Bernalillo County, New Mexico, JDAI
Reduced the detention population by 44 percent. In order to achieve this outcome, Bernalillo County methodically reorganized its resources, budget and staff to focus on community-based treatment and innovative policies that cost taxpayers less money. Then the Bernalillo County Juvenile Detention Center reassigned staff to front-end services and closed secure units, saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars. Adhering to JDAI concepts has also allowed the State of New Mexico, Children, Youth and Families Department to close its maximum-security facility in 2003. Some of the cost savings went into acquiring portable buildings outside the detention center’s razor-wire fence to house an alternative public school, a community-custody program, a day treatment program and a mental health clinic.
Cook County, Illinois, JDAI
Reduced its average daily population in locked detention from 682 to 420 between 1996 and 2005. Cook County leaders developed alternatives to locked detention for young people who don’t pose a serious threat of fleeing or reoffending, including community-based evening reporting centers that offer constructive activities during afternoons and early evenings while allowing youth to stay at home and in school.
Multnomah County, Oregon, JDAI
Substantially reduced the disproportionate confinement of minority youth by sharply lowering the overall population in detention by 65 percent and targeted strategies aimed at reducing disparities. Those strategies included effective and culturally appropriate community-based alternatives, including shelter care, home detention, and a day reporting center. Multnomah developed an objective, culturally sensitive risk assessment instrument and created a seven person intake team to review each and every detention decision .The county expedited procedures to process cases, which reduced lengths of stay in detention, and implemented non-secure sanctions for probation violators. As a result the likelihood that an arrested youth will be detained is now about the same for all racial and ethnic groups.
Santa Cruz County, California, JDAI
Sharply reduced its detention population while concurrently experiencing a reduction in juvenile crime. Santa Cruz's detention reform efforts resulted in saving the county millions of dollars by avoiding the construction and staffing of a new detention facility. Since implementing JDAI, the juvenile hall population has been reduced by more than half, averaging more than 50 youth per day in 1996 and just 22 in 2005. In addition, juvenile felony arrests are down 48 percent and misdemeanor arrests are down 43 percent. Santa Cruz used an objective screening process to only detain high risk offenders and developed alternative programs and procedures for low and medium risk youth. Santa Cruz developed meaningful partnerships with community based organizations to provide culturally responsive alternatives to detention, as well as programming from diversion to family preservation. The reduction of racial/ethnic disparities and disproportionate minority confinement has been an integral component of their detention reform work. As a result, Santa Cruz has significantly narrowed the gap between Latino youth representation in the general population and the detention population.
Model Site Visit Materials
Materials provided to delegations visiting a JDAI model site.