effectively respond to truancy while reducing the need for formal court intervention. Research indicates that one of the most prevalent issues…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Improving Behavorial Health and Community Support in Evening Reporting Centers
Dec 8, 2014, Illinois Models for Change Invitative
In Cook County, Illinois, the juvenile court has implemented a strong continuum of alternatives to detention. Evening Reporting Centers, or ERCs, are a key component in this continuum. As an…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Effective Tools for Local/State Probation Officers
Dec 8, 2014, LSUHSC Institute for Public Health and Justice
Since the creation of probation services involving youth offenders, juvenile probation has evolved with a fluctuating history involving both rehabilitation and enforcement roles. Even today, juvenile…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Special Counsel: Enhancing Juvenile Indigent Defense in Washington State
Dec 8, 2014, Center for Children & Youth Justice
When addressing the issue of indigent defense for juvenile respondents in Washington State, an initial reaction was that the cost for needed improvements would be formidable. Reducing caseloads and…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Bridging the Divide: Enhancing Collaboration between the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems to Respong to the Needs of Dually Involved Youth
Dec 6, 2014, Center for Children’s Law and Policy
In DuPage County, Illinois, youth who have concurrent involvement with both the delinquency and child welfare systems comprise only a small percentage of youth in the juvenile justice system.…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: PathNet: An Innovative School Reengagement System
Dec 4, 2014, Center for Children & Youth Justice
Juvenile justice-involved youth are overrepresented in the nation’s high school dropout statistics. These youth are often credit deficient, reading below grade level and in need of supplemental…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: A Collaborative Approach to Truancy Reform
Dec 4, 2014, Center for Children & Youth Justice
High school dropout rates in Benton and Franklin Counties in Washington State are significantly higher than the national average. Truancy is a clear predictor of high school dropout. The…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Using Community Truancy Boards to Tackle Truancy
Dec 12, 2013, Bonnie Bush, Juvenile Court Administrator, Spokane County Juvenile Court
In 2007, after a coalition of community stakeholders expressed concern with the high dropout rates and high occurrence of truancy in their Eastern Washington community, the Spokane County Juvenile…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Avoiding and Mitigating the Collateral Consequences of a Juvenile Adjudication
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
The majority of youth who come into contact with the juvenile court system have one court contact and never return. And even among those youth who do return to juvenile court, most do not become…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Early Appointment of Counsel
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
The timing of the appointment of counsel can have as much of an impact on the outcome of a case as whether an attorney is appointed at all. Having a qualified juvenile defender present, at the…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: The Cultural Enhancement Model for Evidence-Based Practice
Dec 12, 2013, Sarah Walker, Research Assistant Professor, University of Washington Division of Public Behavioral Health & Justice Policy
Interest in developing and testing cultural adaptations has grown in proportion to the widespread adoption of policies to support the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBPs). One significant…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Facilitating Health Care Coverage for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
Dec 12, 2013, Sarabeth Zemel, Kimm Mooney, Diane Justice, National Academy for State Health Policy
As states and juvenile justice stakeholders work to facilitate health coverage and access for system-involved youth, they can draw upon the experiences of their counterparts across the country to…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Illinois’ JWatch Probation Data & Case Management System
Dec 12, 2013, Lisa Jacobs and Susan Witkin, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Illinois’ 64 probation departments use a wide variety of commercial and “homegrown” data systems to gather and manage information on youth on juvenile probation caseloads and to…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Ogle County’s Juvenile Justice Council
Dec 12, 2013, Lisa Jacobs and Jim Bray, Illinois Models for Change
Ogle County in northwestern Illinois looks like many rural communities, with a relatively small population (53,497) spread across a large geographic area (758 square miles). But Ogle County has…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Judicial Colloquies: Communicating with Kids in Court
Dec 12, 2013, Rosa Peralta and George Yeannakis
Juvenile offenders are customarily required to comply with a lengthy list of rules imposed by a judge or juvenile probation counselor. Failures to comply, even those of a technical nature that result…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Professional Development for Key Decision Makers in Juvenile Court: Strengthening the Juvenile-Specific Knowledge and Capabilities of Prosecutors, Defenders, and Judges
Dec 12, 2013, Barry Mahoney – The Justice Management Institute & Stephen Phillippi, PhD-Louisiana State University School of Public Health: Institute for Public Health & Justice
When Louisiana began to address long-standing problems in its juvenile justice system, leaders of the reform movement recognized that engaging key juvenile court decision makers—prosecutors,…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Local Detention Reform Leading to State Adoption of Best Practice Detention Standards
Dec 12, 2013, Dana Kaplan, Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana & Stephen Phillippi, PhD, Louisiana State University School of Public Health: Institute for Public Health & Justice
Statewide standards for juvenile detention facilities were produced through a collaborative effort utilizing and accelerating local reforms from Models for Change sites in Louisiana. These standards…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Model for Effective Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices
Dec 12, 2013, Stephen Phillippi, PhD & Debra DePrato, MD, LSU School of Public Health, Institute for Public Health and Justice
In current literature, there is a general agreement concerning what works and what does not work in reducing delinquent behavior with juvenile offenders in communities; however, this knowledge has…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: University Partnerships as a Strategy for Promoting Data-Driven Decision Making in Juvenile Justice
Dec 12, 2013, Kristina Childs, PhD,Consultant for the Institute for Public Health and Justice & Paul Frick, PhD, University of New Orleans
A critical piece of juvenile justice reform is the use of data to objectively identify areas in need of reform, select the types of reforms that match a jurisdiction’s needs, and to evaluate…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Model Juvenile Court Colloquies
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Despite the rehabilitative nature we ascribe to the juvenile justice system, research indicates that when young people are in court, surrounded by authority figures, they are often frightened or…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Addressing the Legal Needs of Youth After Disposition
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
In most instances, legal representation for a youth ends at disposition, leaving youth on their own to navigate continuing legal obligations while on probation and even while incarcerated. This often…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Eliminating the Practice of Indiscriminate Shackling of Youth
Dec 12, 2013, National Juvenile Defender Center
Many youth in custody are forced to appear in court shackled with leg irons, belly chains, and handcuffs. The practice of restraining youth who pose no safety threat unnecessarily humiliates,…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Beyond Anecdote: New Resources in Washington State for Data-Informed Policy Reform
Dec 12, 2013, WSCCR and NCJJ
A growing demand exists in juvenile justice for quality information to support a range of policy planning, program research and evaluation efforts. Challenged with system reform, the states require…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Schools Turn to Treatment, Not Punishment, for Children with Mental Health Needs
Dec 12, 2013, Giudi Weiss, Kathleen Skowyra
In 2008, the new Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network selected “early diversion” as its first area of focus. Its goal was to create opportunities for youth with mental health…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Reforming Automatic Transfer Laws: A Success Story
Nov 30, 2012, Jason Szanyi, Center for Children’s Law and Policy
In the mid-1980s, the Illinois Legislature took a tough stance on drug use among youth. As part of a national trend toward harsher punishments for juveniles, lawmakers decided to prosecute in adult…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Partnering with Schools to Reduce Juvenile Justice Referrals
Nov 30, 2012, Jason Szanyi, Center for Children’s Law and Policy
In Peoria, Illinois, a large number of African-American youth were entering detention for aggravated battery in one public high school. After learning more about the problem, local juvenile justice…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Juvenile Justice and Mental Health: A Collaborative Approach
Nov 30, 2012, Barbara Chayt, Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators
No single agency can solve the mental health/juvenile justice crisis. It demands a collaborative model. Three Pennsylvania counties—Allegheny, Chester, and Erie—and a state-level team…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pennsylvania
Nov 30, 2012, Dana Shoenberg, Center for Children’s Law and Policy
Across the United States, youth of color are disproportionately represented at every stage of the juvenile justice system, with the greatest disparities at the deepest end of the system. Although…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Strengthening the Role of Families in Juvenile Justice
Nov 30, 2012, Wendy Luckenbill, Community Care Behavioral Health
In 2007, Models for Change-Pennsylvania established a multidisciplinary workgroup—including both family advocates and juvenile justice practitioners—to address the role of families in the…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Media Relations: Transforming a Crisis into an Opportunity for Reform
Nov 30, 2012, Marie Yeager, Roda Creative Services.
The Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, “kids-for-cash” tragedy provided many opportunities for education regarding juvenile justice in the United States. The publicity, shaped by thoughtful…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Learn to Earn: PACTT Helps Delinquent Youths Gain Academic and Job Skills
Nov 30, 2012, Candace Putter, PACTT
In a time of high unemployment, the lack of attention to education and career training for delinquent youths has aggravated the considerable barriers to employment they face upon release from…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Mental Health Needs and Due Process Rights: Finding the Balance
Nov 30, 2012, Autumn Dickman, Juvenile Law Center
Models for Change sites have launched a variety of initiatives to identify and treat justice involved youths with mental health and substance abuse problems. They include screening and assessment…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Using Risk Assessment to Meet Needs and Reduce Recidivism
Nov 30, 2012, Gina M. Vincent, PhD, National Youth Screening & Assessment Project and Laura S. Guy, PhD, University of Massachusetts Medical School
A growing number of juvenile justice experts are suggesting that an effective approach to reducing recidivism is to evaluate a youth’s risk of reoffending, then match services to his or her…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Using Diversion Fairly, Consistently, and Effectively
Dec 1, 2011, Juvenile Law Center
Juvenile justice leaders in Pennsylvania wanted to create a model system to channel youths away from formal processing. The idea was to hold young offenders accountable withless costly and more…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Raising the Standards of Juvenile Indigent Defense
Dec 1, 2011, Juvenile Law Center
Pennsylvania’s county-based approach to juvenile defense created a patchwork system in which children in some counties received excellent representation while those in other locations did not,…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Can Risk Assessment Improve Juvenile Justice Practices?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
A growing number of juvenile justice experts are suggesting a new, potentially more effective approach to reducing recidivism: first identify a youth’s risk of re-offending; then match services…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Are Minority Youths Treated Differently in Juvenile Probation?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
While many studies have examined disproportionate minority contact at the front endof the juvenile justice system, few have examined disparities deep within the system—in particular,…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Mental Health Services in Juvenile Justice: Who pays? What gets paid for? And who gets to decide?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
Providing effective mental health services for youths in the juvenile justice system raisescomplex policy questions, including: Who pays? What services get paid for? And who getsto decide? The…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Does Mental Health Screening Fulfill Its Promise?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
As many as two-thirds of youths in pre-trial detention exhibit behaviors serious enough to qualify them for a mental disorder. Under the stress of detention, these youths can act out in ways that are…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Is There a Link between Child Welfare and Disproportionate Minority Contact in Juvenile Justice?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
African-American children are represented in foster care and other child welfare placements at a rate more than twice their representation in the U.S. child population. Like others in the child…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: How Well Is the Child Welfare System Serving Youths with Behavioral Problems?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
Child welfare systems were designed with a focus on ensuring the safety and stability of abused and neglected children. Today, though, these systems also serve as an alternative to secure confinement…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: Harnessing the Capacity for Change
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
Organizational change requires more than good ideas. Organizations must also have thecapacity and resources necessary to reach the desired goals. In this project, the researchers interviewed and…
Publication cover Knowledge Brief: How Can We Know If Juvenile Justice Reforms Are Worth the Cost?
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
With governments at every level facing grim budget forecasts, policymakers need to knowas much as possible about what juvenile justice activities yield the greatest social good fora given level of…
Publication cover An Executive Summary: Rethinking Juvenile Justice
Dec 1, 2011, Models for Change Research Initiative
Elizabeth S. Scott and Laurence Steinberg, leading figures in juvenile law and adolescent developmental psychology, have brought their disciplines together to define a new approach to juvenile crime.…
Supported by

Models for Change was a juvenile justice systems reform initiative supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, website operated by Justice Policy Institute.

MacArthur