Juvenile Justice Personnel Views of Risk Assessment Implementation and Usage: Key Results and Recommendations

• In Event: Juvenile Risk and Needs Assessment: Results from a Multi-State Study of Implementation, Case Processing, and Outcomes

Abstract

Juvenile justice agencies use standardized risk assessment to reduce bias in the decision making process. To date, a great deal of research has focused on the performance of these tools with some variability. This variability may be explained in part by usage and implementation practices that differ according to context. This study analyzes responses from 217 in-person, semi-structured interviews and (N=1,013) online surveys of juvenile justice practitioners across three states in the Midwest and Southwest, to assess perceptions, implementation, and usage practices for the Ohio Youth Assessment System (OYAS). The interview and survey questions, which are analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, focus on agency and staff characteristics, general approach to youth assessment, implementation practices, and youth assessment practices. Responses are analyzed comparatively across state contexts and organized by the three objectives of the paper: (1) trends in policies and practices around assessment, (2) facilitators to its implementation and use, and (3) barriers to its implementation and use. The discussion will focus on implications for the implementation of juvenile risk and needs assessment and evidence-based practices more generally.

Authors

• Catherine Strange, University of Cincinnati

• Carrie Sullivan, University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute

• Amber Mandalari, University of Cincinnati

• Christopher Sullivan, University of Cincinnati