Reducing Recidivism in the Juvenile Justice System: Promising Practices in Ohio.

• In Event: Research on Juvenile Recidivism

Abstract

Ohio has been at the forefront of national juvenile justice reform and continues to serve as a model for states looking to implement best practices in juvenile justice. Notable, however, is the impact of the Targeted Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to the Incarceration of Minors (RECLAIM) Program. The Targeted RECLAIM program advances the RECLAIM model of Ohio by offering counties fiscal incentives to provide evidence-based and/or evidence-informed programming. Findings from a recent outcome evaluation comparing recidivism rates of Targeted RECLAIM program participants to similarly-situated youth released from custodial placement will be presented. The paper’s discussion will also consider how technical assistance and support increases program integrity for long-term behavior change.

Authors

• Stephanie Spiegel, University of Cincinnati

• Alexander Burton, University of Cincinnati

• Myrinda Schweitzer Smith, University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute