Overview:

In January 2017, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice began implementation of its Regional Service Coordinator Model. The state closed several state-run correctional centers and invested the savings in developing a statewide continuum of evidence-based services and alternatives to out-of-home placements. The goal of the service coordinator model is to reduce disparities in services in rural communities and ensure that court-involved youth get the services they need, when and where they need them. Researchers from Child Trends are evaluating the Regional Service Coordinator Model to better understand how it was implemented and whether its implementation is associated with any changes in youth outcomes.

OJJDP is funding this evaluation under its Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program, which supports innovative and methodologically rigorous research and evaluation efforts that inform policy and practice to advance effective delinquency prevention and juvenile justice system interventions.

Goals and Objectives:

The overarching goal of the evaluation is to better understand the implementation of the Regional Service Coordinator Model and how it is associated with changes in procedures, practices, and outcomes for youth and to translate those findings into meaningful recommendations to the Department of Juvenile Justice. OJJDP expects that these findings will also be informative to other juvenile justice systems interested in implementing similar improvement efforts.

There are three objectives:

• Conduct a process evaluation of the implementation of the Regional Service Coordinator Model.
• Explore the extent to which implementation of the model is associated with changes in youth outcomes (recidivism, risk scores, and protective factors).
• Translate and disseminate findings to targeted audiences.

The researchers will conduct a mixed-methods study that draws on multiple data sources, including: (1) existing Department of Juvenile Justice administrative data, (2) semi-structured interviews with judges, prosecutors, and direct service providers, (3) focus groups with probation officers and regional service coordinators, and (4) semi-structured interviews with justice-involved youth. A key focus of the research will be to examine whether implementation varies by a region's urbanicity and practitioner and youth characteristics.

Milestones:

This evaluation began in October 2017, and the researchers commenced data collection in 2018. OJJDP expects the final analysis to be completed in 2022. At the conclusion, OJJDP will post a final technical report of the findings.

Contact Information:

Barbara Tatem Kelley, Social Science Analyst
Barbara.Kelley@usdoj.gov | 202-616-9517

Kelly Murphy, Senior Research Scientist
kmurphy@childtrends.org | 240-223-9257
Child Trends Incorporated