The Implementation Story: North Carolina as a SPEP Legacy State

• In Event: Connecting Research to Practice Using the Standardized Program Evaluation Protocol (SPEP™): The Road to Reform

Abstract

The North Carolina General Assembly passed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 1998, S.L. 1998-202 (S 1260), which created a cabinet-level agency that merged probation, secure custody facilities and community programs from multiple agencies into one. This provided a structure that few states have to run and manage a statewide juvenile justice system. During the initial Reform Act inception, North Carolina adopted the Comprehensive Strategy framework and shortly thereafter, the SPEP™. In the past year, the Department of Public Safety, Juvenile Community Programs section using SPEP™ version 2.0 has calculated SPEP™ scores on over 300 Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) programs and completed the first cycle of the Program Enhancement Process. Lessons learned include correct classification processes (take as much time as needed to do this); use a grass roots approach starting with quality reviews; score programs every six months, not just annually; and set up data collection with established, standard recidivism measures. The messaging of SPEP’s purpose was critical in North Carolina as providers were concerned that funding would be based on their score. Some success stories evidenced include rural providers working together to ensure clients received full dosage and range of SPEP™ primary and supplemental services.

Authors

• Cindy Porterfield, NC Department of Public Safety

• Megan Howell, NC Department of Public Safety

• Nancy Hodges, NC Department of Public Safety