NCJ Number
162884
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 11 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1996) Pages: 40-43
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the pilot phase of RECLAIM Ohio, a program designed to divert youth from incarceration, along with the design and findings of its evaluation.
Abstract
Begun in 1994, the primary goals of RECLAIM Ohio were to empower local judges with more options and alternatives for juvenile offenders, and to improve the Ohio Department of Youth Services' ability to treat offenders. Thus, the program sought to increase the counties' ability to provide more community-based services to youths under the supervision of the court and reduce commitments to the Department of Youth Services, so as to provide better quality of services for juveniles committed to these institutions. Under the program, each county juvenile court is allocated a certain amount of money based on its prior number of felony adjudications. The judge has the option of using these funds to either commit juveniles to an institution or provide services to them in the community. If a judge decides to commit a juvenile, the county is charged 75 percent of the per diem. In an effort to ensure public safety, however, the counties are not charged for youths adjudicated for aggravated murder, murder, or rape. The remaining funds, after monthly commitment charges are subtracted, may be used to create new programs for juveniles, expand existing programs, or contract for services with private providers. A contingency fund has been established for those counties that exceed their allotment. Nine counties were selected to participate in the pilot program. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used to determine the extent to which the two program goals were achieved during the pilot year. Evaluation findings show that the program was supported by the pilot counties, and it has served a wide variety of youth. It has apparently been successful in meeting its two goals during the pilot phase. Counties were able to increase or expand the number of community-based services available to their clients. They were also able to reduce commitments to youth facilities by 42.7 percent over what would have been expected had the program not been implemented. 3 notes