Youth with juvenile justice (JJ) interactions and/or adjudications face a number of challenges as they transition back into their community, including college and career readiness needs. In addition to the typical concerns of adolescents facing postsecondary decisions, these youths' decisions are complicated by a myriad of other factors, often…

Incarcerated youth commonly experience significant academic difficulty. In particular, these youth struggle in the areas of reading and mathematics. There are unfortunate limitations to the scope and quality of research on reading and mathematics instruction in juvenile corrections (JC). However, it is essential that teachers effectively and…

Policy reform for at-risk youth is complicated by involvement of various service sectors. Issues related to coordinating systems of care in a dynamic policy environment are not new, but surprisingly little has been written to guide practitioners and policymakers in addressing them (Friedman in "Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders"…

As many as 9 in 10 justice-involved youth are affected by traumatic childhood experiences. According to "Healing Invisible Wounds: Why Investing in Trauma-Informed Care for Children Makes Sense," between 75 and 93 percent of youth currently incarcerated in the justice system have had at least one traumatic experience, including sexual…

This paper discusses how the "at risk" and "what works" approach that drives the management of youth criminal justice systems produces little knowledge that informs practitioners how best to work with young people who offend and how to design effective crime prevention programmes. An alternative approach that is more informative for the…

This report presents the experiences of and lessons learned by Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sites regarding the development of effective alternatives to secure detention. Each site expanded or enhanced its program repertoire as part of its detention system reform efforts. Chapter 1, "Why We Need Effective Alternatives to…

This report discusses how to reduce unnecessary delay in the juvenile justice system, presenting data from the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Chapter 1, "Why Focus on Unnecessary Delay?" explains the negative effects of unnecessary delays. Chapter 2, "Guiding Principles," examines principles inherent in all…

This report discusses strategies for handling difficult juvenile detention populations (warrant cases, probation violators, and post-adjudication detention). It offers strategies used in the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sites and in other jurisdictions to reduce unnecessary detention in these special cases. Chapter 1,…

In the wake of a U.S. Justice Department investigation that found widespread use of excessive force by staff at upstate psychiatric care facilities for mentally ill children, this new edition of Child Welfare Watch identifies shortcomings in mental health services and explores possible solutions, including the expansion of alternatives to…

This report describes the complex system charged with making societal interventions and dispositional decisions designed to intervene successfully with Indiana's most wayward youth. It begins with a summary of national statistics and trends, noting that, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports, in 1990 the United…

This report explores how Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sites promoted and sustained detention reforms in their jurisdictions. Chapter 1, "Why Promoting and Sustaining Detention Reform are Important," introduces the issue. Chapter 2, "Promoting Reform," discusses how to establish the need for reform, build…

This report addresses governance and leadership prerequisites for implementing specific strategies essential to juvenile detention reform. Chapter 1, "Why Are Collaboration and Leadership Essential to Detention Reform?" discusses principles of collaboration and leadership that emerged from the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative…

Discusses rising juvenile and youth crime in China, highlighting the essence of Chinese Marxist criminological thought and changing conceptions of delinquency from the postrevolutionary period to the present; examining official responses to delinquency and the recent development of juvenile justice; and suggesting that current delinquency control…

In 1992, the Annie E. Casey Foundation launched a multiyear, multisite project known as the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). This report focuses on reducing racial disparities in juvenile detention. The number of youth held in secure detention nationwide increased by 72% from 1985 to 1995. During this period, the number of white…

This monograph describes the work of five Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sites designed to streamline and rationalize local juvenile detention systems and to reduce overcrowding in juvenile detention centers, thus improving conditions and saving jurisdictions money in overtime and additional staff and millions of dollars to…