Intermediate Sanctions

Intermediate sanctions are programs that hold youth accountable for their actions through more restrictive and intensive interventions (nonresidential or residential), short of secure care. Intermediate sanctions are appropriate for juveniles who continue to offend following immediate interventions, youth who have committed more serious felony offenses, and some violent offenders who need supervision, structure, and monitoring but not necessarily institutionalization.

The use of intermediate sanctions rose from a skepticism with regard to the wisdom and cost associated with the residential treatment of a subgroup of offenders who seemed to pose no real threat to the community. In fact, studies have shown that juvenile facilities are housing significant numbers of youth who pose no significant threat to community safety and who could be managed as effectively in less restrictive and less costly programs and settings (Boersema, 1998; Jones and Krisberg, 1994). Moreover, a concentration on social control has several negative consequences. First, it is exceedingly expensive (Dunlap and Roush, 1995). Second, it places more juveniles in institutions that are already dangerously overcrowded. Finally, out of home placement does little to correct the delinquent behavior. Generally, out-of-home placement fails to address the known determinants of serious antisocial behavior and fails to alter the natural ecology of the home (Henggeler, 1998). Moreover, research demonstrates that any gains made by juvenile offenders in correctional facilities quickly evaporate following release because youths are often released back to disorganized communities where it is easy for them to slip back into their old habits that resulted in arrest in the first place (Deschenes and Greenwood, 1998). In fact, large percentages of serious juvenile offenders continue to commit crimes and reappear in the juvenile justice system (Krisberg, 1997).

Because of these negative consequences from the overuse of secure facilities, many jurisdictions are pursuing alternative options to residential facilities for serious offenders (Roush and McMillen, 2000). The use of effective alternatives assures that youth who do not require secure care can be supervised in less costly programs thus reserving secure care space for the most serious offenders (DeMuro, 1997; Guarino–Ghezzi and Loughran, 1996). This approach requires juvenile justice systems to examine closely the allocation of resources toward managing public safety and meeting the needs of the greatest number of juveniles. It considers and implements a variety of intermediate interventions.

References - Click here for 'INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS' References, and to browse other references.

Click one of the 'INTERMEDIATE' programs below


Canberra Reintegrative Shaming Experiments
Washington, DC, Restitution Program
Functional Family Therapy
Wayne County Intensive Probation Program
Wraparound Milwaukee
Career Academy
Maine Juvenile Drug Treatment Court
SAFE–T
Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
AMIkids Community-Based Day Treatment Services
Parenting with Love and Limits®
Intensive Supervision Juvenile Probation Program
SNAP® Under 12 Outreach Project
Connections
Family Solutions Program
Reaffirming Young Sister’s Excellence (RYSE)

What's New?

New Resources Added to Intermediate Sanctions Program Literature Reviews

Links
Annie E. Casey's Juvenile Alternative to Detention Initiative (JDAI)
http://www.aecf.org

Models for Change
http://www.modelsforchange.net

National Drug Court Resource Center
www.ndcrc.org

National Association of Drug Court Professionals:
www.nadcp.org/nadcp-home

National Drug Court Institute:
www.ndci.org/ndci-home

The Campaign for Youth Justice:
http://www.campaignforyouthjustice.org/

Publications

2013
Children and Family Futures:
Guidance to States: Recommendations for DevelopingFamily Drug Court Guidelines

National Juvenile Defender Center:
Missouri: Justice Rationed. An Assessment of Access to Counsel and Quality of Juvenile Defense Representation in Delinquency Proceedings

National Juvenile Defender Center:
National Juvenile Defense Standards

2012
OJJDP Fact Sheet:
Juvenile Delinquency Probation Caseload, 2009

OJJDP Fact Sheet:
Delinquency Cases Waived to Criminal Court, 2009

OJJDP Fact Sheet:
Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2009

National Center for Juvenile Justice:
Juvenile Court Statistics 2009

NIJ, BJA, and OJJDP:
Drug Courts

Juvenile Justice Resource Series:
A Primer for Mental Health Practitioners Working With Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System

Juvenile Justice Resource Series:
New Directions for Behavioral Health Funding and Implications for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Juvenile Justice Resource Series:
Screening and Assessment in Juvenile Justice Systems: Identifying Mental Health Needs and Risk of Reoffending

2011
The Campaign for Youth Justice:
State Trends - Legislative Victories from 2005 to 2010 Removing Youth from the Adult Criminal Justice System

OJJDP National Report Series:
Trying Juveniles as Adults: An Analysis of State Transfer Laws and Reporting

National Center for Juvenile Justice:
Juvenile Court Statistics 2008