Report on Innovative Juvenile Justice Reform Released

On December 4, the Justice Policy Institute released Models for Change: Building Momentum for Juvenile Justice Reform at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Roll-Out Conference held in Washington, D.C. The report tells the story of how innovative state leaders from across the country are working to develop a new path toward fair, rational, effective and developmentally appropriate models for juvenile justice reform. It also details specific changes being made in the four core states of MacArthur’s Models for Change Initiative: Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana and Washington.

JPI’s report explains how each of the four core states have developed plans to reduce racial and ethnic disparities, improve mental health services, expand alternatives to incarceration, and collaborate with other agencies to help those being released from secure confinement to successfully transition back into the community.

Commenting on the report in the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, Jim Rieland, director of probation said, “The kid coming back from a residential placement needs to be welcomed back…. That may be a new concept for some people.”

The report was covered in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Associated Press (in Pennsylvania and Illinois), The Chicago Tribune, and the Christian Science Monitor.

For more information on MacArthur, please visit www.modelsforchange.net.

###