This is the 14th report in the Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) Pathways series on juvenile detention reform. It documents how detention reforms in general – and JDAI’s reform model in particular – stimulate and support a variety of other juvenile justice system improvements. The authors find that JDAI sites that have reduced detention populations have their appetites "whetted" for further success, embrace a "culture of reform" that includes effective and youth-friendly juvenile justice, and embark on a continued course of experimentation, innovation and progress.
Successful strategies for reducing the number of youth in out-of-home placements include: more reliance on community-based programs, the promotion of racial justice, an increased focus on youth and their families in rehabilitation, and using data collection and objective decision-making tools to make better decisions.
Free, 80 pages. (410) 223-2852, www.aecf.org/upload/PublicationFiles/JDAI_Pathways14.pdf.
