Overview:

OJJDP launched the Initiative to Develop Juvenile Reentry Measurement Standards to establish a model to assist jurisdictions in measuring services and outcomes in juvenile reentry. The project also aims to align measurement practices across jurisdictions and improve the assessment of juvenile reentry services' impact on public safety and youth outcomes.

Goals and Objectives:

OJJDP is working with the Performance-based Standards Learning Institute and its partners, the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators and the Vera Institute of Justice, to develop, test, and disseminate standards for measuring juvenile reentry practices and youth outcomes. The project's objectives are to (1) synthesize and analyze the current literature in implementation science, juvenile reentry, and youth development with current practice in juvenile reentry and data collection across the nation to identify key indicators for measuring the juvenile reentry process, (2) translate the key indicators to user-friendly and understandable draft juvenile reentry measurement standards, (3) pilot test the measurement standards, and (4) revise and provide final recommended measurement standards. 

Milestones:

During the first phase, the project team:

• Conducted a comprehensive and systematic literature review of the evidence for current practices in reentry for improving youth outcomes.
• Conducted a comprehensive national field scan of existing reentry services and practices.
• Synthesized the literature review and field scan findings in each system and youth domain to develop draft reentry measurement standards.

The project team is currently piloting its draft recommendations in selected sites at multiple levels (state agencies, facilities, service providers) and for multiple stages of reentry (e.g., placement, transition, community). In addition, the project team is gathering feedback from its panel of juvenile reentry experts and other juvenile justice stakeholders. These activities will inform the final project report, including the recommended measurement standards, which the team expects to submit to OJJDP in 2019.

The final report will present measures and definitions for juvenile reentry practice and youth outcomes; data collection and infrastructure recommendations; implementation considerations; enhancement or variation possibilities; and references to evidence or underlying research. The project team will also support the implementation of a national dissemination strategy to maximize the use of the recommendations across a wide range of agencies with jurisdiction over juvenile reentry.

Contact Information:

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

Kim Godfrey, Executive Director
Kim.Godfrey@pbstandards.org | 781-843-2663
PbS Learning Institute, Inc.