NCJ Number
187576
Date Published
2000
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This first in a series of 12 publications entitled, "Pathways to Juvenile Detention Reform," outlines guiding principles for comprehensive juvenile detention planning and details the 5 stages in such planning.
Abstract
This publication, along with the rest of the publications in the series, is a product of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The project's objectives were to eliminate the unnecessary use of secure detention for juveniles; minimize failures to appear and the incidence of delinquent behavior; redirect public finances from building new facility capacity to responsible alternative strategies; and to improve conditions in secure detention facilities. A number of principles emerged from the work of the five JDAI sites that should guide detention reform planning: detention planning must be collaborative; detention planners should maintain a thematic focus on creating a continuum of detention options, including a rational set of alternatives to secure, pretrial custody; planning should be guided by the objective of improving system efficiency from both operational and cost perspectives; planning should be comprehensive in scope; and planning must be oriented toward action and practical results. After explaining each of these principles, a chapter suggests how to start the planning process. Next, each of five chapters explains one of the five stages in comprehensive planning. The stages are to document and describe the current juvenile detention system; identify local juvenile detention goals; define the reformed system; identify the cost of reforms, resources needed, and barriers to reform; and finalize and draft the action plan. 11 resources are listed