NCJ Number
210149
Date Published
2003
Length
181 pages
Annotation
This Program Model and Planning Guide is intended to help prepare teams of judges, community members, and juvenile justice professionals at demonstration sites of the Graduated Sanctions Project to achieve the goals of graduated sanctions for juveniles in their jurisdictions.
Abstract
The program model for graduated sanctions emphasizes the need to hold juvenile offenders accountable for any and all offenses they commit in accordance with the severity of the offense. Progressively more severe sanctions will be given for repeat offenders. The model also couples sanctions with a range of service interventions that address underlying problems, so as to prevent reoffending. It emphasizes that the vast majority of juveniles can be safely managed in community-based settings under an appropriate range of immediate and intermediate sanctions. An effective system of graduated sanctions consists of a multitiered continuum of interventions that allows the matching of sanctions and treatment responses to each juvenile's offense severity, level of risk, and service needs. This manual provides guidance in the use of structured assessments that will ensure the best match between a youth's characteristics and available interventions; the assessment of gaps in the current system and planning to fill those gaps; the implementation and maintenance of a graduated sanctions system; the monitoring and evaluation of system performance; and where to turn for additional training, technical assistance, and funding resources. Overall, the manual details the steps and procedures that must be taken in planning and implementing a graduated sanctions system that fits local circumstances. 13 figures and 7 tables