About this srcd poster session

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Panel information
Panel 17. Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

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The current proposal will present the results of a three-year evaluation study. The evaluation investigates process changes that were initiated at the beginning of the juvenile justice court process in October 2020-September 2021. There were three major changes that were implemented and evaluated. The first process change is incorporating the YASI assessment immediately following the filing of a petition by a prosecutor. Next, targeted referrals were provided to youth and families as identified by the YASI assessment, enabling them to engage in services sooner in the court process. Lastly, assigning defense counsel to juveniles earlier in the court process. The goal of this final step was to increase referrals to diversion where appropriate and to better inform the defense strategy. In the first year of the study, the majority of youth who participated in the YASI scored low risk for reoffending. This finding may also challenge the prevailing narrative around justice-involved youth. At baseline, 51% percent had no risk or low risk based on static (i.e., unchangeable) items that predict criminal behavior, such as criminal history, history of neglect or abuse, and/or age of first offense. Ninety percent had either very high, high, or moderately high dynamic (i.e., changeable) protective factors. These are items that can support a youth’s success, such as having goals, problem-solving skills and/or coping skills. These youth also scored low on dynamic risk factors, i.e., factors which predict future behavior and are amenable to change, such as having delinquent peers, substance use or poor academic achievement. By providing the right interventions targeted at the youth’s specific needs, 90% of the youth assessed using the YASI stand a good chance of lowering their risk for future re-offending. Additionally, fifty (50) youth were diverted after being petitioned to court and before their trial. Of these, 42 youth (84%) were diverted after participating in the YASI. Sharing the YASI results with the prosecutor may have helped influence the decision to divert.
Through implementation of a standardized risk assessment at the entry point to the court process, the court is able to identify the needs of the youth and family that may have contributed to the offense and make appropriate referrals to address those needs prior to adjudication. The risk score generated by the assessment tool allows the court to obtain additional information on the youth’s risk of reoffending in order to facilitate an informed referral for diversion. Additionally, assigning a defense attorney earlier in the court process allows for effective representation. Furthermore, through the information gathered from the risk and needs assessment, youth who encounter the justice system can be better matched with the appropriate security level and program interventions, which in turn may reduce their likelihood of recidivism. Serving juveniles in the least restrictive environment possible, with targeted interventions identified by the risk assessment, should result in long-term cost savings for the juvenile justice system and the reduction of juvenile recidivism, reduction in adult criminal justice contact and ultimately reduction in juvenile crime.

Author information

Author	Role
Dr. Megan Renee Hicks, Ph.D., Wayne State University	Presenting author
Terri Gilbert, Wayne State University	Non-presenting author
Susan Lebold, Wayne State University	Non-presenting author
Celeste Rabaut, Wayne State University	Non-presenting author
Sheryl Kubiak, Wayne State University	Non-presenting author

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