Overview:

In 2014, OJJDP launched the Smart on Juvenile Justice Initiative, which supports technical assistance to states that have initiated improvements to their juvenile justice systems that are developmentally appropriate and evidence-based, aimed to improve youth outcomes, eliminate disparities, and maximize cost savings while holding youth accountable. Kentucky is one of seven states receiving technical assistance related to its implementation of juvenile justice improvements. In April 2014, Kentucky passed Senate Bill 200 (SB 200) that included a series of policy changes that provide more targeted and effective treatment to youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. Westat, Inc. is evaluating the implementation and impact of these changes on justice system and youth outcomes in the state. 

This project is funded under the Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program, which supported research and evaluations to investigate whether certain juvenile justice policies and practices produce better outcomes for youth, improve public safety, and/or achieve a greater return on taxpayer investments.

Goals and Objectives:

In this study, Westat is partnering with the American Probation and Parole Association to conduct an implementation and outcome evaluation of the SB 200 improvements.

• The implementation evaluation will examine the extent to which key elements of the bill were completed as designed, with a particular focus on increasing community-based services for justice system involved youth. The implementation evaluation is using a mixed-method design that involves document reviews, telephone interviews with stakeholders, site visits, and analysis of administrative data.
• The outcome evaluation will examine the impact of SB 200 on justice system and youth outcomes. The design includes geographic information system mapping to examine if services are equally accessible to youth across the state or if certain disparities in accessibility exist based on region or characteristics of youth populations. In addition, the evaluation intends to use other multivariate analyses to examine the impact of SB 200 on youth outcomes, such as subsequent arrests, probation violations, and adjudications.

Milestones:

The project began in October 2016 and is currently finalizing the research design and analytic plan. Data collection is expected to begin in late 2017. OJJDP expects final analysis to be completed in 2020. At the conclusion, OJJDP will post a final technical report of the findings.

Contact Information:

Benjamin Adams, Social Science Analyst
Benjamin.Adams@usdoj.gov | 202-616-3687

Suzanne Kaasa, Senior Study Director
SuzanneKaasa@Westat.com | 301-610-8718
Westat, Inc.