The PbS Learning Institute, the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), and the VERA Institute of Justice, propose to develop new reentry measurement standards.

Juvenile justice leaders are eager to identify the most effective ways to prepare youths to become productive adults, but those efforts are often hampered when information collected on youth outcomes is done so inconsistently and without the appropriate context of research on adolescent development and evidence-based interventions. The agencies responsible for returning youths to families and communities following system involvement lack a standardized model that identifies and measures reentry services and practices that reduce re-offending and increase positive youth development. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's development of Juvenile Reentry Measurement Standards will provide the field with a set of standards aligned with research that assess the effectiveness of reentry services and begin to demonstrate how the developmental approach is being implemented in juvenile justice.

The PbS Learning Institute (PbS), Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), and Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) will combine their expertise and experience to develop the new reentry measurement standards, based on the strategy used to develop the successful performance-based standards program of national standards and outcome measures for juvenile residential facilities. PbS' knowledge of standards and measurement development, national data collection, and creating field support will be supplemented by CJCA members (the directors who provide access to the data and leadership needed to translate the developmental approach into practice) and Vera's experience conducting research and program evaluation and providing technical assistance from arrest to reentry in state and local juvenile justice systems. The partnership uniquely offers experience across the country and along the service continuum with identifying system needs and creating practical, feasible solutions and data to measure impact.

PbS, CJCA, and Vera will build on PbS' web-based, data-driven quality improvement model used by 200 facilities in 33 states, that produces biannual outcome reports showing participants' performance meeting standards for operations, programs, and services. The partners will adapt PbS' development and implementation methodology as follows: collect all available, related information, written and in practice; convene an advisory work group of experts and practitioners to gain national consensus on the standards and strategies; continuously collect feedback from the field; comprehensively pilot test the standards and implementation strategy at selected agencies representing varied program types; develop supporting strategies and tools; and capitalize on technology.

Together, PbS, CJCA, and Vera have the experience, leadership, communication skills and national, state, and local relationships needed to produce standards that will result in better outcomes for youths.

Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law. CA/NCF