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November | December 2015

Administrator Listenbee Discusses Juvenile Justice Reform at Council of State Governments Forum

At a Council of State Governments forum on improving outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system, Administrator Listenbee spoke passionately about one of his top priorities—comprehensive juvenile justice reform—and outlined concrete steps to help states develop and implement statewide reform plans. The forum took place on November 8–10, 2015, in Austin, TX.

Welcoming representatives from all 50 states, Mr. Listenbee expressed gratitude for their efforts, reminding them of the “truly remarkable” strides the juvenile justice field has made in the last 15 years. “The number of youth in out-of-home placement has declined significantly,” Mr. Listenbee said. “Since 1999, the number of youth in residential placement has been cut in half, down to a little more than 54,000 in 2013.” He also noted legislative reforms implemented in states like Georgia, Kentucky, and Hawaii, and the projected cost savings to these states over the next 5 years. Despite these successes, he acknowledged that each state could do more to improve outcomes for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.

In a separate session, Mr. Listenbee went into greater detail about the comprehensive state plans, which he distinguished from the Comprehensive 3-Year Plan required for OJJDP Title II Formula Grant funding. The plans for improving youth outcomes would complement and expand on the Comprehensive 3-Year Plan and also—

  • Establish baseline recidivism rates and provide targets for improvement.
  • Align system policies and practices with available research.
  • Demonstrate the support of the Governor, legislative and judicial leaders, and representatives of local governments, and position them to assess the implementation of the plan and track progress over time.

Some states had already developed such plans. For those states, Mr. Listenbee announced that OJJDP anticipates awarding grants to help states implement plans to improve outcomes for youth. He also announced that the National Reentry Resource Center would provide intensive technical assistance to help those states without a plan to develop one. He also mentioned that the Council of State Governments Justice Center would share more details about the selection process for technical assistance, along with other resources available to assist all states in developing their statewide plans.

In another session facilitated by Administrator Listenbee, state representatives discussed barriers to reform, ways to integrate research into policy and practice, and strategies for using data to drive decisionmaking.

Resources:

Read more about the forum on the Council of State Governments Justice Center website.