On August 27–30, 2017, the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) held its 42nd Annual Training Institute in New York, NY. The institute included several sessions featuring OJJDP-funded initiatives.

OJJDP supports targeted training and technical assistance efforts to help states implement recently enacted legislation requiring changes across multiple juvenile justice system components. Kentucky was one of the original states to receive funding in 2014 for this purpose. In the workshop, “Kentucky’s Juvenile Justice Reform: An Overview of Implementation and Evaluation Efforts,” OJJDP social science analyst Benjamin Adams provided a summary of the Office’s system improvement efforts. Mr. Adams was joined by staff from APPA, the Crime and Justice Institute, and Westat, who introduced the key components of Kentucky’s legislative improvements, discussed early successes and challenges in implementation, and described the study design plan for a forthcoming evaluation.

Many juvenile justice agencies struggle to consistently collect, analyze, and apply information to their practices in the face of scarce research budgets and inconsistent data systems. During the session, “A Blueprint to Better Data: Panel of Model Data Project Pilot Sites,” staff from OJJDP, APPA, and the National Center for Juvenile Justice provided an overview of OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Model Data Project. They were joined by representatives from Model Data Project pilot sites in Bannock County, ID, and Davidson County, TN. OJJDP's Model Data Project aims to enhance the quality and consistency of juvenile justice information and to increase its appropriate use in policy and practice decisions by providing guidance to states and jurisdictions on data improvements. Representatives from the pilot sites shared their experiences, provided examples of how their data capacity was assessed, and identified practical opportunities for data improvements.

OJJDP-funded work by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and Kids Oneida was highlighted in the session, “Second Chances: Improving Community Supervision and Reentry in the Juvenile Justice System.” The presentation provided information on efforts to strengthen community supervision and improve outcomes in counties across upstate New York that are receiving support and technical assistance through OJJDP’s Second Chance Act Community Supervision Implementation program. It also introduced strategies to engage families in the community supervision process as methods of successfully transitioning youth back home following placement.

Funded by a grant from OJJDP, the Urban Institute conducted a focus group on community supervision and youth development. The objective was to gather information from practitioner participants at the conference to inform efforts to translate research on adolescent development and effective interventions with youth into practical guidance for probation agencies. The Urban Institute is leading OJJDP’s Bridging Research and Practice Project To Advance Juvenile Justice and Safety to create practitioner-friendly products that can apply developmental approach principles to youth supervision, guide improvement efforts at the agency and administrative levels, and establish effective methods of disseminating findings and products to youth supervision agencies.

Resources:

For additional information on reentry resources, see Behavioral Health Problems, Treatment, and Outcomes in Serious Youthful Offenders. For additional information on improvements in the juvenile justice system, see the publication, Improving Outcomes for Youth: A Look at Juvenile Justice Reform Implementation in Six States.