This National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report provides a process evaluation of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice’s Regional Service Coordination (RSC) Model.
This evaluation of the Regional Service Coordination (RSC) model initiative—an initiative the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) embarked on in 2017 to provide community-based services and alternatives to incarceration for youth—found that the RSC shows considerable promise in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of community-centered treatment services. Service completion led to reduced recidivism rates, emphasizing the importance of connecting youth to services. DJJ's shift to the RSC model represents a significant advancement in Virginia's juvenile justice approach that elevates the importance of communities and underscores the importance of building trust-based relationships. DJJ’s commitment to evidence-based practice and continuous improvement led them to collaborate with Child Trends, a partnership established to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth process evaluation of the RSC model over a span of six years. Child Trends leveraged DJJ's comprehensive administrative data system. Concurrently, researchers collected qualitative data from multiple groups directly involved with or impacted by the RSC model, including probation/parole officers, judges, service coordinators, and direct service providers. By integrating quantitative data and first-hand experiences, the evaluation aimed to uncover important insights into how the RSC model was being implemented and its effects on different stakeholders. Unfortunately, researchers were unable to recruit youth to participate in this study, which is a significant limitation. This final report presents a comprehensive account of the evaluation and its findings.