The developmental reform in juvenile justice: Its progress and vulnerability.

Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the developmental reform to juvenile justice has shifted law, policy, and practice toward a research-informed perspective on adolescent development. However, as with any reform, the developmental reform has vulnerabilities that may reduce its likelihood to be sustained. In order to maintain and build upon the gains of the developmental reform to juvenile justice, we document a 2-phase, 5-year effort to identify and track threats to the reform. In Phase I, a threat assessment methodology was employed to develop a consensus among a panel of experts about threats to the developmental reform and potential mitigating strategies. In Phase II, panelists completed a follow-up survey 5 years later to report the manifestation and impact of the threats they had forecasted. Overall, panelists viewed the health of the developmental reform in juvenile justice positively, particularly in its rate of progression and states’ interest in the reform. Eleven threats were identified in Phase I, but only 3 of these (Racial Bias, Fragmented Efforts, and Trends in Other Social Systems) were reported as having manifested in Phase II. Notably, many of the panelists were largely unfamiliar with new and ongoing reform-relevant research, pointing to an opportunity for reform-minded researchers to disseminate their findings among policymakers and practitioners. In addition to offering a perspective on the developmental reform, the threat assessment methodology used in the project offers potential for threat assessments to forecast future trends in other public policy reforms. We close with recommendations for sustaining the progress of the developmental reform movement.

Healthy adolescent development and the juvenile justice system: Challenges and solutions

“…Yet, despite this founding mandate, “get tough” crime policies during the 20th century shifted the goal of the juvenile justice system from rehabilitation to punishment. During this period, the number of youth who were detained, transferred to adult courts, and housed in adult facilities increased sharply, even as juvenile crime rates fell (Cavanagh et al, 2021).…”

“…Legislative changes at the local, state, and federal levels reduced the number of youth transferred to adult courts, incarcerated, and held in solitary confinement; improved community‐based corrections; and increased the use of risk assessment and mental health screening tools. Although juvenile justice academics and practitioners champion maintaining this progressive trajectory in the face of headwinds toward a punitive approach (Cavanagh et al, 2021), more progress is needed for the juvenile justice system to truly reflect developmental science.…”

“…A second challenge is that parental participation may be hampered by systemic racism. Although it is widely recognized that a disproportionate number of non‐White youth enter and are processed by (rather than diverted from) the juvenile justice system, little progress has been made to reduce these racial/ethnic disparities (Cavanagh et al, 2021). From a developmental perspective, differences in family structure and function may reflect cultural differences rather than risk of criminality.…”

Applying ecological systems theory to juvenile legal system interventions outcomes research: a measurement framework

“…These disparate indices become even more varied when comparing across systems internationally (Fazel and Wolf, 2015). Caudill and Trulson (2022) also indicated the use of these varied assessments of recidivism among JLS-involved youth can lead to variable effect sizes across studies. In addition, recent work by Padgaonkar et al (2021) indicates official rearrest rates may be influenced by racial bias such that Black JLS-involved youth are more likely to be rearrested than their White peers, despite committing fewer self-reported offenses prior to being rearrested.…”

An Assessment of Juvenile Justice Reform in Ohio: Impact on Youth Placement and Recidivism From 2008 to 2015

“…The last two decades have been marked by a developmental approach to the juvenile justice system and reduced incarceration of justice-involved youths (Cavanagh et al, 2021). These efforts, which are fueled in part by increased research documenting the detrimental influence of incarceration on youth development (e.g., Cauffman et al, 2018; Celeste, 2015; Mendel, 2011), have been part of an international trend toward a more rehabilitative and restorative model (Bateman, 2017; McAra & McVie, 2018).…”