“Who’s Out There?” Modeling Innovation in Juvenile Justice Through a Campus-Community Partnership

Abstract

While a traditional approach to juvenile justice in the United States proscribes punishment based on a young person’s offense, innovative juvenile courts across the country are developing a more individualized approach based on assessed risk of reoffending. Treating juvenile justice as an opportunity to participate in the holistic development of youth is time and resource intensive, and models for implementation are needed. This case study uses the theoretical frameworks of cross-sector collaboration and social justice leadership to examine how one juvenile court system in the southern United States partnered with a university service-learning program and nonprofit organizations in the community to implement a matrix of services for addressing assessed needs in their court.