This report presents findings and recommendations from an expert panel that explored challenges and opportunities associated with closing juvenile residential facilities and implementing community-based alternatives. The highest-priority needs centered on equity and disparity and on family engagement throughout the correction process.
Authors
Woods, Dulani, Vermeer, Michael J. D., Labriola, Melissa M., Jackson, Brian A., Peterson, Samuel
Related Organizations
- Division
- RAND Social and Economic Well-Being Justice Policy
- Pages
- 24
- Published in
- United States
- RAND Identifier
- RR-A108-25
- RAND Type
- report
- Rights
- RAND Corporation
- Series
- Research Reports
- Source
- https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA108-25.html
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION 2
- What We Know About the Effects of Incarceration on Youth 2
- The decline of the population of incarcerated youth exists alongside other efforts to reduce overall youth involvement in the juvenile justice system. 2
- What We Know About Community Alternatives for Youth 3
- Challenges to Understanding Best Practices in Closing Facilities 3
- The combined effects of limited education and employment options can have long-lasting repercussions for youth and their success after incarceration. 3
- METHODOLOGY 4
- Discussion Points 4
- RESULTS 5
- Family Support and Equity Concerns 6
- Discussion 6
- Identifying and Addressing Disparate Treatment 7
- Family Engagement 9
- Better family engagement might help in understanding needs barriers and potential supports to help improve outcomes. 9
- Practices for Secure Settings 10
- Serious Youth Offending and High-Risk High-Needs Youth 10
- A key question is what the appropriate response is for serious youth offenses or youth with high levels of risk and need. 10
- Systems and Creating a Road Map for Reform 11
- Develop Holistic Community Improvement Approaches 11
- Practices for Community Settings and Optimizing Length of Stay to Be Least Restrictive 11
- CONCLUSION 12
- Analyze Barriers to Working with Government and Nongovernment Funding 12
- TECHNICAL APPENDIX 13
- Workshop Scope and Panel Selection 13
- Panelists emphasized that closing secure youth facilities and reducing residential placement of youth should consider not only recidivism but indicators of positive youth development. 13
- Identification and Prioritization of Needs 14
- Interviews 14
- In-Person Workshop 14
- Post-Session Prioritization 15
- REFERENCES 21
- Acknowledgments 23
- The RAND Justice Policy Program 23
- About the Authors 23
- About This Report 24
