Overview:

The University of Massachusetts Medical School is evaluating the long-term impact of basing individual programming decisions for juvenile offenders on risk and criminogenic needs. The current study is building on existing data and research findings from the MacArthur Foundation-funded Risk/Needs Assessment in Juvenile Probation: Implementation Study, a quasi-experimental, pre-post prospective study that documented changes in system and youth outcomes associated with the implementation of a risk and needs assessment instrument with a risk-need-responsivity approach in six juvenile probation offices in two states. The current study is gathering data on a cohort of youth from five of these departments 7 years after the states implemented their valid risk and needs assessment instrument and risk-need-responsivity-related case management practices (Cohort 3) to compare them to statistically equivalent cohorts of youth before implementation (Cohort 1) and 1-year after implementation (Cohort 2). The study will assess whether the impact on system and youth outcomes, public safety, and cost-effectiveness observed 1 year post-implementation was sustained, improved, or worsened over time.

OJJDP is funding this project 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:

The goal of this study is to assess whether the local implementation of a valid risk and needs assessment instrument with a risk-need-responsivity approach to case management leads to long-term impacts on system and youth outcomes, public safety, and cost-effectiveness. More specifically, the study will:

• Assess whether the implementation of a valid risk and needs assessment instrument with a risk-need-responsivity approach has a long-term impact.


• Use a three-group, quasi-experimental design comparing outcomes for cohorts of youth with cases adjudicated in 2017 to matched youth with cases adjudicated in the pre-implementation and 1-year post-implementation samples.


• Examine (1) severe dispositions and informal processing, (2) out-of-home placements, (3) recidivism, and (4) education and employment status and whether any impacts were sustained, improved, or worsened from those observed 1 year post implementation to determine whether these outcomes were improved 7 years after implementation.


• Document and examine implementation-level measures based on interviews and knowledge tests of probation officers, interviews of supervisors and administrators, and review of site policies and procedures.


• Examine whether ineffective implementation can evolve and improve over time and whether 1-year post-implementation effectiveness impacts 7-year implementation effectiveness.


• Gather and/or estimate justice system and behavioral health care-related costs from each site for the matched pre-implementation, 1-year post-implementation, and 7-year post-implementation cohorts and compare those costs relative to recidivism outcomes to assess whether the implementation of a valid risk and needs assessment instrument with a risk-need-responsivity approach is cost-effective.

Milestones:

The researchers have completed a number of interviews and are collecting and extracting data from existing agency records and other public sources. OJJDP anticipates posting a final technical report in late 2019.

Contact Information:

Gina Vincent, Associate Professor
Gina.Vincent@umassmed.edu | 508-856-8727
University of Massachusetts Medical School

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