Expanding the Pretrial Service Continuum: An Evaluation of Juvenile Pretrial Supervised Release’s Impact on Youth Outcomes

• In Event: Navigating the System: Perspectives on Juvenile Justice Processes

Abstract

A growing body of research has documented a host of potential consequences associated with juvenile pretrial secure detention for system-involved youth. These include increased recidivism and more punitive legal outcomes in the later stages of the juvenile justice system. This study considers the effectiveness of supervised release, a community-based placement featuring varying conditions and supervision, to promote public safety during the pretrial period while mitigating the collateral consequences of secure detention. Drawing on administrative data from a large statewide juvenile justice organization, this study explores the effect of supervised release—relative to release without conditions and secure detention—on pretrial offending, post-disposition recidivism, and case outcomes. We utilize multilevel logistic regression to estimate the effects of supervised release while controlling for a range of additional youth- and contextual factors. Further, a series of matching techniques are employed to improve the comparability of supervised release cases with other forms of pretrial placement. Preliminary findings from these analyses, along with their implications for juvenile pretrial policy and practice, will be discussed.

Authors

• Emma Huaman, Florida State University

• Keller Sheppard, Florida State University

• Jennifer E. Copp, Florida State University