Long-Term Impact of Risk Assessment and Risk-Need-Responsivity Reforms in Juvenile Justice

The proposed research will evaluate local Juvenile Justice policy and practice reforms that accompany implementation of a valid risk-needs assessment (RNA) with a risk-need-responsivity (RNR) approach to assess the long-range impact on system and youth outcomes, public safety, and cost-effectiveness. The strategy is to build on existing data and research findings from the study, the Risk/Needs Assessment in Juvenile Probation: Implementation Study (RNAJP), a quasi-experimental, pre-post prospective study of the changes in case processing effectuated by implementing a RNA instrument with RNR in six juvenile probation offices in two states (three offices per state). The study will gather data from a new youth cohort in four of these probation offices to examine a) the 7-year sustainability of impact and b) cost-effectiveness.

The Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program will support rigorous research and evaluations to investigate the effectiveness and/or cost efficiencies of juvenile justice system reforms. In particular, OJJDP is interested in measuring the impact of policy changes that have been enacted or implemented in states participating in OJJDP’s Smart on Juvenile Justice Initiative and reforms in other states and local jurisdictions that are consistent with OJJDP’s vision of a juvenile justice system where youth contact is rare, fair, and beneficial.

CA/NCF