On December 13–15, 2015, the MacArthur Foundation hosted the 10th and final Models for Change National Working Conference in Washington, DC. The event marked the MacArthur Foundation’s exit from the juvenile justice arena.

In his plenary remarks, Administrator Listenbee hailed the foundation’s Models for Change initiative as an important vehicle for juvenile justice reform and called on states and communities to “act with ingenuity and initiative to continue carrying out the demands of this reform effort.”

Mr. Listenbee credited the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice with providing “answers to critical questions about young people and their interactions with the justice system” and laying the groundwork for two seminal studies on juvenile justice reform—the OJJDP-commissioned Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach and Implementing Juvenile Justice Reform: The Federal Role.

He also acknowledged the initiative’s efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities within the juvenile justice system and to improve young people’s access to competent defense, and noted that the Models for Change initiative helped influence legislative changes in many states.

Mr. Listenbee further discussed how OJJDP is building on the initiative’s work. Along with the MacArthur Foundation, the Office is funding—

• The Center for Children’s Law and Policy. The center supports states and local governments working to reduce the overrepresentation of youth of color at key decision points within the juvenile justice system.
• The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. The center is enhancing mental health services for system-involved youth by funding training for staff who work in juvenile justice settings.
• The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. The resource center works to improve outcomes for youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
• The University of Massachusetts Medical School's National Youth Screening and Assessment Project. The project seeks to improve how probation offices integrate evidence-based assessments of mental health, substance abuse, and the criminogenic needs and risks of youth into case planning.
• The Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice. The center educates policymakers and practitioners about status offenses through the online Status Offense Reform Center.

The conference was supported by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice.