Multi-Method Study on Risk Assessment Implementation and Youth Outcomes in the Juvenile Justice System

• NCJ Number: 252927
• Author(s): Christopher Sullivan; Clare Strange; Carrie Sullivan; Jamie Newsome; Melissa Lugo; Derek Mueller; Amber Petkus; Bryan Holmes; Holly Lonergan; James McCafferty
• Date Published: April 2019
• Length: 395 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-MU-FX-0006
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description

Annotation

Focusing on the implementation of the Ohio Youth Assessment System (OYAS) at various stages of juvenile justice processing, this study examined the impact of OYAS use on recidivism in relation to variation in assessment-based decisions that reflect the use, monitoring, and implementation of the OYAS,

Abstract

The research team interviewed juvenile justice personnel at various agencies across three states in various stages of the implementation process. In-person interviews (N = 217) were conducted with personnel from 22 juvenile justice agencies, in order to determine how the full suite of OYAS tools was being implemented. Those interviewed represented various types of juvenile justice agencies and staff with various experiences with and views of the OYAS. Youths (N= 6,222) in the selected counties were stratified based on the type of assessment used. Data for the youths selected for the comprehensive assessment sample consisted of official records provided by agencies in each state. Follow-up surveys with youths were also conducted. The results of the analysis generally suggest that matching criminogenic needs to treatment does not consistently occur in the juvenile justice systems studied. The results of this study should help to build processes for improving the quality and use of juvenile risk and need assessments. Extensive figures and tables,150 references, and appended study instruments