Alaska Youth Courts Evaluation and Impact Assessment, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 244235
• Date Published: September 2010
• Length: 60 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2006-50339-AK-JL
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); Alaska Dept of Health and Social Services
• Corporate Author: McDowell Group
• Sale Source: Alaska Dept of Health and Social Services
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Findings, recommendations, and methodology are presented from an evaluation and impact assessment of Alaska youth courts, in which trained youth volunteers conduct the disposition of delinquency cases in accordance with the principles of restorative justice.

Abstract

The evaluation found that Alaska youth counts had a low collective reoffending rate (approximately 3 percent) after 6 months. The study sample consisted of 2,418 cases handled by the youth court between FY 2007 and FY 2009. This reoffending rate compares favorably with the 6-percent reoffending rate calculated for the Anchorage Youth Court in a 2002 study by the Urban Institute. The youth-court sample in the current evaluation included both defendants who successfully completed their youth court sentence as well as those who did not. Nineteen percent of the defendants studied reoffended at some time before they were 18 years old. Records for offending after they turned 18 were not available. In addition to improving reoffending rates, the youth court produced other benefits, including a more focused, individualized, and age-appropriate process for defendants; more communication with defendants' parents and with victims; an opportunity for education and personal growth for both defendants and youth volunteers; and the opportunity for a variety of adult community members to have a role in restorative justice for youth. Those who know Alaska youth court best say that providing maximum appropriate autonomy to youth volunteers is critical in producing a positive experience for both them and for defendants. Recommendations pertain to standardized data for statewide analyses, the use of similar questionnaires and survey methodologies for key participant groups, and self-reflective essays by defendants. The evaluation included interviews with key participants, an online survey of youth volunteers, site visits, and an analysis of data on reoffending. 20 tables and appended database field and statistical tests for factors associated with reoffending