Devolution, Privatization, and Individual Blame: Charitable Foundations and Juvenile Justice Reforms

• In Event: Institutions and Criminal Justice Reform in the US: Promise and Peril in a "New" Era

Abstract

Across the USA, a number of states have been passing wide sweeping juvenile justice reforms to reduce their reliance on state-run prisons. This paper traces the influence of large foundations in promoting the particular model of juvenile justice reform most of these states are pursuing. Major private foundations such as MacArthur and Annie E. Casey have been instrumental in promoting reforms that adhere to a “community based” model. This reform strategy promotes devolution, private-public partnerships and the adoption of “evidence-based programs.” The paper details the key components of the foundation-led model of reform and some of its limitations. I argue that the core philosophy of these reforms and the policy leadership of private foundations contributes to a larger pattern of American social policy development toward devolution, privatization and an emphasis on individual responsibilities rather than the transformation of structural impediments to individuals.

Author

• Sarah Cate, Saint Louis University