Juvenile assessment and reoffending (2022-2026)

Principal Investigator: Dr. Zachary Hamilton

Strategies for preventing recidivism and risk management of juvenile justice populations has received significant research and investment over the past three decades. Efforts to reduce contact with the justice system, (i.e., diversion) has significantly reduced the number of youths supervised nationally (OJJDP, 2020). Despite recent reductions in filings, supervision and the use of detention, youth of color continue to be overrepresented in all system areas (OJJDP, 2019). Further, policy concerns such as, age boundaries for both dependency and adult supervision, timing and administration of assessments, and responses to technical violations challenge the system. These operational challenges are coupled with the current reality that juvenile justice systems enter a great deal of data into systems but lack access to data systems for purposes of analysis and creation of standardized metrics. Creation of such systems can help guide and monitor youth/agency progress and guide state and federal responses to juvenile justice. Using a 15-state US representative sample, this study examines factors predict recidivism generally, by sub-group, outcome, state, and other important moderators.

This is a 5-year grant funded by the National Institute of Justice.