The author(s) shown below used Federal funding provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice to prepare the following resource:

Document Title: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) 

Guidelines Cross-Site Evaluation Plan

Author(s): Michael Dennis, Barbara Estrada, Pam 

Baumer, Corey Smith, Cori Miles, Steven 

Belenko, Matthew Hiller, John Carnevale, 

Erika Ostlie, Raanan Kagan, Juliette 

Mackin, Shannon Carey

Document Number: 252719 

Date Received: March 2019

Award Number: 2014-DC-BX-K001

This resource has not been published by the U.S. Department of 

Justice. This resource is being made publically available through the 

Office of Justice Programs’ National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service.

Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and 

do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. 

Department of Justice.
1

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Guidelines

Cross-Site Evaluation Plan

3.7.19

Submitted by Cross-Site Evaluation Team

Under subaward to 0373700105 to contract 2014-DC-BX-K001 by:

Michael Dennis, Barbara Estrada, Pam Baumer, Corey Smith, and Cori Miles, 

Chestnut Health Systems

Steven Belenko and Matthew Hiller, 

Temple University

John Carnevale, Erika Ostlie, and Raanan Kagan, 

Carnevale Associates, LLC

Juliette Mackin and Shannon Carey, 

NPC Research

The development of this report was funded by subaward 0373700105 under Grant # 2014-DC-BX-K001 

awarded to the American Institutes for Research (Dr. Roger Jarjoura, Project Director) by the Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and managed by the National Institute of Justice, Office of 

Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or 

recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect 

those of the Department of Justice or any other federal, state or local government. Please direct 

comments and questions to Dr. Michael Dennis, Chestnut Health Systems, 448 Wylie Drive, Normal, IL 

61761, Email: mdennis@chestnut.org, Phone: 309-451-7801, Fax: 309-451-7765.

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents Page 

1. Overview of Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Guidelines Cross-Site Evaluation.......................... 4 

1.1 Review of Prior Research.............................................................................................................. 4 

Figure 1.1 Recidivism Across 41 Evaluations ................................................................................ 4 

Figure 1.2 Large Variation by Study............................................................................................. 4 

1.2 The 2016 JDTC Guidelines ............................................................................................................ 5 

1.3 Evaluation Objectives and Research Questions ........................................................................... 5 

Figure 1.3 Graphical Representations of the 2016 JDTC 31 Evidence-Based Guidelines 

Organized into 7 Objectives.......................................................................................................... 6 

1.4 Summary of Research Design ....................................................................................................... 7 

Table 1.1 Overview of Proposed Research Design ....................................................................... 8 

1.5 Cross-site Evaluation Team......................................................................................................... 11 

Figure 1.4 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Cross-Site Evaluation ................................... 12 

2. Assignment Mechanism and Controlling for Differences between Groups......................................... 14 

2.1 Random Assignment (RA) Experiment ....................................................................................... 14 

Figure 2.1 Case Flow Diagram for Random Assignment (RA) Experiment ................................. 15 

2.2 Regression Discontinuity (RD) Quasi-Experiment ...................................................................... 16 

Figure 2.2 Case Flow Diagram for Regression Discontinuity (RD) Quasi-Experiment ................ 17 

Figure 2.3 GAIN Crime/Violence Screener and Substance Use Disorder Screener .................... 18 

Figure 2.4 Feasibility of Using Regression Discontinuity (RD) to Predict Recidivism ................. 19 

Table 2.1 GAIN Crime/Violence Screener and Substance Use Disorder Screener Groups based 

on Past Year Symptoms, Case Distribution and Ability to Predict Recidivism............................ 20 

2.3 Propensity Score Adjustments and Matching ............................................................................ 21 

3. Data Sources and Data Collection Tools............................................................................................... 23 

3.1 Court Self-Assessments by JDTCs and TJCs................................................................................. 23 

3.2 Site Visits..................................................................................................................................... 23 

3.3 Youth Juvenile Justice Records Abstraction ............................................................................... 24 

3.4 Youth Surveys ............................................................................................................................. 24 

3.5 Summary Crosswalk of Tools to Original Sources and If/How They Were Modified ................. 25 

Table 3.1 Crosswalk of Data Source, Primary Instrument Source, and Modifications Made..... 25 

4. Assessing Program Designs, Implementation, Fidelity to JDTC Model and Guidelines ....................... 28 

4.1 Assessing Fidelity to JDTC Guidelines ......................................................................................... 28 

4.2 Court Self-Assessment................................................................................................................ 28 

4.3 Site Visits..................................................................................................................................... 29 

4.3.1 Review of Administrative Reports and Documents........................................................... 30 

4.3.2 Compare Across Evaluation Sites and to other JDTC......................................................... 31 

5. Youth Recruitment, Participants, Measures, and Procedures ............................................................. 32 

5.1 Youth Recruitment ..................................................................................................................... 32 

5.2 Participants Eligibility Criteria..................................................................................................... 32 

Figure 5.1 Comparison of JJ, JDTC, Cross-Site Evaluation RD and RA Eligibility ......................... 33 

5.3 Youth Outcome Measures.......................................................................................................... 33 

5.3.1 Recidivism.......................................................................................................................... 33 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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5.3.2 Substance Use.................................................................................................................... 34 

5.3.3 Mental Health Problems.................................................................................................... 34 

5.3.5 Relationship with Family.................................................................................................... 34 

5.3.6 Very Important Adult......................................................................................................... 35 

5.3.7 Peer Risk. ........................................................................................................................... 35 

5.3.8 Structured Activities .......................................................................................................... 35 

5.3.9 Academic and Vocational Performance ............................................................................ 35 

5.4 Youth Survey Procedures............................................................................................................ 36 

5.5 Youth Tracking and Follow-up Procedures................................................................................. 37 

6. Data Analysis Plans............................................................................................................................... 38 

6.1 Missing data................................................................................................................................ 38 

6.2 JDTC Program Models and Fidelity............................................................................................. 38 

6.3 Time to Event Analyses............................................................................................................... 39 

6.4 Multilevel Modeling.................................................................................................................... 39 

6.4.1 General Approach to Multilevel Modeling ........................................................................ 39 

6.3.2 General Approach to Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM).......................... 42 

6.3.3 Moderation Analysis of Youth and Site Characteristics..................................................... 42 

6.3.4 Mediation Analysis of Guideline Fidelity, Behavioral Health Services Cascade, and 

Family 43 

6.5 Gender, Ethnicity, and Racial Disparities Analysis...................................................................... 45 

6.6 Power Analysis............................................................................................................................ 45 

7. Performance Monitoring and Minimizing Threats to Validity ............................................................. 47 

7.1 Performance Monitoring............................................................................................................ 47 

7.2 Monitoring Deviations from RA or RD Recommended Assignment........................................... 48 

7.3 JDTC Model Fidelity and Clinical Contrast .................................................................................. 48 

7.4 Youth attrition at follow-up surveys........................................................................................... 48 

7.5 External Validity.......................................................................................................................... 50 

7.6 Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity............................................................... 50 

8. Evaluation Liaisons’ Training and Technical Assistance for Evaluation and Data Collection ............... 51 

8.1 Training ....................................................................................................................................... 51 

8.2 Site Specific Training and Technical Assistance.......................................................................... 51 

8.3 Technical Assistance ................................................................................................................... 51 

8.4 Documentation of Training, Site-Specific Training, Feedback, and Technical Assistance.......... 52 

9. References............................................................................................................................................ 54 

10. Appendices ........................................................................................................................................... 58 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

3 
1. Overview of Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Guidelines Cross-Site Evaluation 

1.1 Review of Prior Research 

Because of a growing concern about the relative effectiveness of Juvenile Drug Treatment 

Courts (JDTC) and Traditional Juvenile Courts (TJC), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention (OJJDP) entered into a cooperative agreement with the American Institutes for Research 

(AIR) to launch a 6-year plan to better understand the evidence, develop a new set of guidelines based 

on this evidence, and then evaluate the effectiveness 

of the new guidelines (for more information, see 

https://www.ojjdp.gov/research/initiative-todevelop-and-test-juvenile-drug-treatment-courtguidelines.html). Dr. Roger Jarjoura heads the 

coordination of the effort for AIR. As shown in Figure 

1.1, the project’s meta-analysis of 41 experimental or 

quasi-experimental evaluations comparing JDTC and 

TJC show both approaches exhibit similar effect on 

recidivism (Tanner-Smith, Lipsey, & Wilson, 2016a; 

2016b). The implication of this finding is that despite 

additional labor and cost of JDTC, to date there was 

no evidence of a benefit of using one approach over 

another. However, a comparison of individual 

studies finds large variations; as shown in Figure 1.2, 

in the 3 studies at the top, the JDTC did worse than 

TJC (95% confidence intervals farther to the left than 

average), compared to TCJ. Even more confounding 

is the finding that 9 other studies highlighted at the 

bottom for Figure 1.2 show that JDTC did better than 

TJC (95% confidence intervals farther to the right 

than average). Other key findings of the review 

included: a) the findings were similar for recidivism 

overall and for drug-related crime; b) JDTC 

programming often was not well focused on those 

who benefited the most from it; c) substance use 

treatment initiation and engagement were often 

problematic; d) youth were often referred to 

substance use treatment “as usual,” which had 

separately been shown to have little or no effect 

relative to no treatment; and e) few programs 

referred youth to the “evidence-based” substance 

use treatment that did have significant effects on 

substance use and recidivism relative to treatment as usual and no treatment (Tanner-Smith, Wilson, & 

Lipsey, 2013; Tanner-Smith et al., 2016a; 2016b). Limitations of the prior studies were low overall 

methodological quality of the research (including small sample sizes, low follow-up rate, nonstandardized measures) and variations in study methods/findings making them difficult to combine. 

Figure 1.1 Recidivism Across 41 

Evaluations 

Figure 1.2 Large Variation by Study 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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1.2 The 2016 JDTC Guidelines 

JDTCs are designed for youth with substance use disorders (SUD) who come into contact with 

the juvenile justice system. The new guidelines provide juvenile courts with an evidence-based, 

treatment-oriented approach that emphasizes family engagement and addresses the substance use and 

often co-occurring mental health disorders experienced by the youth. The 2016 JDTC Guidelines (OJJDP, 

2016) combined the findings from a meta-analysis of JDTC (Tanner-Smith et al., 2016a; 2016b), a JDTC 

systematic research review / qualitative synthesis (Wilson, Olaghere, & Kimbrell, 2016), a JDTC policy 

scan (Choo, Petrosino, Persson, Fronius, & Guckenburg, 2016), and a meta-analysis and systematic 

review of adolescent substance use treatment research (Tanner-Smith et al., 2013; 2016); as well as a 

systematic review of the factors that impact the quality of child welfare, public health, and education 

programs for adolescents (Campie & Sokolsky, 2016). Using what was learned from this body of work, 

the 2016 JDTC Guidelines are an attempt to encourage courts to use more of the practices that “on 

average” were associated with less recidivism and substance use, as well as to encourage courts to 

move away from practices that “on average” were associated with more recidivism and substance use. 

OJJDP partnered with a research team, experts in the field, and other federal agencies to develop the 

Guidelines to support judges and professional court staff, young people with substance use disorders, 

and their families. The Guidelines include 31 evidence-based guideline statements shown in Figure 1.3. 

These guidelines are organized into 7 objectives: 1) Focus JDTC philosophy and practice on effectively 

addressing substance use and criminogenic needs to decrease future offending and substance use and 

increase positive outcomes; 2) Ensure equitable treatment for all youth; 3) JDTC process that engages 

full team and follows procedures fairly; 4) Comprehensive assessments that inform individualized case 

management; 5) Effective contingency management, case management, and community supervision 

practices; 6) Evidence-based substance use treatment and other services, plus prosocial connections; 

and 7) Monitor and track program completion and termination. The Guidelines also include summaries 

of the supporting research and considerations for implementation of each guideline statement. 

There is no unifying logic model associated with the Guidelines because JDTC processes vary 

across sites to address local circumstances. We will explore whether there is a core logic model to 

describe these interventions as a product of the evaluation. But, in general, individualized assessment is 

expected to identify youth most appropriate for a) traditional juvenile courts (TJC) vs. JDTC (ages 14-17, 

high risk for re-offending, and SUD), and b) who would benefit from evidence-based treatment (EBT) 

related to SUD. Ideally JDTC would include well-developed procedures and a high functioning team, 

engage parents/guardians in inclusive and culturally-competent ways to help the youth initiate, engage, 

and be retained in EBT for SUD, as well as to provide wraparound services including judicial oversight, 

behavioral management, alcohol and other drug (AOD) testing, case management, and monitoring. 

Together, these strategies are expected to improve family functioning, educational success, and wellbeing, thereby reducing the likelihood of substance use and delinquent activity. Youth are expected to 

react differently to the above services in different ways based on a range of “moderators,” such as 

degree of trauma, social competence, fidelity of program implementation, and intensity of services 

provided. Engagement, support, and risks from peers, family, and community are also expected to 

mediate the effectiveness of the model. 

1.3 Evaluation Objectives and Research Questions 

This study will be the first cross-site evaluation of the 2016 JDTC guidelines. The goals of the 

evaluation are to: a) Determine the extent to which it is feasible to implement the 2016 JDTC guidelines 

and the kinds of adaptation courts make to use them; b) Examine the impact on youth of the 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

5 
 

 

Figure 1.3 Graphical Representations of the 2016 JDTC 31 Evidence-Based Guidelines Organized into 7 Objectives 

6 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDTC relative to TJC; c) Identify if there is evidence for some components of the guidelines being more or 

less important or not important; and d) Recommend changes to the guidelines based on above. The 

specific research questions are: 

Q1. Do youth with substance use disorders (SUD) experience more positive outcomes if assigned to a 

JDTC rather than to a TJC? 

Q2. Are different interpretations of the Guidelines by the courts associated with better outcomes? 

Q3. Are there certain Guidelines that, if present, are associated with better outcomes? 

Q4. Are there Guidelines that, if absent, do not seem to be associated with worse outcomes (i.e., they 

are not necessary)? 

Q5. Do some of the seven broad objectives have a stronger association with outcomes than others? 

Q6. Is there counterfactual evidence that instances of NOT following the Guidelines produce worse 

outcomes? 

While each site’s data and results will be provided back to the individual sites for their own use 

quarterly, the cross-site evaluation will use aggregate data and focus on the average outcomes and 

differences between sites without identifying them. 

The outcomes to be evaluated include differences in a) recidivism (new arrests); b) substance 

use and symptomatology; c) internalizing (depression, anxiety, symptoms of trauma, suicidal ideation or 

behaviors) and externalizing (conduct, attention deficit, hyperactivity, gambling) mental health 

symptomatology; d) well-being (happiness, connectivity, self-worth); e) relationship with 

parents/guardians and very important adults; f) peer risk and support, g) involvement in prosocial 

structured activities; and h) academic performance (grades, attendance). All youth outcomes will be 

measured based on self-report at 6 and 12 months post entry in the study. Recidivism will also be 

measured based on 12 months of justice records after entry in the study. The rest of this section 

summarizes the research design (1.4)) and the research team (1.5). 

1.4 Summary of Research Design 

The cross-site evaluation involves two parallel studies across 10 sites (defined as a jurisdiction 

with a participating JDTC and a participating TJC). In 2 sites, youth who are eligible for JDTC and TJC will 

be randomly assigned (RA) to JDTC vs. TJC. This design provides the most rigorous and direct effect of 

JDTC’s impact relative to TJC. In the remaining 8 sites, youth who are eligible for JDTC or TJC youth will 

be assigned to the most appropriate court using regression discontinuity (RD). Per the Guidelines, this 

means that youth who are who are at moderate to high risk of recidivism and have a SUD will be 

assigned to JDTC and the rest to TJC. Here, the impact of JDTC will be estimated relative to the expected 

outcome using regression and the TJC data. This design will also provide a test of the Guideline’s 

recommended target group. Court self-assessments, youth records, and youth surveys will be gathered 

the same way across both types of assignment mechanism and type of court. Table 1.1 provides a 

contrast of the research designs for the two parallel studies, with the details discussed further in the 

narrative below. 

7 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 1.1 Overview of Proposed Research Design 

Assignment Mechanism 

Random 

Assignment 

Regression 

Discontinuity 

Number of sites 2 8 

Number of eligible youth over 2 years 150/site 

(300 min.) 

150/site 

(1,200) 

Inclusion requirements\a, b Eligible for JDTC 

and TJC 

Eligible for JDTC 

or TJC 

Exclusion requirement: Adjudicated delinquent for 

violent offense\c; expected to leave community within 

12 months; or other court exclusion 

Yes Yes 

Percent assigned to each type of court 50% 25% or more 

Nature of traditional juvenile court (TJC) 

youth comparison group 

Both groups 

eligible for JDTC 

and TJC 

Those eligible 

for TJC but NOT 

JDTC 

Evaluation team will work with each local site to define 

who is screened and how to exclude youth prior to 

assignment 

Yes Yes 

In addition to study criteria, court can exclude 

inappropriate youth from the study prior to assignment 

rule being applied 

Yes Yes 

Youth assent and parent/guardian consent required to 

participate in the evaluation study Yes Yes 

Assignment rule (using the same stratification variable or 

random assignment, regression discontinuity, and 

propensity score adjustment after the fact; judicial 

discretion can still override if needed in exceptional 

cases) 

Random 

Assignment 

Regression 

Discontinuity 

Juvenile court involvement JDTC TJC JDTC TJC 

Court/team self-assessment in Year 1 and 3 to assess 

readiness and implementation of Guidelines X X X X 

Training and technical assistance on 2016 JDTC 

Guidelines provided under separate contracts by 

American University (AU)/ National Assocaition of Drug 

Court Professionals (NADCP) (3 site grants – 2 using 

randomization and 1 site using regression discontinuity) 

or NCJFCJ (all others using regression discontinuity) 

X X 

Site visits in Year 2 to assess fidelity to the JDTC 

Guidelines, variations, and overlap in staff and services 

between JDTC and TJC 

X X 

Youth records abstracted at 6 and 12 months to assess 

baseline risk, court assignment/dispositions, service 

cascade, and recidivism outcomes 

X X X X 

Youth surveys at entry, 6 and 12 months to assess 

baseline risk, services received, and outcomes X X X X 

\a JDTC include courts attempting to implement the 2016 JDTC Guidelines in the context of juvenile 

drug treatment courts or juvenile mental health courts that also serve youth with substance use 

disorders; Evaluation eligibility also requires a) age 14-17; b) mod to high risk of recidivism; and c) 

mod to high on substance use disorder (SUD) 

8 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\b TJC means the default court/dockets for juveniles excluding any other specialized courts; eligible 

for TJC excludes youth referred to diversion, or delayed or informal supervision not involving a judge; 

Evaluation eligibility also requires age 14-17. 

\c Violent offender means a youth who has been adjudicated delinquent (or convicted in an adult 

court) for a felony-level offense that (1) has, as an element, the use, attempted use, or threatened 

use of physical force against the person or property of another or the possession or use of a firearm 

or (2) by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of 

another may be used in the course of committing the offense [42 USC 3797u-2(b)]. 

• Assignment Rule. The two parallel types of studies vary by their target population and method 

of participant assignment. The first type of study will focus on youth “eligible for JDTC and TJC” 

and then use random assignment (RA) to place 50% into JDTC and 50% into TJC. The second type 

of study will focus on youth eligible for JDTC or TJC and uses regression discontinuity (RD) based 

on criminological and substance use severity to place at least 25% each level of classification 

into JDTC or TJC. 

• Recruitment Goals and Eligibility. The evaluation’s goals are to work with the sites to recruit at 

least 150 youth over 20-24 months who are eligible for the chosen design, obtain their assent 

and parental/guardian consent, and place them into JDTC or TJC by either the RA or RD rule. 

Note that for the RA, eligibility will be based on being ages 14-17, being moderate to high 

severity on crime/violence and moderate/high severity on substance use, not adjudicated 

delinquent for a violent offense, and not excluded by the court. For RD, eligibility will be based 

on being ages 14-17, not adjudicated delinquent for a violent offense, and not excluded by the 

court – with placement into JDTC being based on being moderate to high on crime/violence and 

SUD, else into the TJC (including moderate to high criminological severity but with no symptoms 

of SUD or need for SUD treatment). 

• Exclusion Prior to Assignment. Prior to assignment, all sites will exclude youth who are 

adjudicated delinquent for violent crimes (e.g., sexual offenses, assault with a weapon), who are 

unlikely to stay in the area for 12 months (e.g., where a change of venue is expected), or where 

the placement to either court is not viable based on judicial or prosecutorial discretion. While 

courts can still override assignment post RA/RD, our goal is to minimize this occurrence as much 

as possible as we will primarily evaluate the courts based on those how youth were initially 

“assigned” regardless of whether or not they remain in the JDTC. 

• Assent and Consent. To be included in the evaluation, we will require parental/guardian 

consent and youth assent, to be administered by the trained Evaluation Liaisons at each site. 

AIR will serve as a multi-site Institutional Review Board (IRB) to supervise the study and 

Chestnut will provide assent and consent forms and procedures, and complete any additional 

paperwork required locally to defer to the AIR IRB or get additional approvals. 

• Court Self-Assessment. Both JDTCs and TJCs will be asked to complete a court self-assessment 

in spring 2018 and again in 2020 to describe the degree to which their “current” practices are 

similar or different from the 2016 JDTC Guidelines. This information will be used to help our 

evaluation understand the contrast between JDTCs and TJCs, how jurisdictions differ from each 

other, and how they are changing over time. We are measuring TJCs as well because they 

include many of the same components that are part of concurrent juvenile justice reform 

efforts, likely use some of the same staff and treatment resources and are also likely to change 

over time. Each JDTC and TJC will receive feedback from this assessment to help it identify 

where it is already doing well; where it might want training, technical assistance, or access to 

9 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

other resources; and where it appears to have a unique context or is doing something 

unique/complex that should be documented. 

• Training and Technical Assistance on JDTC Guidelines. The local JDTC staff will be provided 

training and technical assistance on 2016 JDTC Guidelines starting in 2018 through separate 

contracts with the AU/NADCP for 3 sites receiving direct grants (DeKalb County Government, 

Decatur, GA; Eighth Judicial District Court, Las Vegas, NV; and the Youth Family Treatment Court, 

Denver, CO) and NCJFCJ for the remaining 7 sites (Brevard County 18th Judicial Circuit, Viera, FL; 

Juvenile Court of Cobb County, Marietta, GA; Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Juvenile 

Division, Dayton, OH; Rankin County Juvenile Justice Center, Pelahatchie, MS; Second Judicial 

District, Albuquerque, NM; Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan, Detroit, MI; and 34th Judicial 

District, Chalmette, LA). There is one exception to this structure: TTA on measurement, data 

collection, and other content related to the evaluation will be provided directly by the cross-site 

evaluation team. The cross-site evaluation team and TTA teams will coordinate their work 

together and share reports with each other and the sites. 

• Site Visits. Site visits will be conducted with each JDTC in 2018-2019 to observe differences in 

practices (e.g., local context, other specialized dockets/services, unique or complex features); to 

document differences in the local logic model of how the program works; and to make sure we 

understand potential overlap in judges, community supervision staff, and substance use 

treatment programs used by both courts within sites. A secondary objective will be to look for 

the determinants of a core logic model that describes program operations common across all 

sites. Again, the courts will receive feedback on this component to help guide their efforts. 

• Youth Record Abstraction. Juvenile justice records will be abstracted to record each study 

participant’s history of prior arrests, current charges, changes in courts and dispositions, 

behavioral health service cascade outcomes (see Section 3.3, 5.3, and 6.4), and rearrests over 

the next 12 months. The latter will include the charges at the time data are gathered. The 

“Evaluation Liaisons” (a local person who will be trained on study procedures and serve as a frist 

teir responder to questions, as well as being responsible for shepherding communication 

between the site and evaluation teams) will get feedback on the quality of their data 

submissions each quarter. 

• Youth Survey. Youth in both JDTCs and TJCs will also be asked to complete a youth survey at 

study enrollment, and 6 and 12 months later. The enrollment youth surveys will be used to 

illustrate JDTC eligibility, risk of recidivism, and substance use. Across time, the youth surveys 

will also be used to track changes in wellness, family functioning, peer risk, school achievement, 

substance use, mental health, and illegal activity. The Evaluation Liaisons will get feedback on 

the quality of their data submissions each quarter. 

• Reporting and Feedback. Every month after they start enrolling youth in the study, each court 

will receive a management report providing information on the number of youth approached, 

eligible, assigned, and followed up. As noted above, each court will get feedback after each 

court self-assessment and the site visit, and the Evaluation Liaison will get feedback on quarterly 

data submissions. Once there are sufficient cases, we will provide the sites with quarterly 

profiles on youth presenting characteristics, movement within the court system, and outcomes. 

These reports will include comparison to the cross-site data so each site knows how it compares 

with others. The goal of this interim reporting and feedback is to allow courts to avoid surprises 

and to take maximum advantage of TTA. 

• Interim, Final and Other Reports. The evaluation team also plans to produce interim reports 

every 6 months to update OJJDP on the project’s progress and findings so far. These reports will 

10 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

also be distributed to the sites and the juvenile justice field in general. The final report and 

papers summarizing them will also be distributed to the sites and the field in general. 

We anticipate that the sites will vary in how they currently screen and refer to JDTC prior to 

implementation of the guidelines with the most likely variants including: a) following explicit criteria 

based on charges or screener results (e.g., from a pretrial sentence investigation), b) relying on a judge 

or clerk to make initial placements, c) transferring youth into (or out of) JDTC after an initial hearing, d) 

relying on referral from a district attorney, defense lawyer, staff, or family, post adjudication or e) 

implementing some combination of the above. We also recognize that in many cases the dockets may 

be fluid, with the initial assignment being adjusted during the first 2 to 4 weeks. In general, we will work 

with each site to identify their process and the least disruptive place to put screening and (when 

applicable) randomization. Ideally, we would like to have it as early as possible in the court process and 

will be using a standardized screener called the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs Short Screener 

(GAIN-SS) across sites so that we can compare youth going to different types of courts and across sites 

within types of courts. Given the guideline’s focus on selecting the most appropriate youth for JDTC, 

preliminary analyses of the national GAIN-SS dataset were used to show a) that less than half of the 

youth who are eligible for JDTC are currently enrolled in these programs and b) how the GAIN-SS could 

be used for eligibility and placement to improve this situation.. Thus, we will also work with sites to 

identify their capacity and ways to increase referrals so randomization can be presented as a fair way of 

allocating services among multiple eligible youth. We will use the GAIN-SS to in a regression 

discontinuity (RD) assignment design to help improve the rate of placing the most appropriate youth 

into JDTC. (Both are discussed further below). 

1.5 Cross-site Evaluation Team 

Under a subcontract from AIR and OJJDP, the cross-site evaluation team will be led by senior 

staff from Chestnut Health Systems (CHS; Dr. Michael Dennis and Barbara Estrada), Temple University 

(Drs. Steven Belenko and Matthew Hiller), Northwest Professional Consortium, Inc., dba NPC Research 

(Drs. Shannon Carey and Juliette Mackin), and Carnevale and Associates LLC (CALLC; Dr. John Carnevale, 

Erika Ostlie, and Raanan Kagan). This is a highly experienced team with over 100 years of combined 

experience evaluating JDTCs, assessment, and adolescent treatment; implementing multi-site 

experiments and quasi-experiments; and integrating qualitative and quantitative data into mixed 

methods. In addition to this experience, the cross-site evaluation team brings to the table one of the 

largest clinical data sets on youth in JDTCs and traditional courts, nationally representative survey data 

on juvenile justice systems in the U.S., and data/experience from a cluster randomized trial of datadriven decision-making conducted with juvenile justice agencies in 34 counties in 7 states. The proposed 

work is a part of a larger cooperative agreement shown on a map in Figure 1.4, that requires working 

closely with: 

• OJJDP, AIR, and their other grantees or subcontractors who have developed and will refine the 

2016 Guidelines based on findings from this effort; 

• OJJDP contractors providing training and technical assistance (TTA) to implement the guidelines, 

including American University (AU) and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals 

(NADCP) working with the first 3 grantee sites and the National Council of Juvenile and Family 

Court Judges (NCJFCJ) working with the other 7 sites; 

11 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• The 10 jurisdictions with both a JDTC and TJC participating in the evaluation: Brevard County 

18th Judicial Circuit, Viera, FL; DeKalb County Government, Decatur, GA; Eighth Judicial District 

Court, Las Vegas, NV; Juvenile Court of Cobb County, Marietta, GA; Montgomery County 

Common Pleas Court Juvenile Division, Dayton, OH; Rankin County Juvenile Justice Center, 

Pelahatchie, MS; Second Judicial District, Albuquerque, NM; Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan, 

Detroit, MI; 34th Judicial District, Chalmette, LA; and Youth Family Treatment Court, Denver, CO. 

Figure 1.4 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Cross-Site Evaluation 

The cross-site evaluation team collaborated with each site to verify that the staff understands 

that over 2 years, each grantee jurisdiction/site has agreed to and realistically can: 

a) recruit at least 150 youth for the cross-site JDTC evaluation; 

b) either randomly assign (RA) at least 50% of recruited youth to JDTC or use regression 

discontinuity (RD) to assign at least 25% of the youth to a JDTC and at least 25% to TJC; 

c) provide a quarter to full-time local “Evaluation Liaison” who will be responsible for collecting 

data and working with the cross-site evaluation team. 

With the exception of their target population, assignment methods and how they are modeled/ 

controlled in the analysis, the treatment of these sites in the evaluation and practice will otherwise be 

parallel. 

12 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

13 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Assignment Mechanism and Controlling for Differences between Groups 

2.1 Random Assignment (RA) Experiment 

Random assignment (RA) will be used by 2 jurisdiction sites. Per above, each site will recruit 150 

youth over two years who are eligible under the 2016 JDTC Guidelines (e.g., ages 14-17, moderate to 

high risk of recidivism, has a substance use disorder), and are also eligible for TJC, and are not excluded 

due to being adjudicated delinquent for a violent offense, expecting to leave the area within the next 12 

months, or being excluded by the local courts for other reasons (e.g., change of venue, other court 

having priority, prior court involvement driving placement). The term “violent offense” statutorily 

means a youth who has been adjudicated delinquent (or convicted in an adult court) of a felony-level 

offense that 1) has, as an element, the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against 

the person or property of another or the possession or use of a firearm; or 2) by its nature, involves a 

substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course 

of committing the offense [42 USC 3797u-2(b)]. JDTC include courts attempting to implement the 2016 

JDTC Guidelines in the context of juvenile drug treatment courts or juvenile mental health court that 

also serve youth with substance use disorders. By TJC, we mean the default court/dockets for juveniles 

excluding any other specialized courts; eligible for TJC excludes youth referred to diversion or delayed or 

informal supervision not involving a judge. 

Youth participation is in the evaluation is voluntary. Since eligible youth are under age 18, they 

will be asked to provide informed “assent” to participate and then their parent or legal guardian will be 

asked to provide informed “consent” to participate (discussed further below). Those that decline will be 

asked if they want to give a reason and the reasons reviewed for any issues that might be addressed 

with the individual or local implementation. For those who agree, the local Evaluation Liaison will use 

software provided by the cross-site evaluation team to generate assignment recommendations. Figure 

2.1 shows the expected case flow for the RA experiment. 

To prevent tampering with the assignment process, the randomization software will be 

controlled by the evaluation team. The youth survey, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and agreement to 

participate will have to be documented in the system before the randomization report will run. 

Assignment will use software to avoid having a list to see the next assignment. RA will, however, be 

blocked by site and time within site to ensure balanced assignment (50% to each type of court within 

site) every 4 cases and limit the maximum run of assignments to one type of court within site at 4 in a 

row. Note that this is an open trial – meaning that the youth, their family, court personnel and 

evaluation staff will all know the assignment once made. 

While judges and prosecutors maintain their respective existing legal and ethical prerogatives to 

reassign youth to another court, detention, or release them after RA – such actions will be viewed as 

“outcomes” for the purpose of the evaluation. We will track and report on the rate of overrides in the 

first 90 days to identify potential problems in the pre-RA exclusion process. Monthly, the cross-site 

evaluation team will review the reasons given for all overrides to make sure they do not indicate 

problems pre-RA exclusion. If there is or if a site overrides assignment in more than 5% of the cases, the 

cross-site evaluation team will discuss this with the local judges and prosecutors to see if there is any 

change to the process we can make to reduce the incidence. 

14 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 2.1 Case Flow Diagram for Random Assignment (RA) Experiment 

Local Process for Identifying Youth Who Might be Eligible for JDTC 

Likely to include some combination of charge review; formal screening or assessment; referral by 

district attorney, public defender, other lawyers, other juvenile justice staff, family; prior system 

involvement dictating placement; transfers from other courts/ judges 

Likely to be increased or modified for study and to vary by site 

Cross-site evaluation team can provide technical assistance to help with this 

Enrollment Interview and Determination of Evaluation Study Eligibility 

Eligible for JDTC and Study 

Age: 14-17 and 

Moderate or high on past year crime/violence 

screener and 

Moderate or high on past year substance 

disorder screener 

Ineligible for Study 

Not eligible for JDTC or 

Adjudicated Delinquent for violent crime or 

Unlikely to stay in the area for 12 months or 

Excluded based on local judicial or 

prosecutorial discretion or 

Lacks youth assent or parent consent 

Random Assignment 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDTC 

(50% based 

on chance) 

TJC 

(50% based 

on chance) 

Placement in Either Court 

at Local Discretion 

Local Evaluation Liaison and Staff 

Track Records for 12 months 

Follow-up interviews 6 and 12 months post 

enrollment 

15 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of the experiment, the cross site evaluation team will test and report whether RA 

produced equivalent youth groups assigned to each court. The technical criteria for this will be Cohen’s 

effect size d of -0.2 <d<+0.2 for continuous measures (e.g., risk of recidivism, days of substance use) and 

an odds ratio (OR) of 0.80<OR<1.2. If there are differences, they will be controlled for in the analysis 

using propensity analysis (discussed further below in 2.3). The most likely barriers to random assignment 

are local staff concerns about the ethics of doing so. We have tried to address this issue by limiting the 

experiment to youth who are appropriate for both JDTC and TJC prior to assignment and maintaining 

judicial discretion to override assignment in the event something changes. The evaluation team will also 

maintain a list of questions and answers for use by cross-site evaluation team and local Evaluation 

Liaisons in addressing questions related to random assignment that may come up. 

2.2 Regression Discontinuity (RD) Quasi-Experiment 

Regression Discontinuity (RD) based assignment will be used for the remaining 8 sites. Per 

above, each site will recruit 150 youth over two years who are a) eligible under the 2016 JDTC 

Guidelines (e.g., ages 14-17, moderate to high risk of recidivism, has a substance use disorder) or who 

are also eligible for TJC and b) are not excluded due to being adjudicated delinquent (or convicted in an 

adult court) for a violent offense, expecting to leave the area within the next 12 months, or excluded by 

the local courts for other reasons. The definitions of violent offenses, other reasons, JDTC and TJC are 

the same as described in RA. 

Similar to the RA sites, youth participation in the evaluation is voluntary. Since they are all under 

the age of 18, eligible youth will be asked to provide informed “assent” to participate and their parent or 

legal guardian will be asked to provide informed “consent” to participate (discussed further below). 

Those that decline will be asked if they want to give a reason and the reasons reviewed for any issues 

that can be addressed with the individual or local implementation. For those who agree, the local 

Evaluation Liaison will use software provided by the cross-site evaluation team to generate assignment 

recommendations. Figure 2.2 shows the expected case flow for the RD quasi-experiment. 

As with RA, the evaluation team will control the software/decision rule and the youth survey, 

inclusion/exclusion criteria, and agreement to participate will have to be documented in the system 

before the RD report will run. RD designs work by using pre-existing data to establish a relationship 

between one or more baseline predictors (e.g., risk of recidivism, severity of substance use) and an 

outcome (e.g., recidivism over the subsequent 6 months). A specific criteria based on the baseline 

predictors is then used to decide who gets the intervention of interest vs. the comparison intervention. 

Where RD proves feasible, the effect of providing an intervention can be estimated by the differences 

between in the regression line for the subset that gets the new intervention relative to those who did 

not have the regular intervention. So for example, if the predicted recidivism rate for the RD group is 

higher than what is observed, a positive treatment effect is inferred. 

To develop the RD design for this cross-site evaluation, we used data from the 2012 GAIN CSAT 

dataset (see http://www.gaincc.org/slides) -- which was subset to 9,399 youth from 141 sites around 

the U.S. who were involved in the juvenile justice system, ages 14-17 and had 1 or more follow-ups in 

the 6 months post baseline. The youth were 77% male and 23% female; 35% White, 33% Hispanic, 14% 

Black and 18% multiple races/other, with an average age of 15.6 years old and included 1,105 (12%) 

youth in JDTC. Use of the GAIN-SS is discussed further below. 

16 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2.2 Case Flow Diagram for Regression Discontinuity (RD) Quasi-Experiment 

Local Process for Identifying Youth Who Might be Eligible for JDTC 

Likely to include some combination of charge review; formal screening or assessment; referral by 

district attorney, public defender, other lawyers, other juvenile justice staff, family; prior system 

involvement dictating placement; transfers from other courts/ judges 

Likely to be increased or modified for study and to vary by site 

Cross site evaluation team can provide technical assistance to help with this 

Enrollment Interview and Determination of Evaluation Study Eligibility 

Ineligible for Study 

Not eligible for JDTC or TJC or 

Adjudicated Delinquent for violent crime or 

Eligible for JDTC or TJC and Study 

Age: 14-17 

Regression Discontinuity Unlikely to stay in the area for 12 months or 

Excluded based on local judicial or 

prosecutorial discretion or 

Assign to TJC if: Lacks youth assent or parent consent 

Low (no symptoms) 

on past year crime/ 

violence screener or 

Low on past year 

substance disorder 

screener 

JDTC 

(25-75% based 

on need) 

TJC 

(25-75% based 

on need) 

Placement in Either Court 

at Local Discretion 

Assign to JDTC if: 

Moderate or high on 

past year crime/ 

violence screener 

and Moderate or 

high on past year 

substance disorder 

screener 

Local Evaluation Liaison and Staff 

Track Records for 12 months 

Follow-up interviews 6 and 12 months post 

enrollment 

17 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two screeners from the GAIN (Dennis, Chan, & Funk, 2006) shown in Figure 2.3 were used to 

assess the youth in the subset: 

• The Substance Disorder Screener (SDScr), which was used to assess the need for substance use 

treatment. 

• The Crime and Violence Screener (CVScr), which was used to assess risk of recidivism. 

Each screener was scored based on the number of items endorsed in the past year (answers of 5, 4, 3, or 

2) and youth were classified as low (0 symptoms in the past year), moderate (1-2 symptoms), and high 

(3-5 symptoms). A high score (3-5 symptoms) suggests the need for substance use treatment and high 

risk of recidivism respectively. A low score suggests low need for treatment and low risk of recidivism 

respectively; we say “low” instead of “none” because these are only screeners and may miss 1 to 3% 

who might be identified in a more detailed clinical assessment or who have lied. A moderate score is in 

between. Next, we combined these two screeners to create the nine level risk groups shown in Figure 

2.4. As one moves from left to right in Figure 2.4, the rates of 6 month recidivism on the red regression 

line are consistently increasing. Moreover, higher levels of CVScr (bottom row) are associated with 

more recidivism; and that within each level of CVScr (bottom row), higher levels of SDScr (top row) are 

associated with more recidivism as well. Thus they should and effective and efficient tool for the 

proposed RD design. Also note that these same short 5-item screeners have been found to be highly 

correlated with 16 to 40 item versions in the full GAIN clinical assessment (correlations of .9), accurately 

predict who will or will not be high a moderate/high crime problems on 

Figure 2.3 GAIN Crime/Violence Screener and Substance Use Disorder Screener 

18 

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Figure 2.4 Feasibility of Using Regression Discontinuity (RD) to Predict Recidivism 

the longer versions of the scale and moderate to high substance use disorders based on the longer 

version of the scale in the full GAIN (sensitivity=.9, specificity=.9, area under the curve [AUC]=.9) (Dennis 

et al., 2006). Combined, they have also proven to be a particularly efficient predictor of recidivism in the 

next 12 months and do as well as longer or more expensive recidivism risk tools (Garner, Belur, & 

Dennis, 2013). 

We can also look at the extent that using the proposed RD assignment mechanism would 

represent a major change over current practice. Table 2.1 below looks at the distribution of these same 

9 groups for all juvenile justice cases repeating the recidivism rate, odds ratio (comparing each row to 

the first row) and recommended court assignment from above – but sorting rows by assignment so that 

the low substance use need / high crime risk is in the yellow rows with the other groups assigned to TJC. 

The next three columns compare the column % of being in the 9 groups for all youth in the juvenile 

justice system, the subset assigned to TJC and the subset assigned to JDTC. The last column looks at the 

odds ratio being assigned to JDTC vs. TJC within each risk group (i.e., within rows). Contrary to the 2016 

Guidelines research that suggested that the first 5 groups (lowest recidivism risk and lowest need for 

substance use treatment) would be the least likely to benefit from JDTC, and paradoxically, all of the 

first 5 groups were MORE likely (OR of 1.21 to 11.93) to be assigned to JDTC. Conversely, of the next 4 

groups that the 2016 Guidelines research suggested were most likely to be benefit from JDTC (moderate 

to high risk of recidivism and moderate/high need for substance use treatment) – 3 were significantly 

less likely to be assigned to JDTC (OR of 0.32 to 0.82). This is focal problem that the guidelines and RD 

try to address: specifically, to see if a relatively simple screening rule could make assignment to JDTC 

more consistent with the 2016 Guidelines and, consequently, reduce recidivism and substance use 

further. The key limit of this analysis is that the TJC and JDTC data come from different jurisdictions/ 

sites/ assignment processes. The RD design will address this limit by having both types of courts yoked 

within the same jurisdiction/site and by using the same process within site and close to the same 

process across sites. 

19 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table 2.1 GAIN Crime/Violence Screener and Substance Use Disorder Screener Groups 

based on Past Year Symptoms, Case Distribution and Ability to Predict Recidivism 

Crime & Violence 

Screener (CVScr)/ 

Substance Disorder 

Screener (SDScr)Group 

6 Month 

Recidivism 

Reg. 

Disc. 

Based 

Assign. 

Type of Court Assignment 

Rate 

Odds Ratio 

(to 1st row) 

All JJ Cases 

(n=9,399) 

TJC Cases 

(n=8,234) 

JDTC Cases 

(n=1,105) 

Odds Ratio 

(JDTC/TJC) 

Low CVScr/ Low SDScr 25% 1.00 TJC 10% 10% 13% 1.41 

Low CVScr/ Mod SDScr 29% 1.23 TJC 13% 13% 16% 1.32 

Low CVScr/ High SDScr 34% 1.55 TJC 8% 7% 14% 2.10 

Mod CVScr/ Low SDScr 39% 1.92 TJC 6% 6% 7% 1.21 

High CVScr/Low SDScr 56% 3.82 TJC 2% 1% 10% 11.93 

Mod CVScr/Mod SDScr 45% 2.45 JDTC 14% 14% 12% 0.82 

Mod CVScr/High SDScr 51% 3.12 JDTC 16% 17% 10% 0.52 

High CVScr/Mod SDScr 62% 4.89 JDTC 8% 7% 13% 1.89 

High CVScr/High SDScr 67% 6.09 JDTC 24% 26% 10% 0.32 

Note: The 6 month recidivism Odds Ratio is relative to the lowest risk group in the first row of the 

column; The JDTC assignment Odds Ratio is calculated the odds of being assigned to JDTC over the odds 

of being assigned to TJC within the same level of risk (i.e. same row). 

The RD component is an open quasi-experiment – meaning that the youth, their family, court 

personnel, and evaluation staff will all know the assignment once made. While judges or prosecutors 

maintain their respective existing legal and ethical prerogatives to reassign youth to another court, 

detention, or release them after RD assignment – such actions will be viewed as “outcomes” for the 

purpose of the evaluation. We will also track and report on the rate of overrides in the first 90 days to 

identify potential problems in the pre-RD exclusion process; if sites are using a large number of 

overrides or reassignments, we will discuss this with the local judges and prosecutors to see if we can 

reduce the incidence. Monthly, the cross-site evaluation team will review the reasons given for all 

assignment overrides to make sure they do not indicate problems pre-RA exclusion. If a site overrides 

assignment in more than 5% of the cases, the cross-site evaluation team will discuss this with the local 

judges and prosecutors to see if there is any change to the process we can make to reduce the 

incidence. 

Unlike the RA experiment, in the RD design the JDTC and TJC groups of youth are explicitly 

expected to be different. Here we will use the expected risk based on the original 9 groups to control for 

these differences and the actual rates in the TJC group (redline in Figure 2.4) to project the expected 

outcome for the JDTC group. The average difference between the expected and actual rates for JDTC 

(red vs. purple regression line slopes in Figure 2.4) will be used to estimate the effect of JDTC. While the 

GAIN CVScr and SDScr items were explicitly picked because they lacked differential item functioning by 

gender, race, age and primary substance (Conrad, Riley, Conrad, Chan, & Dennis, 2010; Riley, Conrad, 

Bezruczko, & Dennis, 2007), we will also check for potential differences in this context by examining 

differences in demographics as well as the baseline rates of the outcome variables to evaluate whether 

there are any unexpected biases and to understand how they are related to the placement rule. 

The most likely barriers to RD assignment are local staff willingness to collect the baseline survey 

(or at least the eligibility criteria) prior to its use. We have tried to address this issue by limiting the 

20 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

duration of the baseline survey to less than 30 minutes once interviewers are “proficient” with the 

survey (which takes from 2 to 4 surveys for most). The evaluation team will also maintain a list of 

questions and answers for use by cross-site evaluation team and local Evaluation Liaisons in addressing 

questions that come up. 

2.3 Propensity Score Adjustments and Matching 

If there are potentially systematic differences between conditions that appear to be because a 

site frequently does not follow either the RA or RD assignment court placement recommendations, the 

cross-site evaluation team will use propensity score adjustments and/or matching to construct more 

equivalent groups. Conceptually, with a post-hoc propensity score to differentiate treatment and nontreatment groups, findings from these sites that show a treatment effect would add confidence to the 

external validity of findings from the other set of programs (i.e., both sites, ones where we controlled 

assignment and ones where the court controlled assignment) by showing parallel treatment effects for 

“real world” assignment and for the more controlled RD assignment. 

There are several other potential reasons why this may be necessary. First, randomization 

relies on the “law of large numbers” to achieve balance and 150 youth per site is only a moderate 

sample size. We will address this by having many sites so that the issues should average out. Second, 

the judges, prosecutors, public defenders, or other court staff in a site may be opposed to the 

recommended assignment for a variety of reasons in a specific case (e.g., unwilling to cede control of 

this decision, possibility of political fall-out, philosophically against the assigning of youths to juvenile 

drug treatment court or not doing so), which would represent a problem for a random or RD design. To 

the extent possible, we will try to minimize this problem by screening out any youth that they would 

want to force into one condition prior to assignment. However, even if we do this, there will be some 

individual cases where a judge, prosecutor, and public defender decide post-inclusion to override the 

assignment (e.g., based on subsequent information or how the youth responds during the initial days 

or weeks). In such cases, we will analyze the youth data both “as assigned” and “as delivered” and 

explore quantitatively and qualitatively the reasons for the overrides. As discussed above, we will also 

attempt to use propensity score adjustments to correct for the bias created. 

Should any sites systematically refuse to use or follow the randomization or RD placement 

decision processes managed by the research team, the cross-site evaluation will try to use a propensity 

score adjustments to create a quasi-experimental comparison group. For these jurisdictions, we would 

capture what rules the site uses and do post-hoc development of propensity scores for establishing 

clear cut-offs of youth who did/did not get placed in treatment court. These cut-offs would need to be 

developed using the same criteria as those for sites that did implement the screener. Analytically, one 

option is to separately analyze the findings for those sites that did/did not implement the screener or 

RD. Conceptually, with a post-hoc propensity score to differentiate treatment and non-treatment 

groups, findings from these sites that show a treatment effect would add confidence to the external 

validity of findings from the other set of programs (i.e., both sites, ones where we controlled 

assignment and ones where the court controlled assignment) by showing parallel treatment effects for 

“real world” assignment and for the more controlled RD assignment. 

Another option here would be to develop a propensity score that could be used across all 

programs to model those who did/did not receive JDTC treatment. Cross-site aggregation of 

comparisons on key outcomes for these groups could then be accomplished. Regardless of the plan 

stated above, the cross-site evaluation team commits to working in tandem with OJJDP, AIR and the 

21 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

Sites to ensure a mutually satisfactory solution to problems that may arise if a full RD design could not 

be implemented, or if experimental sites consistently violate the random assignment. 

22 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Data Sources and Data Collection Tools 

3.1 Court Self-Assessments by JDTCs and TJCs 

The court self-assessment tools are included as Appendix A. The JDTC self-assessment was 

created through collaboration with OJJDP, AIR, AU JPO, NCJFCJ, NADCP, and the cross-site evaluation 

team to reflect that practice elements of the JDTC guidelines as well as some basic descriptive 

information about JDTCs. It was adjusted with feedback from the evaluation team and by integrating 

relevant items from the Juvenile Justice – Translational Research on Interventions for Adolescents in the 

Legal Systems (JJ-TRIALS) study. The TJC self-assessment is a parallel tool that includes the questions 

from the JDTC self-assessment that are relevant to juvenile court more broadly (and using adapted 

language) and a few supplemental questions. Sites will be asked to complete self-assessments in year 1 

(baseline) and year 3 (follow-up). Sites will be asked to enter their data into a secure online system; 

however, hard copies of the tools are available if the site wants or needs to complete it on paper first 

and then enter into the online system or have the evaluation team enter it for them. The online surveys 

will be conducted with a cloud-based tool called Survey Gizmo. The cross-site evaluation team will 

compile the data from JDTC and TJC sites for analysis and to share with the evaluation advisory 

committee, TTA providers, and OJJDP. The cross-site evaluation team will create a common quantitative 

and qualitative data set and typology variables that can be added (at the site level) to the subsequent 

youth analytic files. 

In cases where there are multiple courts with very different practices, each jurisdiction or 

separate court will be asked to complete a separate court self-assessment to ensure that any differences 

are recorded and so that sites can receive specific and relevant TTA. If there are multiple dockets 

managed by the same people and practices within a type of court, they will be allowed to respond with 

one survey if they wish, and we will document which dockets the survey covers (for when data are 

merged onto youth data). The Evaluation Liaisons will help the cross-site evaluation team identify when 

a study site might need more than one self-assessment for either the JTC or TJC site and to track which 

dockets related to which surveys. Note that for the first 10 sites, there were no instances of multiple 

courts of the same type included from the same jurisdiction. 

For the JDTC, the court coordinator and team will be asked to complete the court selfassessment. TJC will be asked by the Evaluation Liaison to select a representative judge/docket to 

complete the court self-assessment. In all cases, “who” actually completed the assessment will be 

documented on the court self-assessment and allows for multiple people to be involved. 

3.2 Site Visits 

Appendix B contains the proposed site visit protocol and fidelity tool. Site visits will help answer 

questions such as a) to what extent are JDTCs implementing the JDTC Guidelines (areas most/least 

commonly implemented), b) to what extent are traditional juvenile courts (comparison sites) operating 

using similar features (e.g., evidence-based screening or treatment) or staff (e.g., the same judges, 

probation officers, and treatment programs) that might reduce the contrast, c) are there clear variations 

in the implementation of the Guidelines that are expected to lead to differences in outcomes, and d) 

what recommendations can be made to clarify or change the Guidelines or training and technical 

assistance programs. Site visits also offer a chance to validate information from self-assessments. CALLC 

will lead the site visit component of the research. Building on the year 1 self-assessment reports, the site 

visit process is designed to better understand variations in the fidelity of implementation across the 

23 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDTC and traditional juvenile courts, and lead to the development of a typology to permit us to identify 

factors likely to moderate outcomes within JDTCs and traditional juvenile courts. These findings will also 

be used to fine-tune the guidelines/objectives, improve the training and technical assistance for the 

implementation of those objectives, and improve program outcomes. Before each visit, the site visit 

team will review site materials (including their self-assessments) to develop a concrete understanding 

the operation and structure of each site. We propose conducting large group interviews where we will 

collect input from multiple audience members simultaneously on multiple topics with previously 

developed discussion prompts. These interviews will allow us to collect comprehensive process data and 

will provide us with a crucial window into how well the site stakeholders collaborate. In smaller group 

follow-up sessions, we will meet with specific audiences to gain greater detail in their areas of 

specialization. We may also observe JDTC Staffing/Court and/or tour the site facilities, time permitting. 

The site visit team anticipates that the Evaluation Liaison will participate in all on-site meetings to 

coordinate logistics. Site visits will also include other evaluation team members and are discussed in 

more detail in Section 4.3; the full site visit protocols are included in Appendix B, including detailed onsite plans, procedures, who will be interviewed, and fidelity data to be collected. 

3.3 Youth Juvenile Justice Records Abstraction 

Appendix C contains the proposed specifications for the record abstraction data set we are 

proposing to create. It will include numerical IDs for the grant site, local jurisdiction, and specific docket 

so that the data can be linked for the court self-assessment and site visit data (for possible consideration 

as moderators in subsequent HLM and mixed model analyses), as well as the specific youth and youth 

episode so that it can be linked to the youth survey data. In terms of content, it will track 6 main items: 

a) the baseline record in terms of referral date to the justice system, charges, baseline urine or screening 

tests, and status (e.g., diversion, informal probation, probation, parole, other), b) each court assignment 

and disposition, c) each substance use treatment episode and status (e.g., referral source, intake date, 

level of care, type of treatment, discharge dates, discharge status), d) dates and charges for first 

subsequent arrest and referral to the juvenile court, e) the dates and results of all subsequent urine 

tests, and f) the date that the record was last updated (for censoring). Sections b, c, and e allow for 

multiple entries per youth. The experiment is with unique youth; so if a youth leaves and returns, the 

same record will be used and updated. To track this possibility, there will also be fields for indicating if 

there are multiple episodes or cases combined into one record. We anticipate that the juvenile justice 

records will not always include treatment data, and in such cases, we will ask the Evaluation Liaison to 

collect it from the treatment programs and will provide them with releases to help with this process 

(discussed further below in human subjects). We want to update each record for at least 12 months, but 

if there are readily available electronic records on recidivism, we will take them for longer periods of 

time and use right-hand censoring as needed to model variations in follow-up intervals. 

3.4 Youth Surveys 

Appendix D contains the proposed 25 to 30 minute youth survey that will be used at enrollment 

and 6 and 12 months post enrollment. That will be used to determine study and JDTC eligibility for both 

the RA and RD sites, provide demographics and history (baseline only), and the measures of 

crime/violence, substance use, mental health and wellbeing, family functioning, peer risk and academic 

performance that will be the other youth outcomes we will track over time. The measures included the 

GAIN Short Screener (Dennis et al., 2006) used for regression discontinuity, as well as the mental health 

continuum short form (MHC-SF) measure of mental well-being (Keyes & Simoes, 2012), the Family 

Effectiveness Measure (FAM; McCreary et al., 2013) and the National Mentor Resource Center’s “very 

24 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important non-parent Adult” (Herrera, Baldwin Grossman, Kauh, Feldman, & McMaken, 2007) and Out 

of School Time questions (Scales et al., 2006). Section 5.5 provides further details on the survey 

procedures. These data collection instruments were selected based on cross-site evaluation team 

consensus and for having empirically validated measurement properties. 

3.5 Summary Crosswalk of Tools to Original Sources and If/How They Were Modified 

The first column of Table 3.1 provides a list of the primary data sources for the JDTC cross-site 

evaluation (Court Self-Assessment; Site Visit Protocol; Youth Records; and Youth Survey). For the youth 

survey, the rows are further broken out by survey section. The second column identifies the primary 

sources of each instrument (by section for the youth survey) and the third columns summarize the 

modifications made if applicable. As noted above, instrument section placed premiums on being able to 

a) map onto the requested outcomes, b) map onto the other JDTC cooperative activities, c) map onto 

other data sources, d) have adolescent norms/psychometrics ideally in juvenile justice or adolescent 

treatment samples, and e) be as short as possible given the need to balance the scientific rigor of 

having the same measure across sites vs. the potential logistical hassle for sites of having this plus other 

local measures required. We estimate the current length at 20 to 25 minutes once interviewers reach 

proficiency (approximately 2 to 4 surveys with quality assurance feedback). 

Table 3.1 Crosswalk of Data Source, Primary Instrument Source, and Modifications Made 

Data Source 

Primary Instrument Source Modifications Made 

Court Self-Assessment: 

JDTC cooperative tool funded 

by OJJDP to measure 

implementation of the 2016 

JDTC Guidelines 

• Added site, subsite, and court ID and some 

administrative fields for tracking/methods 

• Expanded codes for evidence-based practices to 

include the most commonly identified ones used 

by juvenile community supervision and 

behavioral health in the JJTRIALS survey funded 

by NIDA 

• Added section, question, and response numbers, 

as well as skip outs and codes for verbatim to 

map onto planned analytic files 

• Added a cover page with disclosures of how the 

data would and would not be used 

• Created a parallel version of the JDTC version for 

the TJCs 

• Made the question numbers in the two version 

match – marking some as “intentionally skipped” 

where applicable. 

Site Visit Protocol 

RWJ RF JDTC 

Evaluation(Greene, Ostlie, 

Kagan, & Davis, 2014) and 

JDTC guidelines funded by 

OJJDP 

• Modified to focus on the 2016 JDTC guideline 

and added a JDTC guideline fidelity check tool to 

the protocol 

• Expanded the collection of data to describe the 

pipeline for how youth get to JDTC 

• Added a section to look at the degree of overlap 

between the JDTC and TJC within site in 

organization, staff, treatment and other 

resources 

• Added plans to follow-up on unique and counter 

factuals identified in the court self-assessment 

25 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

Data Source 

Primary Instrument Source Modifications Made 

from year 1 and to refer back issues to monitor 

for the court self-assessment in year 3 and/or 

youth level analysis. 

Youth Record 

Abstraction 

JJTRIALS youth records data 

funded by NIDA (Belenko et 

al., 2017) and JDTC guidelines 

funded by OJJDP (2016) 

• Updated ids to match study design 

• Dropped items that JJTRIALS site could rarely get 

• Expanded details on recidivism 

• Added items to track movement through courts 

and treatment 

Youth Interviews by 

Section 

A. Exclusion and 

Consent Checklist, 

start time, time 

anchoring 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013) • Time anchoring period modified to past 6 months 

to match study design. 

B. Background GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013) • Added custody (B2b), 

Information • Dropped half the items 

• Added Lifetime substance use treatment, arrests, 

and adjudication (B5-B7). 

WB. Wellbeing 

Mental Health Continuum 

Short Form (Keyes & Simoes, 

2012; McGaffin, Deane, Kelly, 

& Ciarrochi, 2015) 

• Only changed format 

FE. Family Environment 

Family Effectiveness Measure 

(FEM; McCreary et al., 2013) 

and Very important adult 

(VIA) Herrera et al., 2007) 

questions from National 

Mentoring Resource center 

(NMRC) 

• Used a Factor and Rasch analysis to sort FEM into 

two subscales and cut it from 44 items to 20 

items while maintaining the two factors (each 

with 10 items) 

• Modified FEM to be for giving to parents about 

their own children to giving to youth and about 

their family broadly defined 

• Modified very VIA from pick one to all that apply 

format. 

SP. School and Peers 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013), 

Social Environment Scale (SES; 

Godley, Kahn, Dennis, Godley, 

& Funk, 2005) and Out-ofschool time (OST) structured 

activity scale from NMRC 

(Scales et al., 2006). 

• Modified recency response set to match study 

design. 

• Added average grades on most recent report 

card 

• Added SES (SP3) to capture risk and protective 

factors from peers 

• Added SAS (SP4) to capture involvement in 

structured activities outside of school; modified 

wording to clarify that these were alcohol and 

drug free activities, and to make the time period 

6 months to match the study design. 

RB. Risk Behavior 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013). • Modified recency response set to match study 

design. 

• Dropped half the items 

MH. Mental Health 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013; 

Conrad, Riley, Conrad, Chan, 

• Modified recency response set to match study 

design. 

26 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

Data Source 

Primary Instrument Source Modifications Made 

& Dennis,2010; Conrad et al., 

2012). 

SU. Substance Use 

GAIN SS (Dennis et al., 2006; 

Garner, Belur, & Dennis, 2013; 

Riley, Conrad, Bezruczko, & 

Dennis, 2007) 

• Modified recency response set to match study 

design. 

• Added use of Narcan or naloxone after overdose 

(SU2e) 

• Revised categories of days of use to reduce the 

number of questions 

• Dropped pre-controlled environment questions 

CV. Crime and Violence 

GAIN SS (Dennis et al., 2006; 

Garner et al., 2013; Conrad et 

al., 2010) 

• Modified recency response set to match study 

design. 

• Collapsed jail into detention to shorted 

questions. 

Z. End 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013) • No change 

XADM Administration 

GAIN Q3 (Titus et al., 2013) • Added “Evaluation Liaison or other court office” 

to locations in (XADMg) 

27 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Assessing Program Designs, Implementation, Fidelity to JDTC Model and Guidelines 

4.1 Assessing Fidelity to JDTC Guidelines 

The considerable variability across JDTCs is frequently rooted in program implementation (e.g., 

Hiller et al., 2010; Sullivan, Blair, Latessa, & Sullivan, 2016). Therefore, to determine whether youth 

experience better outcomes under JDTC compared to traditional juvenile court (TJC), the evaluation 

team must assess each court’s understanding of and fidelity to the JDTC Guidelines. An ability to assess, 

interpret, and classify courts according to that variability is therefore crucial to the evaluation and to 

OJJDP’s policy priorities. The evaluation team has a two-part approach to assessing fidelity to JDTC 

guidelines: a) court self-assessment and evaluation team follow-up in years 1 and 3, and b) site visits in 

year 2. Each component contributes knowledge to answer questions such as a) to what extent are JDTCs 

implementing the JDTC Guidelines (e.g., what areas are most/least commonly implemented?), b) to 

what extent are TJC (comparison courts within jurisdiction sites) operating using similar features (e.g., 

screening tools required by county or state, evidence-based screening or treatment) or staff (e.g., the 

same judges, probation officers, or treatment programs) that might reduce the contrast?, c) are there 

clear variations in the implementation of the Guidelines that are expected to lead to differences in 

outcomes?, and d) what questions or recommendations can be made to clarify or change the Guidelines 

or training and technical assistance programs? Below is more information on the two components. 

4.2 Court Self-Assessment 

NPC will lead the court self-assessment component of the research. The cross-site evaluation 

team will utilize the JDTC-focused court self-assessment tool that was developed through a multi-agency 

collaboration including the funder, researchers, and TTA providers (OJJDP, AIR, AU JPO, NCJFCJ, NADCP, 

and the cross-site evaluation team), as well as the inclusion of items from a recent national survey of 

juvenile justice community supervision agencies (Scott, Dennis, & Lurigio, in press). The cross-site 

evaluation team made changes to the tool to ensure that it is applicable for this evaluation and created 

a parallel tool for the TJCs, making slight adjustments to the survey language (such as referring to 

juvenile courts rather than JDTCs and skipping some JDTC-specific questions). The tool contains 

questions about a wide range of program policies and procedures (e.g., screening/assessment tools, 

evidence-based treatment, parental involvement) that map to the Guidelines and allow assessment of 

generalizability. The cross-site evaluation team trained Evaluation Liaisons at each site on how to work 

with their JDTC and TJC to complete the court self-assessment once in year 1 and again in year 3 

(bookending TTA activities). After each round, the cross-site evaluation team staff will review the 

completed tools to ensure completeness of the data, and conduct follow-up calls and emails with the 

sites to clarify responses or complete missing responses. They will then develop individual and summary 

reports to be shared with the evaluation team, sites, and TTA providers (for the JDTC only). After the 

first round assessment, they will also identify any unique features that warrant follow-up during the site 

visits (discussed below) to ensure that the evaluation team adequately understands and can document 

them. 

To assess the fidelity of Guideline implementation, NPC (in consultation with the rest of the 

evaluation team, AIR, OJJDP, TTA providers, and sites) will attempt to develop 3 to 20 statements from 

the court self-assessment [or, in a few cases, supplemented by information gathered in the site visit] 

that are expected to be associated with each of the 31 research based 2016 Guidelines. The percent of 

statements endorsed will be the score for each individual Guideline. The 7 Objectives will be scored in 

two ways: 1) weighted, calculated as a percent of all statements endorsed for Guidelines related to the 

28 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Objective) and 2) unweighted, calculated as the average score across the 2 to 6 guidelines associated 

with each Objective. Since the number of statements per Guideline and the number of Guidelines per 

Objective both vary – these are NOT expected to give the same answer. Empirical analysis (discussed in 

6.2) will be used to determine which of these variations works better to predict the outcomes. The 

comparisons of JDTC and TJC differences will focus on items asked of both JDTC and TJC. 

The court self-assessment data will be used to examine the variation in what is available 

between the study groups (both within jurisdiction sites and across jurisdiction sites) at baseline (year 1) 

and to identify areas where the comparison sites have implemented best practices even though they are 

not JDTCs. Assessment data at the follow-up time period (year 3) will be used to measure change over 

time in implementation of the 2016 JDTC Guidelines and the impact of training and technical assistance 

provided to the JDTCs. It also will assess changes in the comparison sites, which may be involved in 

other reform efforts. Results from this component of the study will be used to guide the creation of both 

moderator variables (baseline features leading to differences in outcomes) and mediator variables 

(potential proximal or intermediate processes) that drive youth outcomes. 

For each wave, the cross-site evaluation team will work with each site Evaluation Liaison to 

identify the person at each site who will coordinate the completion of the court self-assessment tool. 

The cross-site evaluation team will send hard copies and the links to the online court self-assessment 

tools (JDTC version and TJC [comparison site] version) to the study site contacts (copying the liaisons so 

they are in the communication loop and can help follow up to ensure the court self-assessments are 

completed). The cross-site evaluation team will provide site contacts and Evaluation Liaisons with 

contact information in case they have any questions about the court self-assessment. Dr. Mackin from 

NPC will serve as the primary contact for court self-assessment, and she will either answer questions or 

find the answer for the site. 

Site contacts will notify the Evaluation Liaison and the cross-site evaluation team when they 

have completed the court self-assessment. The cross-site evaluation team will monitor the database to 

oversee progress with sites starting and completing their self-assessments, and well as sending 

reminders to sites that have not completed them. Once the court self-assessments are submitted, NPC 

staff will review them to identify any areas that need additional information or clarification (such as 

missing responses or inconsistent responses), and call or email the site contact to obtain updates. Areas 

that need additional observation or discussion will be shared with the cross-site evaluation team to 

include in the staff interviews and site visits in year 2. 

4.3 Site Visits 

Building on the year 1 self-assessment reports, the site visit process is designed to better 

understand variations in the fidelity of implementation across the JDTC and TJCs, and lead to the 

development of a typology to permit us to identify factors likely to moderate or mediate outcomes 

within JDTCs and TJCs. These findings will also be used to fine-tune the guidelines/objectives, improve 

the TTA for the implementation of those objectives, and improve program outcomes. Site visits also 

offer a chance to validate information from self-assessments (see Section 4.2). The site visits will be led 

by the CALLC staff. This section presents an overview of the site visits (also discussed in Section 3.2). The 

full site visit protocols and core questions are detailed in Appendix B. 

The team’s approach builds on a methodology used under the OJJDP Juvenile Drug 

Court/Reclaiming Futures (JDC/RF) Cross-Site Evaluation to assess adherence to the JDC/RF Logic Model 

29 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Greene, Ostlie, Kagan, & Davis, 2014). First, as needed, CALLC will work with the rest of the cross-site 

evaluation team, AIR, and OJJDP to flesh out the theory of change in the 2016 JDTC Guidelines to create 

a general logic model for JDTC implementation. Second, we will develop measures to assess fidelity to 

each key activity from step 1. Third, we will review available documentation from sites and convene 

telephone calls with sites to establish a basic understanding of court structure and personnel. Fourth, 

we will conduct 2-day site visits at all sites to gather process and implementation data specific to the 

fidelity measures. Fifth, we will codify data and conduct qualitative analysis. Sixth, in collaboration with 

NPC and using site visit and self-assessment data, we will develop and recommend to the rest of the 

cross-site evaluation team an implementation typology based on the findings with the intent of 

subsequently testing its impact on outcomes. 

Per the study design, there will be a total of 10 sites, of which 2 will use RA to place youth in 

JDTC versus TJC—permitting a true experimental design. The remaining 8 will utilize a RD quasiexperimental design . The site visit team will expect to work with the Evaluation Liaison at each site to 

setup and coordinate the site visit and will provide training prior to those visits. Each site’s Evaluation 

Liaison will also participate in site visits, along with appropriate program staff. 

Before each visit, the site visit team will review site materials (including their self-assessments) 

to develop a concrete understanding the operation and structure of each site. To facilitate this review, 

the cross-site evaluation team will a) request and put on the Box cloud-based project site any policies 

identified in the survey, and b) identify any complex or unusual features for priority review. In addition, 

the team will conduct site readiness calls with the Evaluation Liaison (or another appointed person). 

These calls will serve several purposes including: a) gathering/verifying basic information about the site 

(e.g., how many treatment providers are used), b) discussing meeting logistics (e.g., dates and times for 

the visit and who will attend which meetings at which locations etc.), and c) discussing travel and other 

logistical concerns (e.g., recommended hotels, need for rental car). 

As discussed in Section 3.2, we propose conducting large group interviews where we will collect 

input from multiple audience members simultaneously on multiple topics with previously developed 

discussion prompts. These interviews will allow us to collect comprehensive process and contextual data 

and will provide us with a crucial window into how well the site stakeholders collaborate. In smaller 

group follow-up sessions, we will meet with specific audiences to gain greater detail in their areas of 

specialization. We may also observe JDTC Staffing/Court and/or tour the site facilities, time permitting. 

See Appendix B for detailed on-site plans and fidelity data to be collected. 

While we will make every effort to gather all of the required information, we may also conduct 

follow-up calls with individuals after the visit, to clarify specific information. These calls can be arranged 

through the sites’ Evaluation Liaisons or directly with individuals in question (per site preference). 

Following the site visits, the site visit team will provide fidelity and process information to 

inform the overall evaluation. Specifically, the site visit team will share a) our fidelity assessment 

findings, b) summaries of noteworthy complex and/or unique features of each site, and c) any 

suggestions for the TTA provider stemming from our findings. 

4.3.1 Review of Administrative Reports and Documents. As part of the court self-assessments, 

sites are asked if they have a variety of documents, such as a policy and procedure manual, participant 

handbook, participant contract, and confidentiality forms. If they have any of these forms, the 

Evaluation Liaison will obtain electronic copies to share with the study team. If the JDTC site is missing 

30 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

any key document, or if the JDTC site feels dissatisfied with its current documents, that information will 

be shared with the TTA provider, who will offer samples and support for creating or revising these 

materials. TTA providers will review the program documents that are submitted to ensure they are of 

high quality and incorporate key elements. The results of those quality checks will be shared with the 

cross-site evaluation team. Note that the TTA providers are not charged with helping the TJC, so they 

will not receive information on them and the TJC will not be referred to them. The CALLC team will also 

review site documents prior to site visits to streamline discussions and identify areas for follow-up. 

4.3.2 Compare Across Evaluation Sites and to other JDTC. The cross-site evaluation team will 

analyze each self-assessment to identify which Guidelines and best practices the program and 

comparison site are meeting. The cross-site evaluation team will produce a summary report with 

commendations and recommendations at both time points (baseline assessment in year 1 and follow-up 

assessment in year 3). Individual sites will not be identified by name in the summary report, unless it is 

done with their permission and as an exemplary site. Once all sites have completed the baseline 

assessment, the cross-site evaluation team will analyze and report on the aggregated results of the 

program and comparison site, including Guidelines that have notably high or low rates of achievement, 

areas where the program and comparison sites look similar, and areas where they are most distinct. The 

cross-site evaluation team will use findings from the initial assessment as the basis for qualitative data 

gathering at site visits. Following the year 2 site visits, the cross-site evaluation team (lead by CALLC) will 

assess point-in-time adherence to JDTC Guidelines at each site. The site visit data will also be used to 

validate self-assessment findings and further explore intra-site structures that may affect the findings 

regarding JDTC and TJC practices (e.g., shared staff or universal screening procedures). Once all sites 

have completed the follow-up assessment, the cross-site evaluation team will analyze and report on the 

changes in each site over time, aggregated change over time across sites, and aggregated differences 

between JDTCs and TJCs. 

31 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Youth Recruitment, Participants, Measures, and Procedures 

5.1 Youth Recruitment 

As noted earlier, all sites will be asked to recruit 150 youth over 2 years across types of courts 

and across dockets where applicable. For those sites using random assignment (RA), approximately half 

will be in JDTC and half in TJC. For those sites using regression discontinuity (RD) assignment based on 

need, the ratio will vary by site but is expected to stay within 25% to 75% in each condition. 

Those youth or parents/guardians that decline to assent/consent will be asked if they want to 

give a reason and the reasons reviewed for any issues that can potentially be addressed with the 

individual or local implementation. For those who agree, the local Evaluation Liaison will use software 

provided by the cross-site evaluation team to generate assignment recommendations. 

5.2 Participants Eligibility Criteria 

The RA sites will only recruit youth who are eligible for TJC and JDTC under the 2016 JDTC 

Guidelines. Inclusion criteria include: a) being age 14-17, b) moderate to high risk of recidivism, and c) 

has a substance use disorder. For logistical reasons, we will exclude youth due to a) being adjudicated 

delinquent for a violent offense (including a conviction as a minor in an adult court), b) expecting to 

leave the area within the next 12 months, or c) being excluded by the local courts for other reasons 

(e.g., petition for a change of venue, other court having priority, court of last resort, prior court 

assignment dictating placement). As noted earlier, JDTCs include courts attempting to implement the 

2016 JDTC Guidelines in the context of juvenile drug treatment courts for youth with substance use 

disorders and moderate to high risk of recidivism. By TJC, we mean the default court/dockets for 

juveniles excluding any other specialized courts; eligible for TJC excludes youth referred to diversion, 

delayed or informal supervision not involving a judge. The term “violent offense” means a youth who 

has been adjudicated delinquent for, a felony-level offense that 1) has, as an element, the use, 

attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another or the 

possession or use of a firearm, or 2) by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against 

the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense [42 USC 3797u2(b)]. Only youth passing all inclusion and exclusion criteria will be considered eligible for the evaluation 

study. 

The RD sites will recruit a broader sample of youth who are eligible for TJC or JDTC. The only 

inclusion criteria are: a) being age 14-17 and, b) being eligible for TJC or JDTC. For logistical reasons, we 

will still exclude youth due to a) having been adjudicated delinquent for a violent offense, b) expecting 

to leave the area within the next 12 months, or c) being excluded by the local courts for other reasons. 

Only youth passing all inclusion and exclusion criteria will be considered eligible for the evaluation study. 

Figure 5.1 shows how this is different than the above. As noted earlier, eligibility for JDTC is the basis of 

the proposed RD rule. 

In both RA and RD sites, youth participation is in the evaluation is voluntary. Eligible youth will 

be asked to provide informed “assent” to participate and their parent or legal guardian informed 

“consent” to participate (discussed further below). 

32 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Figure 5.1 Comparison of JJ, JDTC, Cross-Site Evaluation RD and RA Eligibility 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All youth in juvenile justice (including 

diversion, delayed or informal supervision, 

and violent offenders) 

RD target: Youth age 14-17: 

Light orange going to TJC and light 

green going to JDTC 

All youth in JDTC 

RA Target: Youth age 14-17 eligible 

for TJC or JDTC - all in light green. 

5.3 Youth Outcome Measures 

The youth survey instrument with all the scales and items listed below is included in Appendix D. 

5.3.1 Recidivism. Consistent with OJJDP’s recidivism workgroup (Harris, Lockwood, Mengers, & 

Stoodley, 2011) and OJJDP’s model data project that is currently in progress, we will define recidivism as 

the time from baseline assessment to next subsequent arrest and any arrest over the 12 months post 

enrollment. From juvenile justice records data, we are proposing to have the local Evaluation Liaisons 

collect the dates and charges of all arrests and referrals to juvenile courts in at least the next 12 months. 

They will also attempt to collect arrest data from adult justice records for any youth that age out or are 

transferred to the adult system. We plan to capture the arrest dates to do survival analysis and to 

enable right-hand censoring for the youth recruited towards the end of the 2-year recruitment period, 

and capturing charges (recoded to uniform crime report categories) to assess the effects of including or 

excluding things like probation violations and status offenses. Because of variation in the quality and 

completeness of all justice records and potentially limited access to offenses in the adult system or 

other jurisdictions, we are also including survey measures of the number of arrests and repeating the 

GAIN’s Crime/Violence Screener (CVScr) and illegal activity scale (IAS). The days of arrest can be 

combined with records to create more sensitive measure of any rearrest. The CVScr (used in RD above) 

is 5 items measuring the recency of disagreements that become physical, taking something from a store 

without paying, selling/distributing drugs, driving under the influence, damaging property) and are 

strong and efficient predictor of the risk of recidivism (Dennis, Estrada, Orndorff, Funk, & Robinson, 

2016; Garner et al., 2013; Scott, Grella, Dennis, & Funk, 2014; 2016). The IAS is based on the sum of the 

days of any illegal activity, illegal activity for money, illegal activity to get alcohol or drugs, and illegal 

activity under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These latter two measures can be analyzed on their own 

or combined with records to create a broader recidivism measure based on any arrest or self-reported 

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illegal activity. Such measures are typically 2 or 3 times more likely to identify further problems. Draft 

specifications for the record abstraction are included in Appendix C. 

5.3.2 Substance Use. We will define substance use as the percent of days of any substance use 

and the GAIN Substance Disorder Screener (SDScr; Dennis et al., 2006). Percent days of use will be 

calculated as the days of use in the prior 90 days divided by 90 minus any days in a controlled 

environment, and trimmed to stay between 0 to 100%. The SDScr (same as used at baseline for RD) has 

5 items measuring recency of symptoms related to weekly use, time consuming, causing repeated 

problems, reduced involvement at work, home or school, withdrawal. SDScr (and the CVScr) are part of 

the GAIN Short Screener that has been recommended the National Institutes of Health (NIH; 

www.phenx.org toolkit) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA, 2012) as one 

of the most reliable, valid, and efficient behavioral health screeners and has been shown to be accurate 

for diagnosis (AUC=.9; Dennis et al., 2006), sensitive to change and to predict change standardized 

educational test scores (Rattermann, 2014). 

5.3.3 Mental Health Problems. We will define mental problems based on the GAIN’s 

Internalizing Disorder Screener (IDScr) and Externalizing Disorder Screener (EDScr). The IDScr counts the 

recency of 6 symptoms related to depression, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, distress, suicide and 

visual/auditory hallucination that generally increase with age and is an excellent predictor of diagnoses 

related to depression, anxiety, trauma and suicide (AUC=.9). The EDScr counts the recency of 6 

symptoms related to having difficulty paying attending, listening or waiting for your turn, lying, bullying, 

and starting fights that generally decrease with age, is an excellent predictor of diagnoses related 

attention deficit, hyperactivity, and conduct disorder (AUC=.9). The IDScr and EDScr are also part of the 

GAIN SS recommended by NIH per above. 

5.3.4 Mental Wellbeing. We will define mental wellbeing based on the mental health continuum 

short form (MHC-SF). The MHC-SF (alpha=.94) is a 14-item measure of mental wellbeing that predicts 

reduced substance use, increased vocational engagement, and reduced health care costs, and includes 

subscales for Emotional, Social, and Psychological Well-being (Keyes & Simoes, 2012; McGaffin, Deane, 

Kelly, & Ciarrochi, 2015). It includes subscales for Emotional, Social, and Psychological Wellbeing. 

Positive things are rated from never (0) to every day (5), summed and divided by 70. Items include: a) 

happy; b) interested in life; c) satisfied with life; d) that you had something; e) important to contribute 

to society; f) that you belonged to a community (like a social group, or your neighborhood); g) that our 

society is a good place, or is becoming a better place, for all people; h) that people are basically good; i) 

that the way our society works makes sense to you; j) that you liked most parts of your personality; k) 

good at managing the responsibilities of your daily life; l) that you had warm and trusting relationships 

with others; m) that you had experiences that challenged you to grow and become a better person; n) 

confident to think or express your own ideas and opinions; and o) that your life has a sense of direction 

or meaning to it. 

5.3.5 Relationship with Family. We will measure relationship with parents/guardian using the 

Family Effectiveness Measure (FAM) subscales for effective (22 items) and ineffective (16 items) aspects 

of family functioning that have been shown to predict recidivism in adults (McCreary et al., 2013; Scott 

et al., 2014; 2016). To reduce site data collection burden, using the results of the McCreary et al. (2013) 

Rasch analysis, we have developed a shorter version of these measures. For effective family functioning 

we kept 10 of the 22 items, including: 1) adults in our family make home a safe place for kids; 2) no 

matter how hard it gets, in our family, we don't give up on each other; 3) we stick together in our family; 

3) family members do things for each other (like watching the kids, cooking, cleaning); 4) in our family, 

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when a person needs to talk, someone will listen; 5) when people in our family need something (like 

food, money, clothes, a ride), they can get it from someone in the family; 6) our family treats each other 

with respect; 7) people in our family share the work of keeping things going; 8) our family has fun 

together; 9) people in our family get along with each other; and 10) in our family, we make sure we 

spend time together. For ineffective family functioning we kept 11 out of 16 items including: 1) family 

members tell each other how to run their lives; 2) people in our family argue with each other; 3) family 

members break promises to each other; 4) family members lie to each other; 5) if adult tell the kids they 

can't do something, another family member will tell them they can; 6) people in our family stay angry at 

each other for a long time; 7) kids in our family are out of control; 8) people in our family feel hopeless; 

9) adults in our family make the kids feel bad; and 10) kids in our family have too much on their 

shoulders because the adults don't do there share. Based on input from the site collaborators, we have 

also added to context/study specific questions: 1) Has your parent or guardian attended any of your 

current court hearings? 2) Has your parent or guardian met with your probation officer or other court 

staff? 

5.3.6 Very Important Adult. We will also collect the very important adult (VIA; Herrera et al., 

2007) scale recommended by the National Mentoring Resource center (NMRC). We are using the 

version here that can be applied to either a parent or other adult to allow for other forms of mentoring 

and support. The questions were modified from pick one to pick all that apply in format with the 

following possibilities: a) My parent or other person who raises me, b) Another adult relative 

(grandparent, aunt or uncle, etc.), c) Teacher, guidance counselor, or other adult at school, d) Coach or 

activity leader outside of school, e) Adult friend, neighbor, friend of your family, or friend’s parent, f) A 

mentor or other staff person from this court, g) A mentor through a different program than this one; h. 

Other (please describe below). 

5.3.7 Peer Risk. We will measure peer risk using the GAIN’s Social Risk Scale (SRS) that has been 

shown to predict rates of substance use (Godley, Kahn, Dennis, Godley, & Funk, 2005). The measure 

starts by asking, “During the past 90 days, how many people would you say you spend most of your free 

time with or hang out with?” Then, “Of the people you have regularly socialized with, would you say 

that none (0), a few (1), some (2), most or all of them (4)... a) were employed or in school or training full 

time; b) were involved in illegal activity; c) weekly got drunk or had 5 or more drinks in a day; d) used 

any drugs during the past 90 days; e) shout, argue and fight most weeks; f) have ever been in drug or 

alcohol treatment; and g) would describe themselves as being in recovery. After reversing the items a, f 

& g, the ratings are summed and divided by their range and then multiplied by 100 to get a score from 

low (0%) to high (100%) risk from social peers. 

5.3.8 Structured Activities. We will use the Out-of-school time (OST; Scales et al., 2006) scale 

from the National Mentoring Resource Center (NMRC) to document to capture involvement in 

structured activities outside of school. The wording was modified to clarify that these were alcohol and 

drug free activities, and to make the time period 6 months to match the study design. The response set 

is otherwise the frequency of being engaged structured activities a) Before or after school, b) At a center 

or activity area in your community (for example, a Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, or park district facility), c) At 

a church, synagogue, mosque, or any place of worship (not including worship services); d) Anywhere 

else not listed above (remember to include only organized activities – this means they are 

led/supervised by adults, outside your home, and usually happen on a regular schedule)? 

5.3.9 Academic and Vocational Performance. Given the age range (14-17), all participants 

should ideally be in some kind of school. We will define academic performance based on self-reported 

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grades in the past 90 days and the percent of days missed school each quarter. The latter will be 

calculated as the days missed divided by the days expected in school to control for summer vacation 

and/or other breaks. We will also measure the days of being suspended, and we will measure vocational 

performance based on the days of work and a vocational status question. 

5.4 Youth Survey Procedures 

Evaluation Liaisons will be trained to the level of a “GAIN Trainer” on the study-specific youth 

survey in Appendix D, so that they can train other local staff directly or with the on-line survey training 

tools the evaluation team will be providing them. The GAIN training protocol has been demonstrated to 

produce high reliability/validity while also reducing the time to administer (Titus et al., 2012). This 

includes in person and on-line training sessions, practice, and feedback on digital recordings of survey 

until mastery is achieved and teaching them how to review other people’s surveys to the same criteria. 

This is important if they are going to have other local staff conducting any of the baseline surveys. 

During the course of the project we will also seek both questions and suggestions from the Evaluation 

Liaisons about any procedures, questions or response sets that might not be clear in practice. Both will 

be reviewed by the evaluation team, OJJDP and TTA providers, the final replies with any changes gone 

over in the monthly call with all local Evaluation Liaisons and posted to their shared resources file as a 

frequently asked question. 

To the extent possible, surveys will be done by the Evaluation Liaison or other personnel not 

directly responsible for youth’s supervision (e.g., probation officer or other staff directly involved in 

status or sanction decisions). This is to avoid the demand characteristics of having youth surveyed by 

JDTC or TJC staff and/or to reduce the risk of accidental disclosure. The Evaluation Liaisons will be 

allowed to train other local staff to conduct the survey and incorporate them into things like pre-trial or 

pre-sentence investigation processes. The type of person doing the survey will be documented. 

Whoever does the survey needs to be trained, certified, and agree to follow the consent procedures. 

The cross-site evaluation team will set up the software so that the survey can be selfadministered or staff-administered, completed on-line, or on a hard copy and keyed. We recommend 

that the youth be allowed to self-administer the survey, if possible electronically. We recommend that 

the Evaluation Liaison introduce the youth to the interviewer, check their ability and confidence with 

self-administration, and be available as a proctor to answer questions and/or take it over as an 

interviewer if necessary (e.g., due to literacy or cognitive limits). We will train the Evaluation Liaisons 

how to assess cognitive limits using the GAIN’s Cognitive Impairment Screener. 

Whether during an interview or data entry after the fact, the electronic survey software (called 

the Assessment Building System or ABS) conducts range checks, makes simple and complex skips, and 

allows immediate consistency checks. If a survey needs to be done with paper and pencil, the staff will 

field edit, followed by a second edit to verify that key fields are complete, provide feedback and/or get 

clarification of questions, and mark any missing/bad data. When done on-line, a validation report can be 

immediately generated to identify any inconsistent or missing data so that they can be reviewed while 

the staff is still with the youth. When the data are keyed, the computer system will again check for range 

and consistency across multiple items. Month management reports will be used to monitor 

performance and error reports will be reviewed weekly until there are no major problems (or when 

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there is new staff), then monthly thereafter. All records and youth survey data will be checked for 

unexpected patterns of increased or decreased activity. 

5.5 Youth Tracking and Follow-up Procedures 

The cross-site evaluation team will train the Evaluation Liaison how to implement follow-up 

procedures which have reliably produced over 90% follow-up rates across studies involving over 70,000 

patients regardless of age (adolescents, young adults, adults) or population (homeless, justice involved, 

undocumented) over follow-up periods ranging from 3 months to 19 years (Scott, 2004). Steps include: 

a) contacting participants within 24-48 hours to collect additional locator information and mailing a 

schedule card for the next survey; b) receipting information; c) assigning each case to the Evaluation 

Liaison or other follow-up case tracker; d) verifying locator data; e) conducting outreach for unverified 

cases and discussing them at weekly meetings; f) mailing thank-you cards to participants and collaterals; 

g) scheduling follow-up appointments; h) mailing 3 and 6 week post-enrollment flyers; i) implementing 

returned-mail procedures; j) calling participants 6 weeks before appointment to confirm date and 

location (phone vs. Evaluation Liaison’s office); k) conducting outreach for unconfirmed cases and 

reviewing them at weekly meetings; l) completing follow-up surveys and scheduling next appointments; 

and m) implementing a no-show protocol. Progress will be monitored with monthly management 

reports. 

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6. Data Analysis Plans 

6.1 Missing data 

Youth will complete their enrollment surveys prior to court assignment based on RA or RD. 

Given that many youth will be still involved in the juvenile justice system 6 to 12 months later and prior 

studies using the proposed follow-up approach, we expect sites to complete 80 to 90% of the 6 and 12 

month surveys (i.e., 10-20% missing by wave). Based on prior studies using the GAIN, even when surveys 

are completed, we also expect 1-3% of the outcomes items to be missing. Observation level missing data 

from when a survey was not done will be evaluated in an intent-to-treat analysis using the last 

observation (Hollis & Campbell, 1999). Item-level missing data will be replaced within scales where 

possible or, if not, using multiple imputations or restricted maximum likelihood to provide the least 

biased estimate for each analysis (Schafer & Graham, 2002). To further reduce potential bias, analyses 

will be rechecked by running them without missing data. If there are any clinically significant differences 

(d>|.2|), a general latent variable framework (Muthen, Asparouhov, Hunter, & Leuchter, 2011) will be 

used to analyze non-ignorable or systematic missing data that tests whether missing data is qualitatively 

different by condition. 

6.2 JDTC Program Models and Fidelity 

The evaluation team will implement a mixed-methods approach that involves using the 

qualitative data from the court self-assessments and site visits to inform analysis of the outcome data 

from records and youth survey (led by CHS and Temple). Additionally, the evaluation team will use early 

data from records and youth surveys to identify patterns or unexpected relationship that will be 

referred for further follow-up with the sites through the site visits (led by CALCC) and the year 3 court 

self-assessment (led by NPC). Finally, results from all three components will be used to provide an early 

report of potential best practices to assist sites that may struggle with implementation. 

The self-assessment will be used to describe and examine variations in readiness and 

implementation over time of the components of the JDTC Guidelines, including in the TJCs that also 

have any of them. As noted in section 4.2, for each of the 31 research based Guidelines, the evaluation 

team will lead the development of 3 to 20 associated statements from the court self-assessment and 

site visits. The percent of statements endorsed will be the score for each individual Guideline. The 7 

Objectives will be scored into two ways: 1) weighted calculated as a percent of all statement endorsed 

for Guidelines related to the Objective and 2) unweighted calculated as the average score of across the 2 

to 6 Guidelines associated with each Objective. Since the number of statements per Guideline and the 

number of Guidelines per Objective both vary – these are NOT expected to give the same answer. The 

variation by sites at baseline and in terms of change from baseline in year 1 to follow-up in year 3 will be 

evaluated descriptively for each of the 20 courts in three ways: a) by court type (JDTC vs. TJC) within 

site, b) by site within court type, and c) by court type across sites. The 31 Guidelines and 14 Objectives 

(weighted and unweighted for each of 7 Objectives) will be evaluated univariately and multivariately by 

adding them (after court type) as level 3 predictors in the hierarchical linear model (HLM) analysis 

discussed in 6.4 below. These results will be used to help address questions about the relative 

importance of each Guideline and Objective overall in order to inform the answers to questions Q3 to 

Q6. To help inform the sites, TTA providers, and field; the evaluation team will give a feedback report to 

each site (cc’ing the TTA providers) that includes both summary results by the 7 Objectives and 31 

Guidelines and then a more detailed report giving the statements that produced each Objective score. 

Both the summary and detailed reports will have two columns of results – one for the site’s answer and 

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the second for the average across the same court type so that the site knows how they compare. On the 

detailed report, the statements will be sorted from the most to least commonly endorsed in the crosssite total. This presentation provides a measure of that which is common and likely easier to do to help 

guide program planning and training per the TTA model used by the cooperative. 

Findings from the site visits validate the results of self-assessments, including providing essential 

information about the Guidelines that is potentially more reliably observed than self-reported. Because 

each site will be visited only once, they will necessarily focus on a point-in-time assessment of JDTC 

Guideline implementation, which can be compared with the court self-assessment findings. Site visits 

will also help understand the overlap between JDTC and TJC at each site. Together, the two sources will 

help describe and examine the variations in implementation over time of the components of the JDTC 

Guidelines, including in the TJCs that may also have them. There are more variables than observations 

here, but the evaluation team will use qualitative sorting methods and if possible cluster analysis to help 

create typologies to use in the main analysis. This process includes looking at the case flow and logic 

model for each of the 10 JDTCs to see if there are common patterns that occur across sites. 

6.3 Time to Event Analyses 

Whether an event occurs is only a part of the picture when assessing outcomes. Also important 

is the latency between events. For example, not only is it important to measure whether a youth has a 

drug-positive urine test or is arrested for a new offense, but also the amount of time that elapses 

between baseline and/or discharge and these outcomes. This raises a particular analytic challenge, 

when an outcome like recidivism does not occur for all youth, it is best handled using event history 

analyses, a family of methodologies that allow the censoring of cases for whom a particular event did 

not occur, rather than eliminating these cases from analyses like list wise deletion would do if OLS 

regression was used. Therefore, a two-step analytic process will be followed. During the first step, the 

bivariate relationship between court type (i.e., JDTC vs. TJC), predicted risk of recidivism at baseline, and 

other possible covariates (e.g., gender, race, age) and the length of time until an outcome (e.g., 

recidivism) will be examined use Lifetables and Kaplan-Meier estimates. If the event has not occurred 

before the end of follow-up, it is treated as “right censored.” The results will provide a significance test 

and graphical “survival” curves for each variable. The second analytic step will be accomplished using 

Cox proportional hazards regression. Here, court type (TJC v JDTC), predicted recidivism and any with 

other important or potentially confounding variables will be modeled simultaneously to predict youth 

outcomes. Statistically significant model parameters will be reported and interpreted, and graphical 

“survival curves” adjusting for model covariate will be available for visual comparison of the different 

court types. 

6.4 Multilevel Modeling 

6.4.1 General Approach to Multilevel Modeling. Given the rich amount of site-level data from 

the court-self-assessment and site-visits, youth observations at three time points, we plan to use 

hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) in HLM (version 7) and/or multilevel structural equation modeling 

(MSEM) with mixed effects in MPlus (version 8). The equations in Exhibit 6.1 show the general analytic 

model. The analysis will model the observation times (Level 1) at enrollment, 6 and 12 months; with 

observations nested within youth (Level 2) modeled as a random factor; and with youth nested within 

sites (Level 3) modeled as a random factor. Modeling time will allow us to control for repeated 

observations by person and to still use data even when one observation is missing. Modeling youth and 

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sites as random factors allow us to partial out the variance they explain to improve statistical power and 

better generalize across them. 

Level 1 (observations). The constant in row 1 (π0ys) represents the mean for each time point 

(after controlling for everything else in the equations). The second term in row 1 (π1ys*TVCov) 

represents the effect on each observation of any time varying covariates (e.g. days in a controlled 

environment, days in substance use treatment). The third term in row 1 (Etys) represents the general 

error term for each observations at level 1 (i.e., the difference between the actual vs. the predicted 

value). 

Level 2 (Youth). Assuming significant between groups variation, assessed via the ICC, RA and RD 

assignment to JDTC or TJC will be modeled as a Level 2 dummy variable called courttype, with values of 

0 = TJC and 1= JDTC. Thus the constants in rows 2 (β00s) and 3 (β00s) represent the intercept and slope 

for the TJC group respectively. While the second terms in row 2 (β01s*courttype) and row 3 

(β11s*courttype) represent the impact of assignment to JDTC vs. TJC on the intercept and slope for JDTC 

respectively. They are each tested by dividing each coefficient by its respective standard error to get a ttest and are respectively interpreted as the effect of JDTC on the intercept and slope after controlling for 

repeated measures by individuals and any time varying covariates (at level 1), the predicted risk of 

recidivism and any other youth varying covariates (at level 2), sites and any site varying covariates (at 

level 3). The third term in row 2 (β02s*precidivism) represents the effect of the baseline risk for 

recidivism for each youth. A sensitivity analysis will be done on the predicted rate of recidivism by 

comparing the equation for the predicted recidivism derived from the 8 RD sites and all 10 RD and RA 

sites, with each other and with the earlier data from Table 2.1. The fourth term in row 2 (β03s*YVCov) 

represents the effect of any other youth varying covariates (e.g. gender, race, age). The fifth term in 

row 2 (r0ys) and third term in row 3 (r1ys) are the general error terms for each youth at level 2 (i.e., the 

difference between the actual vs. the predicted value) for the intercept and slope respectively. 

Level 3 (Sites). The constants in the first terms of row 4 (y000) and row 5 (y100) respectively 

represent the grand mean and grand slope across time, youth, and site. The second term in row 4 (y001 

*SVCov) represents any other site varying covariate (e.g., pattern of case flow, county population, 

specific guideline followed, degree of guidelines followed) . The latter two examples include 

incorporating data from the court self-assessment. The third term in row 4 (u00s) and second term in row 

5 (u01s) are the general error term for each site at level 2 (i.e., the difference between the actual vs. the 

predicted value) for the grand intercept and slope respectively. Appendix F includes an example of the 

syntax and output from using this kind of model. 

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Exhibit 6.1 General Analytic Model Equations and Definitions 

Level 1 (observations): DV = π0ys + π1ys*TVCov + Etys 

Level 2 (youth): π0ys = β00s + β01s*courttype+ β02s*precidivism + β03s*YVCov + r0ys 

π 1ys= β10s + β11s*courttype + r1ys 

Level 3 (site): β00s = y000 + y001*SVCov + u00s 

β10s= y100 + u01s 

Where: DV the dependent variable or outcome to be predict at each observation 

Subscripts are t=time, y=youth, and s=site; when numbered they vary, when letter they are 

used across (e.g., β00s means constant for baseline by youth across sites) 

π0ys defined in row 2 above 

π1ys is the coefficient(s) are to represent the effect(s) of any time varying covariate 

TVCov is for any level 1 time varying covariates (e.g., days in a controlled environment, days 

of substance use treatment) 

Etys is the general error term for each observation at level 1 

courttype is a dummy variable for court type (0=Traditional Juvenile Court [TJC], 1=Juvenile 

Drug Treatment Court [JDTC]) 

β00s is the intercept for the TJC condition 

β01s is the coefficient representing the difference in intercepts by court type (JDTC-TJC) 

β02s is the coefficient representing the effect of the baseline predict risk recidivism 

precidivism is the baseline risk for recidivism for each youth 

β03s is the coefficient(s) are to represent the effect(s) of any other youth covariates 

YVCov is any other youth varying baseline covariate (e.g., gender, race, age) 

r0ys is the level 2 error term that allows the intercept to vary by youth (level 2) 

β10s is the slope of the TJC condition 

β11s is a the coefficient that represents the difference in slopes by court type (JDTC-TJC) 

r1ys is a constant assuming parallel slopes 

y000 is the grand mean intercept across sites, youth, & observations 

y001 

SVCov is any other site varying covariate (e.g., pattern of case flow, county population, % 

of guidelines followed) 

u00s is the level 3 error term that allows the intercept to vary by site (level 3) 

y100 is the grand slope across sites & youth 

u01s is a the coefficient that represents the difference in slopes by site 

β01s*courttype provides a t-test of “Court Type” (aka intercepts) is done by dividing the 

coefficient by its standard error; it is interpreted as the effect of JDTC on the mean after 

controlling for repeated measures by individuals (at level 1), the predicted risk of 

recidivism and any other youth varying covariates (at level 2), and sites (at level 3); 

β11s *courttype provides a t-test of “Time x Court Type” (aka slopes) is done by dividing the 

coefficient by its standard error; it is interpreted as the effect of JDTC on the slope after 

controlling for repeated measures by individuals (at level 1), the predicted risk of 

recidivism and any other youth varying covariates (at level 2), and sites (at level 3) 

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6.3.2 General Approach to Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling (MSEM). Using MSEM for 

analysis of outcomes provides numerous advantages over a strictly OLS or logistic regressions approach 

for determining whether outcomes are directly related to study group membership. One of these, 

important not only for outcome assessments but also for baseline measurements, is MSEM’s robust 

ability through Confirmatory Factor Analysis to determine the best way for constructing latent variables 

from the baseline youth survey. For example, several pages of the youth survey ask about a youth’s 

family and friends, and embedded within each of these question sets are numerous scales that can be 

represented and evaluated as latent variables. Using the published information of these scales, this 

structure will be replicated on the JDTC baseline youth survey to determine whether the measurement 

model indicated by the creators of these questions fits the data and/or needs modification to ensure the 

best fitting, most interpretable model of the embedded scales. Where there are multiple measures (e.g., 

records vs. self-reported arrest; urine test vs. self-reported substance use) we can also combine and 

evaluate them as latent constructs as well. Optimizing measurement with SEM analyses improves the 

statistical power of the analysis and address overlap in various measures. 

Once measurement models have been tested and the best structure for each of the latent 

variables is identified, MSEM may be used in variety of ways relevant to the analysis of study outcomes. 

One common approach, and likely only one of several analytic steps until a final model that includes 

moderators/mediators and multiple outcomes, is to test the direct association between baseline 

characteristics (e.g., predict risk of recidivism, family, peers) and outcomes, separately for 6 and 12 

month follow-up surveys, and for official records of recidivism. These models are equivalent to single 

OLS regression or logistic regression model, and these will establish which variables (including study 

group membership) are significantly related to each outcome, separately. However, one of the main 

benefits of MSEM is that multiple outcomes may be predicted at the same time and multiple mediators 

and moderators (abilities that OLS regression or path analysis do not have) may be tested with several 

model fit indices provided to indicate the extent to which the hypothesized model fits the actual data. 

Diagnostics accompanying poor fitting models (judged using the traditional CFI, GFI, RMSEA, etc., 

indices) will indicate where the model has been misspecified, informing subsequent iterations for 

improving fit by adding or subtracting specific paths from the model. Both direct and indirect effects are 

reported as a part of the model output enabling interpretation of specific mediators. Comparisons of 

models on moderators (i.e., study group membership) will allow for determining whether the same 

underlying model comparably fits each group. 

Finally, another advantage of MSEM is that latent growth curve models may be tested to gauge 

response to as well as outcome of treatment. Several outcomes (e.g., family functioning) are expected 

to change over the course of JDTC treatment, and measures of these collected at baseline, 6-month 

follow-up, and 12-month follow-up can be modeled to determine whether, which direction, and how 

much change occurs. This can be tested and compared across study groups to determine variations in 

how change occurs. These changes, modeled as latent variables, can also be used as mediators in 

structural models that predict more distal outcomes, like recidivism. 

6.3.3 Moderation Analysis of Youth and Site Characteristics. Moderation analysis looks at the 

extent to which any intervention effects vary by baseline characteristics of the youth or site. To better 

understand which interventions work best for whom, we will evaluate the extent to which the predicted 

recidivism, represented here using the levels from Table 2.1, predict not only recidivism but differential 

impacts of JDTC (vs. TJC) on recidivism and substance use. We will also check to see if gender, ethnicity, 

race, age, or the baseline rates substance use, mental health problems and wellness, family functioning, 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

peer risk or academic performance moderates the impact of JDTC (vs. TJC) on recidivism and substance 

use. We will do this in two ways. First, we will add a dichotomous variable for each of the above) at 

intake to the above model as a Level 2 predictor and use MPlus to test whether the above effects of the 

intervention conditions vary by the dummy variable. Second, we will use a Chi-square Automated 

Interaction Detection (CHAID) analysis of all the moderator variables simultaneously to explore cut 

points and interactions. CHAID performs segmentation modeling to divide a predictor variable into 

groups that are significantly different on the dependent variable. CHAID attempts to optimize an Fstatistic (i.e., maximize between group variance and minimize within group variance) while making a 

Bonferroni adjustment to all the p-values in the tests used in the analysis. 

We will also examine the extent to which site-level variables at Level 3 act as moderators. Sitelevel data from the court self-assessments (e.g., baseline pattern of guideline implementation), 

administrative documents, staff interviews, and site visit (e.g., case flow patterns) observations will be 

used to produce a set of variables that describe the key elements of JDTC structure and staff roles, such 

as agency collaboration/team membership, presence/frequency of staff meetings to discuss youth 

progress, frequency of drug testing, sharing of information across agencies, and use of behavior 

modification techniques. These variables will be used to see if they help explain variation in youth 

outcomes between JDTC and TJC sites or between more and less successful sites. We can also use 

census data on things like population density or coding of rural to mixed to urban areas, or data on how 

the state juvenile justice system is organized, to create additional Level 3 predictors. However the fact 

that there are only 10 jurisdictional sites (9 degrees of freedom at Level 3) means that this analysis will 

primarily be exploratory. 

6.3.4 Mediation Analysis of Guideline Fidelity, Behavioral Health Services Cascade, and Family. 

Mediation analysis looks at the extent to which we can open the black box comparison of JDTC and TJC 

and identify specific processes or intermediate measures that explain the outcomes. This might include 

things such as movement along the behavioral health services cascade, days of substance use treatment 

or the quality of substance use treatment received at the youth level or change in guideline 

implementation at the site level. The analysis here will continue to use MSEM where the goal is to 

identify situations where court placement (JDTC vs. TJC) that predicts a proximal outcomes (e.g., days of 

treatment) that in turn predicts more distal outcomes (e.g., days of substance use or crime). Indirect 

effects of JDTC will be evaluated using MacKinnon and colleagues’ (2007) joint-significance testing of the 

path z-scores with a Sobel test using a standard error based on bootstrapping and criteria of p<.05 on 

the degree of difference between conditions. “Mediation” is a higher standard conceptually. It requires 

demonstrating a direct effect of court placement on the distal outcome that is reduce (partial 

mediation) or eliminated (full mediation) when the proximal outcome is included in the MSEM path 

model (Baron & Kenny, 1986). 

Underlying the 2016 JDTC Guidelines are several assumptions about things that are likely to be 

important mediators including: a) higher fidelity to the guidelines, b) better coordination between the 

juvenile justice and substance use treatment system, c) more (evidence-based) substance use 

treatment, and d) improvement in family functioning and peer risk. Below is more information on each 

of these topics and specific mediation analyses planned. 

Higher Fidelity to the Guidelines. As noted earlier, each of the 31 research-based Guidelines 

were explicitly based on the most recent meta-analysis and synthesis of prior data on JDTC. They seek to 

move JDTC away from practices that had been associated with worse outcomes and towards practices 

associated with better outcomes. Thus we hypothesize that the more closely courts follow the 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

recommendations, the better they will do regardless of the type of court. We have data from the court 

self-assessments and the site visit ratings – both of which have been explicitly mapped onto the 

guidelines. As with the general approach above, we can combine them as proposed and/or use CHAID to 

look for interactions between them or suggestions that some Guidelines are more influential than 

others. If there is an effect of JDTC, the increased training and technical assistance and focus on these 

activities is expected to a core mechanism for explaining the change. 

Behavioral Health Services Cascade. The Behavioral Health Services Cascade (Belenko et al., 

2017) is based on the idea that youth with moderate to high risk of SUD and risks of recidivism will have 

better outcomes if they are formally screened, identified as in need of treatment, referred to SUD 

treatment, initiate treatment, engage for at least 6 weeks, and continue for at least 90 days. Yet at each 

point, systems have problems (e.g., not using a standardized screener, not recognizing the problem, 

passive referrals, lack of services/work with providers to ensure engagement and retention). In 

addition, the transition of services from the juvenile justice to the behavioral health system (typically at 

the point to referral to clinical assessment or treatment initiation) is often problematic and a point 

where service needs are not adequately addressed. If substance-involved youth are not properly 

screened or assessed, not referred to treatment, or do not engage in treatment, recidivism is more likely 

and juvenile justice outcomes more likely to be suboptimal. Thus, it will be important to be able to 

measure progression along this services cascade from available records as a likely mediator of outcomes 

in both JDTC and traditional juvenile courts. This is one of the specific areas where JDTC try to be more 

proactive than TJC and another way of explaining any differential outcome. We will use juvenile justice 

and treatment records to track movement along the Behavioral Health Services Cascade (Belenko et al., 

2017) for youth in both JDTC and TJC. As noted above, this strategy uses records to determine the rates 

of screening, need, referral, treatment initiation, engagement, and continuing care, as well as the time 

between each step. The court self-assessment also includes questions about these issues that can be 

thought of in terms of expectations/ policies. While we expect substantial overlap between court types 

in policies on screening, staff, and services being used, the degree to which youth are retained at each 

step of this cascade and the speed with which they move through its steps are expected to be one of the 

significant differences between JDTC and TJC. We will obtain the Cascade treatment data in several 

ways. First, we will adapt the treatment transition log used for over a decade in our work with 

adolescent treatment and JDTC for use by the local Evaluation Liaison. This log tracks each time the 

youth enters treatment, including where they came from, the date of admission, level of care, type of 

evidence-based treatment (if applicable), their discharge status, and where they were discharged to 

(Dennis, Ives, White, & Muck, 2008; Ives, Chan, Modisette, & Dennis, 2010). This information is useful 

because few juvenile justice record systems currently collect these data at the youth level. We will use 

data from the youth survey on the quantity and level of care to validate the records. This important 

because while the self-reported youth surveys often lack details, juvenile justice records are often 

complete and lack information on services received by other providers. Finally, as part of the court selfassessment, we will ask what substance use treatment services juvenile justice staff believe is being 

provided to youth under their supervision directly or by referral and in terms of specific evidence-based 

practices. Again, we will review the degree of agreement and discrepancy between JDTC and TJC and 

identify issues that could be followed up with local staff by phone or during site visits. 

Evidence Based Substance Use Treatment. As noted earlier, meta-analysis have shown that 

adolescent substance use treatment “as usual” has no effect over “no treatment” (Tanner-Smith et al., 

2013; Tanner-Smith et al., 2016a; 2016b). Thus if the above cascade only linked them to treatment as 

usual, there would likely be little or no effect. However, the same meta-analyses show that a wide range 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

of evidence-based substance use treatments have significant effects on substance use (and thereby 

likely illegal activity), with family-based treatment approaches doing still slightly better. Thus knowing 

the “type” of substance use treatment is likely to be another key mediator of any effects. This is why we 

are collecting information about the “type” of evidence-based treatment being used from records. 

Family Functioning and Peer Risk. Family functioning and peer risk are both implicit dimensions 

of risk or protection associated with the rates of adolescent substance use (Godley et al., 2005) and 

recognized in the OJJDP (2016) JDTC guidelines. Thus, changes in these factors are likely to be a possible 

mediator of outcomes. Both are measured youth surveys will be used to calculate changes in the levels 

of family functioning and peer risk, which will allow for calculation of baseline and change in these 

factors. The level of change will be used to identify potential impact on youth substance use at follow-up 

and subsequent outcomes, including successful program/court completion and avoidance of recidivism. 

Developing a Common Logic Model. The results of the fidelity, moderation and mediation will 

be used to develop a common logic model that would be as ideal as possible. We will then contrast this 

with the various logic models in use from the site visits and the extent to which they appear to have 

impacted the outcomes for better or worse. This is another way in which both the current and other 

sites may be able to learn further from the current project. 

6.5 Gender, Ethnicity, and Racial Disparities Analysis 

We recognize that gender, ethnicity, and racial disparities in substance use treatment have the 

potential to cross outcome, moderation, and mediation analyses and come in many forms. By court 

type, we will therefore examine the differences by gender, ethnicity, race, or other youth group 

identified in the above analyses (e.g., substance use severity) by comparing their 6-month rates of: 

Prevalence: the rate of a SUD problem in each subgroup of youth, 

Access: the rate at which youth with a SUD problem get any substance use treatment, 

and 

Quality: the rate of getting at least 6 weeks of evidence-based substance use treatment 

among the subset of youth with a SUD problem getting any substance use 

treatment 

For prevalence, it is important to use the same standardized measure (as we are doing) so that the 

differences at the item and scale level can be interpreted as real differences instead of measurement 

effects. For access, we can look at the extent to which those with SUDs (or high severity disorders) are 

actually getting any substance use treatment. For the third area, of those who do, whether they are 

getting evidence-based substance use treatment. For each, the analyses will look at whether a) these 

rates vary by group, and b) whether a more systematic approach like JDTC helps to improve the rates 

and/or close any gaps. 

6.6 Power Analysis 

Assuming 10 sites, each recruiting 150 youth, there should be 1500 youth, 750 per court type. 

Assuming between 70-90% follow-up, there should be at least 1050 (525 per court type) for a given 

outcome wave. A simple analysis of variance of the outcomes would have 99% power to detect an 

effect size of Cohen’s d=.20 with a two tailed alpha of .05 or less. Within a single subgroup (or site) with 

at least 150 youth, 75 per type of court and at least a 70% follow-up rate (52 per type of court). A simple 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

analysis of variance of the outcomes would have 80% power to detect an effect size of Cohen’s d=.28 or 

more with a two tailed alpha of .05 or less. Using survival analysis, repeated measures, and multi-level 

modeling, and/or looking at larger subgroups or clusters of sites will improve power further Note that 

main analysis to be reported publicly focus on cross-site data and/or its subgroups. Any within site 

analysis will only be done and reported to the site itself. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Performance Monitoring and Minimizing Threats to Validity 

7.1 Performance Monitoring 

There are several strategies we will employ in order to maintain accountability and monitor 

performance of this research. First, to enable cross site measurement of accountability and 

performance, the cross-site evaluation team will work with sites to agree on common measures and 

procedures for screening, baseline assignment, documenting model fidelity and services received, and 

outcomes. The principles for selecting these measures include past and expected a) reliability across 

time and site; b) validity across and relative to other/future data; c) efficiency in terms of using existing 

data or minimizing time to collect; d) generalizability related to other studies or data in the field in 

general; e) appropriateness in terms of instruments that easily fit into the grantees’ regular work flow 

with the least burden; f) sustainability in terms of instruments that the grantees could continue to use 

after the evaluation; and g) ease of dissemination in terms of tools that could be used by OJJDP’s 

training and technical assistance programs to work with other JDTCs and TJCs. 

Second, to adequately manage the project and all research data effectively, the cross-site 

evaluation team will use a secure, cloud-based data sharing, collection and reporting infrastructure that 

supports project management (Outlook), conference calling/webinars (Global Meet), on-line training 

(Moodle), court surveys (Qualtrics or similar), youth surveys (GAIN ABS), and file sharing/data 

transfer/reporting (Box). All staff involved in the evaluation including cross-site evaluation team 

members (from CHS, TU, NPC, and CALLC), AIR/OJJDP staff and TTA providers (AU/NADCP, NCJFCJ), and 

local Evaluation Liaisons will be given user-level, role-based accounts and credentials (usernames and 

passwords) for all components of this system. CHS already operates such an infrastructure that has been 

used successfully for 4 years as part of the JJ-TRIALS cooperative agreement being conducted in 

collaboration with National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), research centers at 6 universities (including 

Temple University), and juvenile community supervision/behavioral health agencies in 34 counties in 7 

states. CHS also operates a larger electronic infrastructure to provide on-line training, screening, clinical 

assessment, clinical decision support, and program planning and evaluation support that is used by over 

15,000 staff in over 1,200 justice and behavioral health agencies in all 50 states (as well as all 11 

provinces of Canada and 10 other countries). 

Third, to support participation in the research by all sites with high fidelity, the cross-site 

evaluation team is adapting/developing research measures, procedures, quality assurance protocol 

reports, and training centrally (with input and feedback from all partners). The cross-site evaluation 

team will provide on-line and in-person training and technical assistance to the Evaluation Liaisons on 

their use. 

Fourth, the cross-site evaluation team will work with local Evaluation Liaisons to collect 

information on the implementation of the research, combining it with information from electronic data, 

and providing monthly “management reports” to track progress, identify any problems early, and work 

collaboratively to get them addressed quickly. This process has been used in JJ-TRIALS and other 

projects and has helped us achieve high rates of implementation and follow-up and avoid or minimize 

problems. The information from these management reports also feeds into the annual and final 

reporting requirements. Lastly, we will meet modern reporting standards for both clinical trials (see 25 

item checklist at http://www.consort-statement.org) and quasi-experiments (see 22-item parallel 

checklist at https://www.cdc.gov/trendstatement).This typically includes documenting a) the preinclusion drop off of youth due to eligibility screening and refusal rates; b) type and implementation of 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the assignment mechanism; c) a data-based classification of the dosage of court and behavioral services 

received by each youth (planned, partial, or none); and d) the availability of each data source and subset 

used for a given analysis. 

7.2 Monitoring Deviations from RA or RD Recommended Assignment 

Previously we have described how we will allow courts to exclude youth where they want to 

force the assignment BEFORE using RA or RD. However, there is still the possibility that after RA or RD, 

something changes and the judge or prosecutor decides not to follow the recommended placement or 

to change it shortly afterwards. During our consultations with each site, we will describe the study 

eligibility and group assignment procedures (and rationale for each), and develop a plan for allowing a 

limited number of youth to be placed in the JDTC or TJC according to judicial or prosecutorial 

preferences. The criteria for these overrides, and the number/percent of allowable overrides, will be 

clearly delineated and agreed to by the grantee site. An assignment form will be completed by the 

Evaluation Liaison for each youth referred to the juvenile court, indicating a) whether assigned to the 

TJC or JDTC through randomization or RD cutoff score; b) whether assigned to the TJC or JDTC based on 

an override decision; c) whether assigned to the TJC or JDTC because of ineligibility for one condition or 

the other; and d) documented reason for group assignment. The Evaluation Liaison will provide this 

information for the monthly management report. If the practice becomes frequent, we review the preassignment exclusion process to see if can be modified and/or problem solved with the local staff to 

reduce the frequency. 

7.3 JDTC Model Fidelity and Clinical Contrast 

JDTC are only expected to have an effect over TJC to the extent that they follow the new 

guidelines. Thus we have proposed using both court self-assessment and site visit ratings to develop 

measures of JDTC model fidelity and will use them to describe and examine variations in readiness and 

implementation over time of the components of the JDTC guidelines. We will also examine the extent to 

which the degree of fidelity is related to outcomes. However, the degree of impact of JDTC over TJC is 

also related to the degree of contrast in their practices. There have been many juvenile justice reform 

efforts over the past two decades that have encouraged many of the same changes proposed in the 

JDTC Guidelines and in some cases, they have even been mandated at the state or local level. Thus we 

have also proposed collecting the court self-assessments from the TJC and to look at the degree of 

overlap in staff, treatment resources, and other practices during the site visits. While this will not 

eliminate the overlap, it does at least allow us to quantify it and look at how it is related to outcomes. 

7.4 Youth attrition at follow-up surveys 

Although good contact information will be available for every youth in the study, a significant 

concern for missing data is introduced by the longitudinal collection of the follow-up surveys. This is 

especially true for the TJC group because contact with these youth may be less frequent than for those 

involved in the JDTC. While we will provide training and software on follow-up, monitor and provide 

technical assistance – given the range of experience doing follow-up across sites, attrition is likely to still 

be an issue. 

Differential attrition attributable to a systematic reason represents a mortality threat to internal 

validity (Cook & Campbell, 1979). Here, biases may be introduced when specific characteristics are 

systematically associated with a greater likelihood of not remaining in the study. This can occur in two 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

primary ways. One attributes of the study or individuals in the study are related to study attrition across 

study groups. In this case, the sample at the follow-up point varies significantly on some important, 

potentially confounding characteristic from the sample at baseline. With each instance of this result 

being treated as a selection artifact and being introduced into the study. In aggregate, the youth 

remaining in the study are no longer completely representative of those, in aggregate, who began the 

study. Therefore, early identification of variables that contribute systematically to early study dropout 

must happen and be proactively addressed to minimize their potential impact on the validity of study 

findings. 

The second case of mortality that is possible with the current study involves the differential 

attrition of members from the different study groups. Here, some variables could be systematically 

related to early dropout in some groups but not others. Again, selection artifacts are introduced into the 

study, lowering internal validity, because it is less clear whether the intervention (JDTC) resulted in 

better outcomes, or was it because this group had higher motivation or more supportive families, for 

example, which is why they remained in the study and are rival explanations to conclusions regarding 

treatment efficacy. Group-based monitoring of reasons for study attrition, therefore, is even more 

important to helping guard against threats to internal validity. When there are group-specific predictors 

in study attrition from baseline to follow-up it is even more important. 

Therefore, attrition analysis at regular intervals is required to monitor whether study attrition 

between baseline and follow-up periods, regardless of study group assignment, is significantly related to 

important confounding variables (e.g., gender, age) to help ensure the internal validity of the study by 

guarding against the introduction of mortality and selection artifacts. This approach is analogous to the 

determining whether missing data (here it would be missing follow-up data) are missing at random 

(MAR), missing completely at random (MCAR), or not missing at random (NMAR) (Schafer & Graham, 

2002). Therefore, on a quarterly basis throughout the duration of the study, analyses will be performed 

using the data that has accrued to that time to compare the baseline sample with the follow-up survey 

sample. Variables will be selected from the baseline youth survey and the youth risk screener. Tabular 

presentation of the data (along with statistical significance testing) will illustrate comparisons of the 

baseline and follow-up samples on potentially confounding variables, which will be presented to the 

JDTC Steering Committee for their consideration and deliberation about whether any corrective action 

may be needed to help ensure the baseline and follow-up survey samples remain equivalent on these 

characteristics. 

A second set of attrition analyses also will be performed on a quarterly basis to examine 

whether there is differential dropout among groups and the extent to which this introduces nonequivalence between specific groups (e.g., control and experimental groups). Also important will be the 

determination of whether it is the study condition that is directly contributing to differences in follow-up 

rates. Here, the analysis will narrow to comparisons of groups on the potentially confounding variables, 

with tabular presentation and significance testing presented at a meeting of the JDTC Steering 

Committee for consideration and for determination of whether corrective action might be needed. 

It should be pointed out that some of the outcome measures (e.g., recidivism) will be based on 

administrative data, and therefore attrition should not be an issue. We will conduct intent-to-treat 

analysis that will include program dropouts. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.5 External Validity 

A separate question is the external validity or generalizability of the participating sites and youth. 

A key advantage of the proposed court self-assessment is that it will allow us to compare the sites with 

two other national surveys: One done with a national probability sample of juvenile justice community 

supervision agencies that did or did not have JDTC (Scott, Dennis, Lurigio, in press), and a planned survey 

of all JDTC AIR plans to do concurrently with this study. These will provide a strong sense of how similar 

or different the participating sites are. 

For the youth data, we can compare the participants to the 34 juvenile justice site study that Drs. 

Dennis and Belenko are just finishing and/or earlier GAIN data on youth in the juvenile justice used in 

Table 2.1. We will also combine our study of how variations in the implementation of the JDTC 

Guidelines impact outcomes with information from our own experiences/data and input from the 

advisors to look at potential implications for smaller/other types of JDTC. In addition, we will compare 

spatial distribution of study sites to all JDTCs using data from the NADCP and Drug Court Clearinghouse 

on current operational JDTCs to assess differences in geographic region and urbanicity. 

7.6 Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity 

To ensure research and evaluation independence and integrity, the evaluation team has filed a 

detailed plan for identifying potential conflicts of interest and mitigating them. To summarize, the 

review of potential conflicts includes: 

• identify all current and recent federal, state, local and private JDTC where the team has any 

involvement, including the potential for financial overlap 

• identifying any all training, technical assistance or scientific advisory positions (regardless of 

whether paid or not) related to JDTC 

• identifying any potential financial interest in survey instruments or software and how /degree to 

which they will be made available after the evaluation 

The steps identify steps proposed to mitigate any overlap or conflicts include: 

• billing any over lapping time only to the evaluation, 

• withdrawing from non-paid commitments, 

• agreeing to share hard copies of study instruments with the public and specifying in advance 

rates for any software accounts, 

• submitting any new commitments (including presentations) with OJJDP in advance 

• reviewing any interpretations and recommendations with OJJDP, the TTA providers and the 

court sites themselves to ensure that they have an opportunity to raise questions or potential 

conflicts. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Evaluation Liaisons’ Training and Technical Assistance for Evaluation and Data Collection 

8.1 Training 

The Evaluation Liaisons and their sites will need materials and training on a variety of 

procedures to participate in the evaluation. The cross-site evaluation team recognizes that more 

comprehensive training will lead to a more successful evaluation. Trainings will be provided on a) the 

overall study design; b) using RA and RD assignment rules; c) court self-assessment instrument and 

procedures; d) expectations for providing assistance with the site visit protocol; e) records abstraction 

and administrative data requirements; f) youth recruitment, surveys, and follow-up protocols; and d) 

management reports and quality assurance processes. 

The initial Evaluation Liaisons training was held in person on March 13-15, 2018, at Chestnut 

Health Systems’ training facility in Normal, IL. All of the materials are available on Box. The cross-site 

evaluation team has also set up an on-line, self-paced, version of the training using the Moodle Learning 

Management System and Storyline content development. The cross-site evaluation team recommended 

this additional on-line training because a) grantee sites are likely to vary in their readiness and 

availability for the March training, b) it can be self-paced and/or combined with live sessions that allow 

staff to learn at their own pace, c) there will be staff turnover that requires training be repeated, d) it is 

more cost-effective because it does not require travel and does not require staff to be out of the office 

for extended periods, and e) such materials already exist for the GAIN instruments and have been in 

commercial use for over 5 years. The local Evaluation Liaisons can also use the on-line training to help 

train any other local staff that will be involved in data collection. The system became available in April 

2018 and will be used by default for any new staff. The number of people trained initially and then 

subsequently on-line is included in the management report. 

8.2 Site Specific Training and Technical Assistance 

The March 2018 training provided an overview of the court self-assessment, site visit protocol, 

and youth record abstraction. Over the course of the project the cross-site evaluation team will work 

with individual Evaluation Liaisons and their sites to address site-specific issues (e.g., when more than 

one court self-assessment should be done, who should be involved in the site visit, how to set up and 

code local record abstractions). The cross-site evaluation team will provide the on-line training and 

assistance if the Evaluation Liaisons need to train other local staff as part of the evaluation. We will also 

provide training and feedback on data collected; in the process, we expect there to be follow-up 

questions and/or quality assurance questions that need to be addressed by the local Evaluation Liaisons. 

Preparing Evaluation Liaisons to fulfill their important role in the study is expected to be an iterative 

process that may require more technical assistance in some sites. 

8.3 Technical Assistance 

Across study components, we will develop documents with questions and answers, scripts, and 

simple protocols to help the local Evaluation Liaisons and their courts identify technical assistance needs 

in advance. Through the monthly management reports described earlier, we will monitor activities and 

identify any problem areas early so that we can be proactive in following-up on them. During the first 6 

months of implementation, we will schedule at least monthly calls with the Evaluation Liaisons to go 

over general progress and questions, as well as individual calls (or site visits) as needed to address sitespecific issues. Quality Assurance reviews of data submitted will also be conducted to identify potential 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

problems and used to proactively provide feedback and technical assistance. Through these activities or 

by reaching out to the evaluation team directly, Evaluation Liaisons can also request technical assistance 

on anything related to the evaluation design, protocols, or data. Requests specifically related to the 

implementation of the 2016 JDTC Guidelines will be referred to appropriate TTA provider (e.g., AU or 

NCJFJC/NADCP). Requests related to the overlap between evaluation and Guidelines will be addressed 

jointly. 

8.4 Documentation of Training, Site-Specific Training, Feedback, and Technical Assistance 

All training, site-specific training, feedback, and technical assistance provided will be documented in 

a log so that it can be reviewed for problems across site. We will also use this log as data for the 

evaluation interim and final reports, where we will summarize any issues and changes made. 

52 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
53 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. References 

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research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social 

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Belenko, S., & Dembo, R. (2003). Treating adolescent substance abuse problems in the juvenile drug 

court. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 26(1), 87-110. doi:10.1016/S0160-

2527(02)00205-4 

Belenko, S., Knight, D., Wasserman, G.A., Dennis, M.L., Wiley, T., Taxman, F.S, . . .Sales, J. (2017). The 

Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Services Cascade: A new framework for measuring unmet 

substance use treatment services needs among adolescent offenders. Journal of Substance Abuse 

Treatment, 74, 80-91. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2016.12.012 

Belenko, S., & Logan, T. K. (2003). Delivering more effective treatment to adolescents: Improving the 

juvenile drug court model. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 25(3), 189-211. 

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Campie, P. E., & Sokolsky, J. (2016). Systematic review of factors that impact implementation quality of 

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Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, grant number 2014–DC–BX–K001. Retrieved from 

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of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, grant number 2014–DC–BX–K001. Retrieved from 

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Conrad, K. J., Conrad, K. M., Mazza, J., Riley, B. B., Funk, R., Stein, M. A., & Dennis, M. L. (2012). 

Dimensionality, hierarchical structure, age generalizability, and criterion validity of the GAIN's 

Behavioral Complexity Scale. Psychological Assessment, 24(4), 913-924. doi: 10.1037/a0028196, 

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Conrad, K. J., Riley, B. B., Conrad, K. M., Chan, Y. F., & Dennis, M. L. (2010). Validation of the Crime and 

Violence Scale (CVS) against the Rasch measurement model including differences by gender, race, 

and age. Evaluation Review, 34(2), 83-115. doi:10.1177/0193841X10362162 

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(SCY) initiative: A cluster analysis of the services received, their correlates and how they are 

associated with outcomes. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 40(1), 3-16. 

doi:10.1080/02791072.2008.10399757 

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(GSS) for internalizing, externalizing and substance use disorders and crime/violence problems 

among adolescents and adults. American Journal on Addictions, 15(s1), s80-s91. 

doi:10.1080/10550490601006055 

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Reduction Initiative (RRI) 2016 Progress Report. Annual report to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), 

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being sued: Implementing neighborhood-based supervision in Spokane, Washington. Journal of 

Contemporary Criminal Justice, 25(4), 364-383. doi:10.1177/1043986209344549 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garner, B. R., Belur, V. K., & Dennis, M. L. (2013). The GAIN Short Screener (GSS) as a predictor of future 

arrest or incarceration among youth presenting to substance use disorder (SUD) 

treatment. Substance Abuse Research and Treatment, 7, 199-208. doi:10.4137/SART.S13152 

Godley, M. D., Kahn, J. H., Dennis, M. L., Godley, S. H., & Funk, R. R. (2005). The stability and impact of 

environmental factors on substance use and problems after adolescent outpatient treatment for 

cannabis abuse or dependence. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 19(1), 62-70. doi:10.1037/0893-

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Greene, A., Ostlie, E., Kagan, R., & Davis, M. (2014). The process of integrating practices: The Juvenile 

Drug Court and Reclaiming Futures logic model. Drug Court Review, 10(1), 31-58. 

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corrections. OJJDP Journal of Juvenile Justice, 1(1), 1-16. 

Hiller, M. L., Malluche, D., Bryan, V., DuPont, L., Martin, B., Abensur, R. L., Leukefeld, C. G., & Payne, C. 

(2010). A multi-site description of juvenile drug courts: Program models and during-program 

outcomes, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 54, 213-235. 

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in schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-based Mentoring Impact Study. Philadelphia, PA: 

Public/Private Ventures. Retrieved from https://www.issuelab.org/resource/making-a-difference-inschools-the-big-brothers-big-sisters-school-based-mentoring-impact-study.html 

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randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 319, 670-674. doi:10.1136/bmj.319.7211.670 

Ives, M. L., Chan, Y. F., Modisette, K. C., & Dennis, M. L. (2010). Characteristics, needs, services, and 

outcomes of youths in juvenile treatment drug courts as compared to adolescent outpatient 

treatment. Drug Court Review, 7(1), 10-56. 

Keyes, C. L. M., & Simoes, E. J. (2012). To flourish or not: Positive mental health and all-cause mortality. 

American Journal of Public Health,102(11), 2164-2172. doi:10.2105/ajph.2012.300918 

MacKinnon, D. P., Fairchild, A. J., & Fritz, M. S. (2007). Mediation analysis. Annual Review of Psychology, 

58, 593-614. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085542 

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Rasch measurement model in psychometric analysis of the Family Effectiveness Measure. Nursing 

Research, 62(3), 149-159. doi:10.1097/NNR.0b013e31828eafe6 

McGaffin, B. J., Deane, F. P., Kelly, P. J., & Ciarrochi, J. (2015). Flourishing, languishing and moderate 

mental health: Prevalence and change in mental health during recovery from drug and alcohol 

problems. Addiction Research and Theory, 23(5), 351-360. doi:10.3109/16066359.2015.1019346 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Riley, B. B., Conrad, K. J., Bezruczko, N., & Dennis, M. L. (2007). Relative precision, efficiency and 

construct validity of different starting and stopping rules for a computerized adaptive test: The GAIN 

substance problem scale. Journal of Applied Measurement, 8(1), 48-64. 

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America. New York: Transaction Publishers. 

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Social Control (pp. 403-416). New York: Transaction Publishers. 

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Keeping America’s promises to children and youth: A Search Institute–Child Trends Report on the 

results of the America’s Promise National Telephone Polls of Children, Teenagers, and Parents. 

Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute. Retrieved from http://www.childtrends.org/wpcontent/uploads/2006/04/CChild_Trends-2010_08_25-FR_EducPromises.pdf 

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substance abusers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 74(1), 21-36. 

doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2003.11.007 

Scott, C.K, Dennis, M.L., Grella, C.E., Lurigio, A. (under review). Juvenile justice systems of care: Results 

of a national survey of community supervision agencies and behavioral health providers on services 

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Scott, C. K., Grella, C. E., Dennis, M. L., & Funk, R. R. (2014). Predictors of recidivism over 3 years among 

substance-using women released from jail. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(11), 1257-1289. 

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Scott, C. K., Grella, C. E., Dennis, M. L., & Funk, R. R. (2016). A time-varying model of risk for predicting 

recidivism among women offenders over 3 years following their release from jail. Criminal Justice 

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and substance use problems of children and adolescents: A guide for child-serving organizations 

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effectiveness of juvenile drug courts. Nashville, TN: Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt 

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https://www.ojjdp.gov/JDTC/resources.html 

Tanner-Smith, E. E., Lipsey, M. W., & Wilson, D. B. (2016b). Juvenile drug court effects on recidivism and 

drug use: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 12, 477-

513. doi:10.1007/s11292-016-9274-y 

Tanner-Smith, E. E., Wilson, S. J., & Lipsey, M. W. (2013). The comparative effectiveness of outpatient 

treatment for adolescent substance abuse: A meta-analysis. Journal of Substance Abuse 

Treatment, 44(2), 145-158. 

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Administration, clinical interpretation, and brief intervention. Normal, IL: Chestnut Health Systems. 

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56 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

Titus, J. C., Smith, D. C., Dennis, M. L., Ives, M., Twanow, L., & White, M. K. (2012). Impact of a training 

and certification program on the quality of interviewer-collected self-report assessment 

data. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 42(2), 201-212. doi:10.1016/j.jsat.2011.10.017 

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process standards: A systematic review and qualitative synthesis (National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service no. 250441). Produced under Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, grant 

number 2014–DC–BX–K001. Retrieved from 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/250441.pdf 

57 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

10. Appendices 

Appendix A. Court Self-Assessment (A1=JDTC version, A2=TJC version) 

Appendix B. Site Visit Protocol 

Appendix C. Juvenile Justice Record Abstraction 

Appendix D. Youth Survey (D1=Baseline version, D2=Follow-up version) 

Appendix E. Project Detailed Timeline 

58 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OJJDP JDTC Court Self-Assessment

OJJDP JDTC Court Self-Assessment

This self-assessment tool is intended for juvenile court programs that work with juvenile justice

involved youth who have substance use disorders. These programs have a range of names

(including, but not limited to: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Wellness Court,

etc.). For this assessment we will use the abbreviation JDTC for any of this type of program.

A. BACKGROUND

Grantee Site ID (SID):

Local Site ID (LSID):

Court ID (CID):

Name:

Email address:

Phone number:

1. Please provide the appropriate ID numbers:

2. Date self-assessment is being completed:

3. Who is the primary person coordinating completion of this self-assessment tool?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program coordinator’s name:

Program Coordinator’s email:

JUVENILE DRUG COURT NAME:

Address:

Address 2:

City/Town:

County:

Jurisdiction (e.g., 9th circuit court):

State:

Zip:

4. If you are not the program coordinator,

5. What is your role in the juvenile court? {Recommended: court staff member fill out when available;

Judge completes when no other staff member is available}

Judicial Assistant, Court Staff Member

Judge

Other (please specify):

6. Please provide us with the official name and address of your juvenile court:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Please list the names and roles of the other team members (anyone involved in any aspect of

your JDTC, including the provision of treatment or support to the participants) who will help you (or

who you will check with) as you fill out this assessment. If you filled out the assessment on your own

(with no help from other team members), please type “none.”

8. Has your JDTC received any technical assistance (including phone calls to answer your

questions, resources or sample documents emailed or mailed to you, online support and/or training,

or in-person support and/or training) in the past year?

No

Yes (From whom?)

Not sure

9. Did your JDTC make any changes as a result of that technical assistance?

No

Yes

Not sure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Please describe the change(s) your JDTC made.

B. JDTC BACKGROUND/CONTEXT

Month (mm):

Year (yyyy):

11. When was your JDTC implemented?

12. What type of jurisdiction does your JDTC serve? (CHECK ALL THAT APPLY)

Frontier/Remote (FAR) (Total Population < 2500 people AND > 1 hour

from town AND < 6 people per square mile [ppsm])

Rural (Total Population < 50,000 AND Nonmetropolitan Area)

Suburban (Total Population > 50,000 AND < 1000ppsm)

Urban (Total population > 50,000, AND >1000ppsm)

Tribal

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No Yes

A written Mission or Vision

Statement?

A written Policy and Procedure

Manual?

A written Participant Agreement /

Contract?

A written Participant Handbook?

A written Participant

Confidentiality Waiver?

A document detailing your

JDTCs use of incentives and

sanctions?

13. Do you have any of the following?

14. Does the court have a written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with any partner agencies

(such as prosecutor, defense, probation, law enforcement, etc.) or community organizations (such as

treatment providers)?

No

Yes

15. Does the MOU define the role and duties expected of each team member?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

The JDTC philosophy

The JDTC practices

Assist with ongoing system improvement

Be collaborative with the team

No Yes

Different risk and need levels

Co-occurring disorders

Boys and Girls

Age

Enter another option

16. Is the MOU signed by a team member or authorized representative of each participating

agency?

No

Yes

17. Does your MOU specify what information will be shared between team members?

No

Yes

18. Does your MOU require your team members to commit to the following?

19. Do you have separate tracks within your JDTC for:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Often

Pre-adjudication

Post-adjudication/predisposition

Post-disposition

Referred from Probation /

Probation Revocation

Referred from informal

probation/supervision/deferred

adjudication

Enter another option

Never Case by Case Always

Charges for the case that led to

juvenile drug treatment court are

automatically dismissed or

expunged

Charges for the case that led to

juvenile drug treatment court are

dismissed or expunged by

youth request

Early termination of probation

Probation term is not served

Term of detention / commitment

for case that led to court is

shortened or not served

Enter another option

20. At what point are JDTC participants with substance use disorders identified for separate tracks?

21. What are potential outcomes for youth who enter and successfully complete your JDTC:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

days

days

phases

months

22. How many days after an arrest, probation violation, or other qualifying event does it typically take

before a youth is referred to JDTC?

23. How many days after referral to the JDTC does it typically take before a youth enters your

JDTC?

24. How many phases (stages/levels of supervision) does your JDTC have?

25. What is the minimum length of time a participant could spend in JDTC and successfully

complete your requirements?

26. What is the maximum number of youth your JDTC can serve at one time (that is, who can be

active in the program at the same time)?

27. How many participants have successfully completed your JDTC in the last year, or since JDTC

began if less than 1 year old?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28. How many participants have unsuccessfully exited your JDTC (including youth who voluntarily

left the JDTC) in the last year, or since JDTC began if less than 1 year old?

29. How many participants have not completed the JDTC for other neutral reasons (for example

family relocation, medical issues, or death) in the last year, or since JDTC began if less than 1 year

old?

C. JDTC ELIGIBILITY, REFERRAL, AND ENTRY

30. Which of the following people/agencies can refer youth to the JDTC (Check all that apply):

District attorney/prosecuting attorney

Public defender/defense attorney

Court/judge

Court/screener or assessor

Law Enforcement (e.g., police,

sheriff)

Probation Officer

Treatment provider

Child Welfare Case Worker

School

Family Members

Other (Please specify):

31. Are your JDTC eligibility requirements in writing?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32. If the eligibility requirements are written, are all agencies/individuals who can make referrals

given a copy of the eligibility requirements?

Yes, all referring agencies have them

Most should have them

Most do not have them

Not Sure

33. What kind of event prompts a referral to your JDTC (check all that apply)?

A new arrest

A new adjudication

A probation/parole violation

A child welfare allegation

An open child welfare case

A screening/assessment/referral from a treatment provider

Referral from family member

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Age

Type of offense/charge

A level of criminogenic risk

Level of treatment need

Enter another option

34. What factors are used to decide which youth are eligible for the JDTC?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

35. What charges are eligible for JDTC entry? (Check all that apply)

Drug Offense - Possession

Drug Offense - Drug trafficking

Drug Offense - Other drug-related offenses (DUI, paraphernalia etc.)

Person Offense - Homicide

Person Offense - Rape

Person Offense - Assault

Person Offense - Other (Please specify):

Other Offense - Public Order Offense (obstruction of justice, disorderly

conduct etc.)

Other Offense - Status Offense (truancy, absconding from home etc.)

Other Offense - Property Offense (larceny, burglary, unlawful destruction

etc.)

Other Offense - Non-violent Weapon Offenses

Other Offense - Non-violent Sex Offense

Violation of Probation - Failed Drug Test

Violation of Probation - Truancy

Violation of Probation - Curfew Violation

Violation of Probation - New Offense

Violation of Probation - Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Case by Case Yes

Do not admit to having a

substance use problem?

Have a substance use disorder?

Are dual-diagnosis?

Do not have a parent/guardian

willing to participate?

Do not have transportation to

treatment, court sessions, and

other appointments?

Are taking legally prescribed

psychotropic medications?

Are currently using legally

prescribed benzodiazepines?

Are currently using legally

prescribed opiates for pain

management issues?

Do not have current drug

charges?

Have current violence charges?

Have a previous violent offense

adjudication?

Have current drug sale charges?

Are less than 14 years of age?

Are homeless?

36. Does your JDTC accept participants who:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

37. Does your JDTC have any processes in place (such as outreach or training) to ensure equity of

access for all eligible youth?

No

Somewhat

Yes

Unsure

38. Is there a written policy to ensure equity of access for all eligible youth?

No

Yes

39. Are individuals with serious emotional disturbances (e.g., Bi-Polar Disorder, Major Depression

etc.) eligible for your JDTC?

Never

Yes, only if appropriate mental health treatment is available

Yes, even if appropriate mental health treatment is not available

40. Does your JDTC screen for substance use disorder prior to entry?

No

Yes

Sometimes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

41. Does your JDTC use a substance use disorder screening tool?

No

Yes

Not sure

42. Which tool do you use?

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2)

CRAFFT (Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble)

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS)

Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)

Other (Please specify):

43. Has this screening tool been validated (scientifically tested to make sure it accurately identifies

the appropriate youth and measures what it intends to measure, such as risks or needs) for your

JDTC population?

No

Yes

Not sure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Case by Case Yes

They proceed through the

traditional juvenile court process

They are diverted to an

alternative program not part of

the traditional court process

They are admitted to the JDTC

Enter another option

44. Has the screening tool been edited or modified in any way (i.e., are you using the original tool or

has your team made changes to fit your JDTC)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

45. What happens to youth who are referred to your JDTC, but do not meet the eligibility criteria?

D. RISK AND NEED ASSESSMENT

Page description:

The following questions refer to the process your JDTC uses to assess levels of risk and need. Some

jurisdictions use a combined risk and needs assessment tool, while others may use two distinct tools

(one for risk and one for need).

46. Does your JDTC assess participants for risk of reoffending?

Never

Sometimes

Always

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

47. How are the responses used:

To determine eligibility

To determine priorities or level of service

Other - Write In

48. Do you use a risk assessment tool?

No formal tool is used but participants are assessed for risk

Yes

49. Which tool do you use?

Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT)

Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI)

Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI)

Joint Risk Matrix (JRM)

North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

50. Has your JDTC risk assessment tool been validated (scientifically tested to make sure it

accurately identifies the appropriate youth and measures what it intends to measure, such as risks or

needs) and standardized for your population?

No

Yes

Not sure

51. Has your JDTC risk assessment tool been edited or modified (i.e., are you using the tool as

written, or has your team made changes to it to fit your JDTC)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

52. Have the individuals who administer the risk assessment received training on the tool?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

No specific training is provided

Screening staff received a

manual or other document

describing how to use and

interpret the screening results

Met with program staff to learn

about the screen and process

Attended a workshop or training

in person

Attended a workshop or training

on-line

After initial training, received

feedback and coaching by

qualified staff based on

observations, and/or record

checks

On a continual basis, received

feedback and coaching by

qualified staff based on

observations, and/or record

checks

Enter another option

Never Sometimes Always

As part of eligibility

determination

After eligibility determination but

before JDTC entry

After JDTC entry

53. In your agency, what training do staff members receive regarding administration and

interpretation of results from the agency’s (screening/clinical assessment) instrument(s)?

54. At what point in the JDTC process does your JDTC conduct the risk assessment?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

They proceed through the

traditional juvenile court process

They are diverted to an

alternative program not part of

the traditional court process

They receive informal probation

Their adjudication is deferred

They are admitted to the JDTC

Enter another option

55. How long after JDTC entry does your program conduct the risk

assessment?

56. What level of risk for recidivism do you accept? (Check all that apply)

Low risk

Moderate risk

High risk

Very high risk

57. What may happen to a youth whose risk of re-offense is low?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

58. Are any considerations other than the results of assessment tools and legal criteria used to

determine eligibility? (e.g., answer yes if you consider discussion or do voting by team members)

No

Yes

Sometimes

59. What considerations are used to determine eligibility (other than the results of assessment tools

and legal criteria)?

60. Have you refused JDTC entry based on those other considerations?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Frequently

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

61. Do you use a needs assessment tool (a needs assessment identifies factors about the youth

that can be changed through individualized treatment or programming to reduce the likelihood that the

youth will reoffend)?

No – the JDTC does not assess participants for substance use or mental

health diagnoses

No formal tool is used but participants are screened or informally

assessed for substance use (e.g., two or more positive drug tests or

positive drug test at the time of intake; asked a small number of questions)

Yes

62. Please provide the name of the needs assessment tool:

Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)

Addiction Severity Index (ASI)

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A)

Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST)

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID)

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS)

CAGE (Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener)

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Short Screener (GAIN-SS)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes Not Sure

determine eligibility

identify which services to

provide (or refer to providers)

develop a treatment/case plan

determine level of care

identify youth needs

identify family needs

identify youth strengths

identify family strengths

evaluate the youth’s motivation

for treatment

63. Has your needs assessment tool been validated and standardized for your JDTC population?

No

Yes

Unsure

64. Has the tool been edited or modified in any way (i.e., are you using the original tool or has your

team made changes to fit your JDTC)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

65. Does your JDTC use the information from the needs assessment to:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

As part of eligibility

determination

After eligibility determination but

before JDTC entry

After JDTC entry

At regular intervals during the

JDTC

66. At what point in the JDTC process does your court conduct needs assessments?

67. How long after JDTC entry does your program conduct the needs

assessment?

68. Have the individuals who administer needs assessments received training on the tool?

No

Yes – Some have received training

Yes – All have received training

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

They proceed through the traditional juvenile court process

They are diverted to an alternative program not part of the

traditional court

They are admitted to the JDTC

Enter another option

69. How does the court process/handle youth who do not appear to have a substance use/mental

health disorder?

70. What domains are assessed by your JDTC? Please check all that apply.

Use of alcohol and other drugs

Mental health issues/needs

History of physical, sexual, or

emotional abuse

History of other trauma

Suicidal ideation

Wellbeing and strengths of the youth

Wellbeing and strengths of the

family

Parental/guardian/familial drug use

Parental/guardian/familial mental

health

Parental skills

Educational needs

Other (Please specify):

E. TEAM MEMBERS

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

71. Who do you consider to be a JDTC team member (please include anyone involved in any aspect

of your JDTC, including the provision of treatment or support to the participants)? (Check all that

apply)

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month (mm):

Year (yyyy):

72. Which team members have written position descriptions? (Check all that apply)

No position descriptions have been

written

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (please specify):

73. Are team members assigned or volunteer to work with the JDTC?

All team members are assigned to JDTC

All team members chose/applied to work in JDTC

Some team members are assigned and some chose/applied

74. When did the current judge start working with the JDTC?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

75. Is the JDTC judge assigned voluntarily?

No – the judge is assigned to JDTC by administration

Yes – the position is voluntary

76. Is the JDTC judge assigned to JDTC indefinitely or does the position rotate?

Indefinitely

Position rotates regularly

77. Approximately how often does the position rotate to a new judge?

Every 6 months

Yearly

Every 2 years

Every 3 years

Other (Please specify):

78. Can the same judges rotate through the JDTC assignment more than once?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

79. Does the JDTC judge have other calendars or dockets in addition to JDTC?

No

Yes

80. Do any of these positions rotate regularly (other than due to people retiring, changing positions,

etc.)?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes Unsure

Have a community outreach and

development plan

Have a promotional brochure

that is shared with potential

community partners

Attend community activities to

promote JDTC

Regularly interface with the

media to promote JDTC

Enter another option

81. In order to engage community members, does your JDTC team:

F. TEAM MEMBER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING

No Sometimes Yes

JDTC model/philosophy

JDTC practices

Team member roles

82. Is there a formal orientation for new team members?

No

Yes

Only for specific positions

83. Does your orientation cover the following information?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Attended JDTC specific training OR relevant JDTC seminars at

conferences

Received informal training (peer-to-peer etc.)

Observed other JDTCS

Attended general judicial conferences

84. Has the judge:

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement

Representative

School Representative or

Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

85. Please indicate which of the following JDTC team members have received training or education

specifically in the use of incentives and sanctions to modify the behavior of JDTC participants?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement

Representative

School Representative or

Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

86. Please indicate which of the following JDTC team members have received training or education

specifically on the treatment court model (other than on-the-job training):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

87. Do new JDTC team members get training on the treatment court model

before or soon after starting work?

No

Yes, for some

Yes, for all

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No -

None

Yes - Some team

members

Yes - All team

members

The nature of substance use

disorders and the dynamics of

recovery

The development of treatment

plans

Adolescent development

Developmentally-appropriate

juvenile justice programming

Cultural competency

Strategies for family

engagement

Trauma informed approaches to

working with families

The purpose of the treatment

and service interventions

provided by the JDTC

The use of evidence based

practices in substance use

treatment

Case management skills

The risk-needs-responsivity

(RNR) model

Their specific role on the team

Strength-based philosophy and

practices (e.g., Motivational

Interviewing)

88. Please indicate whether team members have received formal training in any of the following

topic areas:

G. FAMILY AND SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Give permission for the youth to

participate in the JDTC?

Agree to participate along with

the youth in the JDTC?

Attend treatment services as a

part of the JDTC?

88. Is a responsible parent/guardian/family member required to:

89. Is there a specific staff member designated to liaise with the responsible parent/guardian/family

member?

No, no staff members liaise with families

No, multiple staff members liaise with families

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

90. Which staff members are specifically designated to liaise with the responsible

parent/guardian/family member?

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

91. Does your JDTC ensure that at least one family member or other adult is available to participate

in discussions to help the court make decisions about each participant?

No

Yes, for a few participants

Yes, for some participants

Yes, for most participants

Yes, for all participants

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not

Permitted

Not Required but

Encouraged Required

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

attends an orientation explaining

the JDTC program, including

phases, incentives/sanctions,

treatment, and drug testing

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

attends court sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates (speaking etc.)

during court sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some]

case planning sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

has a role in identifying

appropriate incentives and

sanctions for their child

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some]

case management sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some]

treatment / therapy sessions

92. Please indicate if any of the following are requirements in your JDTC:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

is encouraged to participate in

supervision and discipline of the

JDTC participant

The JDTC allows responsible

parent/guardian/family member

to call in for court, if they are

unable to attend in person

The JDTC provides child care to

facilitate responsible

parent/guardian/family member

& participants involvement in

court requirements

Court sessions are scheduled at

a time that accommodates work

and school schedules

The JDTC performs drug testing

in the home

The JDTC offers a wide range of

hours for flexibility in drug testing

times (including early morning

and evening)

The JDTC conducts case

planning meetings in the home

The JDTC conducts case

planning meetings at a wide

range of hours (including early

morning and evening)

The JDTC provides services to

family members in addition to

the participant

The JDTC offers peer support to

family members

93. Please indicate if your JDTC uses any of the following strategies in working with families:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

The JDTC provides courtcertified or licensed onsite

interpreters for participants and

parents/ guardians/family

members with limited English

proficiency.

The JDTC provides courtcertified or licensed onsite

interpreters for participants and

parents/ guardians/family

members with a hearing

deficiency

All JDTC public documents are

translated into the native

language of non-Englishspeaking youth and parents/

guardians/family members

94. Does your JDTC provide any of the following services?

95. Have you been able to secure the schools’ involvement (such as sharing of school-related

information or participation as a team member)?

The schools are not involved

The schools are nominally involved

Yes, we have most of the involvement we would like

Yes, we have exactly the involvement we would like

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

Assign a case manager or other team member the

responsibility of identifying a contact at the youth’s school

Hold any hearings or meetings at the school

Educate parents/guardians/family members on how to

advocate for their child’s educational rights

Explore educational options to fit each youth

Use Risk & Needs assessment to establish school goals

Work with school to meet school goals

Establish school goals in collaboration with school partners

Work in collaboration with school partners to keep JDTC

participants in school

96. Does your JDTC:

H. TREATMENT, CASE PLANNING AND OTHER SERVICES PROVIDED TO

PARTICIPANTS/FAMILIES

97. Does your JDTC provide a single point of contact for JDTC participant and their responsible

parent/guardian/family member across services?

No

Yes

98. Is an individual case plan developed for each JDTC participant?

No

Sometimes

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Supervision requirements

Treatment requirements

Family interventions

Drug test protocol

Services related to criminogenic

needs (e.g., antisocial attitudes

and peers)

Educational goals

No Sometimes Yes

provided by professionals

trained in case management

provided by staff trained in

substance use disorders

provided by staff trained in how

to integrate needs (including

cultural needs and special

needs) into treatment

aimed at reducing disparities in

how minority youth are treated in

the juvenile justice system

trauma-informed and focused on

avoiding retraumatization

modified over time based on

reassessments of participant

needs

99. Does the case plan include:

100. Is case management:

101. To what extent are each of the following services provided to JDTC

participants (either directly as a part of JDTC or through partnerships with

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service providers):

Detox

Home-based outpatient

individual treatment sessions

Office-based outpatient

individual treatment sessions

Home-based outpatient group

treatment sessions

Office-based outpatient group

treatment sessions

Home-based family treatment

Office-based family treatment

Gender-specific treatment

sessions

Home-based intensive

outpatient

Office-based intensive

outpatient

Day treatment

Residential

treatment/inpatient care

Mental health counseling

Relapse prevention classes

and/or services

Psychiatric services (e.g.,

testing, medication

management, treatment)

Language-specific or culturalspecific programs

Acupuncture

Self-help meetings (e.g., AA

or NA)

Parenting classes for

Offered to

Not offered participants Required Required

to but not for some for all

participants required participants participants

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Parenting classes for

youth/JDTC participants

Parenting classes for

participants’ parents

/guardians/family members

Prenatal/perinatal program

Anger management/violence

prevention

Trauma-related services

Criminal thinking

interventions

Aftercare treatment (after

participants have left the

JDTC)

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Not offered

to

participants

Offered to

participants

but not

required

Required

for some

participants

Required

for all

participants

Motivational Interviewing

(MI)

Cognitive Behavioral

Therapy (CBT) without MET

Motivational Enhancement

Therapy with Cognitive

Behavior Therapy

(MET/CBT)

Motivational Enhancement

Therapy without Cognitive

Behavior Therapy (MET)

Brief Strategic Family

Therapy (BSFT)

Seeking Safety

Family Behavior Therapy

(FBT)

Contingency

Management/Motivational

Incentives

Functional Family Therapy

(FFT)

Multidimensional Family

Therapy (MDFT)

Family Support Network

(FSN)

Family Matters

Marijuana Checkup

Multiservice Packages

(programs that combine two

or more treatment

approaches)

Enter another option

102. To what extent are each of the following treatment models provided to JDTC participants?

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Alcohol/substance use treatment only:

Mental health treatment only:

Both:

103. Please provide the names of any other specific evidence-based treatment program available to

your JDTC participants:

104. Does your JDTC use more than one treatment agency?

No

Yes

105. How many agencies that provide treatment currently work directly with your JDTC?

106. Does one agency provide treatment to the majority of the JDTC participants?

No

Yes

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No Yes for some Yes for all

Licensed or certified

Experienced in working with

juvenile justice populations

Using adolescent-specific

model(s)

Implementing services with

fidelity to the treatment model

being used

107. Is there one agency or individual who coordinates or provides oversight of treatment for JDTC

participants at all agencies?

No

Yes

108. Treatment providers are:

109. How does the JDTC match participants with treatment services? (Check all that apply)

Use needs assessments of participants and parents to develop a case

plan to match interventions

Use American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria as a guide

Services are detailed in the phase structure and all youth participate

Youth are matched to services where slots are available

Youth attend a treatment provider based on where they live

Other (Please specify):

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No

Yes, for some

providers

Yes, for all

providers

Team conducts site visits of treatment providers

State conducts audits or site visits for treatment

provider certification

Team discusses evidence-based practices with

the provider

Team discusses how fidelity to evidence-based

treatment is monitored

Participants are surveyed about their perception

of treatment

Parents/guardians/families are surveyed about

their perception of treatment

No Yes

Verbally in team meetings

Verbally during status review

hearings (court appearances)

Through written progress reports

Through email

Enter another option

110. Does your JDTC perform any of the following activities?

111. Do treatment providers communicate with the court in the following ways?

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Not offered Referral Through JDTC

Home visits from social workers

or other clinical staff

Incentives for participation

Benefits advisor (person who

can help the family identify

insurance options and publiclyfunded resources [such as

Medicaid] to help pay for

treatment and other services)

Enter another option

112. Is the information from the treatment provider given to the court in a timely way (e.g., when

information is needed for a status review hearing)?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Always

113. What services are available to parents/guardians/family members?

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No Sometimes Yes

The treatment plan contains

strength-based/competency

development goals as well as

goals that address risks and

needs

Treatment provider is

responsible for working with

participant on the treatment plan

Case manager is responsible for

working with participant on the

treatment plan

The entire team discusses

progress of participant related to

the treatment plan

Team makes suggestions for

modifications to treatment plan

when warranted

Participant provides input into

adjustments to treatment plan

when they are needed

Parents/guardians/family

members provide input into

adjustments to treatment plan

when they are needed

114. Please indicate which statements reflect procedures for how your JDTC develops and

monitors participants’ treatment plans:

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No Sometimes Yes

Treatment plan is reviewed at

every staffing session

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least monthly

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least quarterly

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least every six months

Treatment plan is reviewed prior

to each phase advancement

Goals are updated or added as

progress is made

The treatment plan is not

reviewed once it is developed

115. When is a participant’s treatment plan reviewed?

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Not offered

to

participants

Offered to

participants

but not

required

Required

for some

participants

Required

for all

participants

Job training/vocational

program

Employment assistance

Health education (sexual

health/ education, AIDS/HIV,

nutrition, life-skills, etc.)

Communication and conflict

resolution skills

GED/Education assistance

Housing/homelessness

assistance

Health care

Dental care

Medication assisted treatment

for substance dependence

(e.g., Naltrexone for alcohol

and opiate dependence)

Transportation

Literacy

Recreational activities

Creative/expressive activities

(such as art or music)

Service learning and civic

engagement activities (such

as volunteering or becoming

involved in community

events)

Enter another option

116. Which of the following services are provided to JDTC participants (either directly as a part of

the JDTC or through partnerships with service providers?

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117. Are JDTC participants required to pay any fees as part of the JDTC (e.g., court fees, treatment

fees, probation fees, drug tests, etc.), NOT including fees as a sanction?

No

Yes

118. Do the fees vary according to participants’ ability to pay?

No

Yes

119. Is paying fees required for participants to progress in the JDTC? (Check all that apply)

No, participants may progress and graduate if they cannot pay their fees

Yes, fees are required for graduation

Yes, fees are required for phase progression

I. STAFFING AND COURT SESSIONS

120. Does your JDTC have regular meetings (staffings) where participant progress is discussed

(e.g., pre-court meetings)?

No

Yes

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minutes

121. How often does your JDTC have regular meetings (staffings) where participant progress is

discussed?

Twice per year or less

Once per quarter

Once per month

Twice per month/Every two weeks

Once per week

Twice per week or more

122. What is the average length of time of a typical pre-court staffing (in number of minutes?)

123. How many participants are typically reviewed during the staffing?

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Never Sometimes Always

Not applicable -

Not a member of

the team

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement

Representative

School Representative or

Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

124. Please check how often the following people/agencies attend JDTC team meetings (staffings)

where participant progress is discussed:

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No Sometimes Yes

Youth engagement and progress

in their case plan

Drug test results

Progress in treatment

Progress in other services as

required

Adherence to supervision

requirements

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Verbally in pre-court staffings

Verbally during status review

hearings (court appearances)

Through written progress reports

prior to pre-court staffings

Through email

Enter another option

125. Is the following information shared among the team to assist in team response to youth

behavior?

126. Is information shared among the team in the following ways?

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127. Is the information shared among team members in time to be used for decision-making (e.g.,

changes in case management, incentives and sanctions decisions, etc.)?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Always

128. How often does an individual participant typically attend status review hearings in the beginning

of their participation in your JDTC (in the first phase)?

Less than monthly

Once per month

Twice per month/every other week

Once per week

Multiple times per week

Specific to participant/no general requirements

129. How often does an individual participant typically attend status review hearings toward the end

of their participation in the last phase?

Less than monthly

Once per month

Twice per month/every other week

Once per week

Multiple times per week

Specific to participant/no general requirements

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Never Sometimes Always

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement

Representative

School Representative or

Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

130. Please check how often the following people/agencies attend JDTC status review hearings

(court appearances):

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minutes

131. Please indicate the current schedule of your JDTC status review hearings (court appearances)

(e.g., Mondays from 9-11 a.m., or every other Wednesday afternoon from 1-5 p.m.):

132. What is the average length of time (in minutes) of a status review hearing (court appearance)

for your JDTC? For example, if your status review hearings typically last 2 hours, put 120. (If you

have status review hearings on more than one day, pick one day as an example).

133. On average, approximately how many JDTC participants attend a status review hearing (court

appearance) during the length of time you entered for the previous question?

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Never Sometimes Always

Speak directly to participants

during their court appearances?

Provide consistent followthrough on warnings to

participants?

Speak directly to parents if they

are in attendance?

Follow the recommendations

provided by the team?

Decide what sanctions are

imposed?

134. Does the judge(s):

J. COURT RESPONSE TO PARTICIPANT BEHAVIOR (INCENTIVES, SANCTIONS,

THERAPEUTIC RESPONSES)

Page description:

For the purposes of this section, please utilize the following definitions to assist you as you

answer the following questions:

Incentives: strategies that reinforce positive behavior, such as praise, applause,

recognition, small gift such as candy, gift card, privileges

Sanctions: strategies that discourage negative behavior, such as loss of

privileges, research or writing assignments, community service hours, or (as a

last resort) detention

Therapeutic responses: strategies that help build additional skills or add

supports, such as more frequent treatment sessions

135. Does the juvenile court provide staff members and partners with written guidance on incentives

and sanctions to respond to youth behaviors?

No

Yes

Not sure

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

136. Does the juvenile court provide staff members and partners with written guidance about

treatment services and other therapeutic interventions to respond to youth behaviors?

No

Yes

Not sure

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Incentives are discussed among

the team

The team seeks to reach

consensus when deciding on

appropriate incentives

The team provides incentives

consistently (similar response for

similar behaviors)

The team takes into account the

circumstances surrounding the

youth’s behavior before deciding

on an incentive

The team decides on incentives

based on whether the incentives

will likely result in the behavior

change desired for each youth

Participants are given a written

list of possible incentives

Participants are given a written

list of the behaviors that lead to

incentives

Participants identify possible

incentives through the case

planning process

The team uses incentives as a

primary approach to behavior

change

Team members other than the

judge are empowered to deliver

incentives outside of court

hearings

The team encourages family

members to apply incentives as

agreed to with the team

137. Please indicate the extent to which the following statements about incentives are true for your

JDTC:

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138. Which of the following responses to participant behavior have you used for participants as an

INCENTIVE? (Check all that apply)

Applause

Verbal praise from judge

Small tangible items

Sobriety coins

Redeemable tokens/tickets

Gift cards

Case plan specific earned privileges (such as being seen first in court or

later curfew)

Other (Please specify):

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Sanctions are discussed among

the team

The team seeks to reach

consensus when deciding on

appropriate sanctions

Sanctions are more severe for

repeated violations of JDTC

rules

The team applies sanctions

consistently (similar response for

similar infractions)

The team takes into account the

circumstances surrounding the

youth’s behavior before deciding

on a sanction

The team decides on sanctions

based on whether the sanction

will result in the behavior

change they want for each youth

Participants are given a written

list of possible sanctions

Participants are given a written

list of behaviors that lead to

sanctions

Participants identify possible

sanctions through the case

planning process

Team members other than the

judge are empowered to deliver

sanctions (other than the loss of

liberty) outside of court hearings

The team encourages family

members to apply sanctions as

agreed to with the team

The team imposes a sanction

immediately for failure to appear

for a drug test or for tampering

with a drug test

139. Please indicate the extent to which the following statements about sanctions are true for your

JDTC:

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with a drug test

140. Which of the following responses to participant behavior including noncompliance have you

used for participants as a SANCTION? (Check all that apply)

Writing essays

Sit sanctions (sit in court to watch)

Community service

Residential treatment

More frequent drug or alcohol tests

More court appearances

Increased treatment sessions

Return to an earlier phase

Self-help (e.g., books, CDs, DVDs, groups)

Fees (that are used as a sanction, not to pay for services)

Other (Please specify):

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Impose a sanction

Re-evaluate the participant's

treatment plan

Response depends on

phase/level

Response depends on how

many previous positive tests a

participant has

Response depends on the

participant’s unique situation

The participant has the option to

challenge the result

Enter another option

No Sometimes Yes

Incentives

Sanctions

141. How does the JDTC respond to return to substance use (such as a positive drug test or

admitting use)?

142. Do you track incentives and sanctions for each participant?

143. What is your estimate of the ratio of incentives to sanctions for each participant?

More than one incentive for every sanction

One incentive for every sanction

Less than one incentive for every sanction

Not sure

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

For positive drug screens?

For continued use?

For noncompliance with JDTC

rules?

For failure to appear for court

(first time)?

For failure to appear for

treatment?

For on-going failure to appear to

court?

After the first positive drug test?

After the second positive drug

test?

After the third positive drug test?

When youth are a danger to

themselves?

When youth are a danger to

others?

When youth may abscond?

For tampering with a drug test?

144. Is detention used as a sanction in your JDTC?

No

Yes

145. Do you use detention as a sanction:

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

1 day

2 days

3-6 days

1 week

2 weeks

Longer than 2 weeks

Enter another option

146. When a detention sanction is used, would you say that the length of the sanction is generally:

147. How is the length of a detention sanction determined? (Check all that apply)

Graduated decision matrix or sanctions guidelines

Through consensus at staffing

By the judge on the bench

Other (Please specify):

K. DRUG TESTING

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No Yes

Treatment providers

Probation

Law Enforcement

(Police/Sheriff)

Court Staff

Case Managers

Enter another option

148. Please indicate whether or not the following agencies/staff collect drug test samples (e.g.,

urine) or perform drug testing:

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No Yes

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house

dipsticks for instant tests

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to

lab for testing

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to

lab for confirmation of positive

instant test

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house lab

EtG

Patch

Hair

Breath

Blood

Oral swab

Sleep monitor

Bracelet/Tether (alcohol) (e.g.,

SCRAM)

Enter another option

149. Please indicate whether the following types of drug and alcohol tests are used in your JDTC:

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150. Please check which types of drug and alcohol tests are used most often (of those marked

“yes” in the question above):

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house dipsticks for instant tests

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab for testing

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab for confirmation of positive instant test

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house lab

EtG

Patch

Hair

Breath

Blood

Oral swab

Sleep monitor

Bracelet/Tether (alcohol) (e.g., SCRAM)

Other (Please specify):

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No Yes

There is an equal chance each

day that a participant could be

drug tested (participants cannot

predict when they will be asked

to provide a sample for testing)

Drug testing is performed for

cause (e.g., if a participant

appears to be under the

influence)

Drug testing occurs on a regular

schedule (participant is aware

when testing will occur)

Drug testing occurs on some but

not all business days

Drug testing occurs on all

regular business days (5 days

per week)

Drug testing occurs on

weekends and holidays

Drug testing is trauma-informed

and avoids retraumatization

151. Are the following statements true for your JDTC?

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No Yes

Based on the schedule

recommended by a treatment

provider

Based on the drug(s) the

participant is taking

Modified based on phases of

court/level of treatment need

Carried out on a standard (even

if random) schedule (e.g., once

per week, twice per week, etc.)

152. Is your drug testing:

153. What is your standard test schedule in the beginning of their participation in your JDTC (in the

first phase?

4 or more times per week

3 times per week

2 times per week

1 time per week

Once every 2 weeks

Once per month

Less than once per month

Before each court appearance

Specific to participant/no general requirements

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154. What is your standard test schedule toward the end of their participation (in the last phase)?

4 or more times per week

3 times per week

2 times per week

1 time per week

Once every 2 weeks

Once per month

Less than once per month

Before each court appearance

Specific to participant/no general requirements

155. Does your JDTC use random drug testing?

No

Yes

156. Please describe the method you use for random drug testing.

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No Yes Not sure

Dilution (i.e., creatinine testing is

conducted)

Adulteration (e.g., temperature)

157. Is drug testing observed?

No

Sometimes

Yes – indirect observation (e.g., mirrors)

Yes – direct observation

158. Are samples tested for:

159. How quickly are drug test results obtained (not including tests sent to the lab for confirmation)?

Within minutes

Same day

Within 24 hours

Within 48 hours

Within one week

Other (Please specify):

160. Are staff members who collect specimens trained in standard collection protocols?

No

Yes

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L. JDTC SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION (GRADUATION) AND UNSUCCESSFUL EXIT

days

No Sometimes Yes Not applicable

Complete treatment

Have a job

Be in school

Have a sober housing

environment?

Complete community service?

Write a sobriety/relapse

prevention/continuing care plan

Pay all JDTC or treatment fees?

Pay all court-ordered fines and

fees not related to JDTC (e.g.,

restitution)?

Enter another option

161. Is there a minimum number of days that participants must be drug free before they can

successfully complete the JDTC?

No

Yes

162. What is the minimum number of days that a participant must be drug free to successfully

complete the JDTC?

163. To successfully complete the JDTC, are participants required to:

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No Sometimes Yes Not applicable

Any new arrest

Any new adjudication

New arrest for drug possession

New adjudication for drug

possession

New arrest for drug trafficking

New adjudication for drug

trafficking

New arrest for violent offense

New adjudication for violent

offense

Failure to appear in court with no

excuse

Multiple failures to appear for

court

Consistently missing treatment

sessions

Repeated positive drug tests

Continued alcohol/drug use

Lack of progress in treatment

Lack of progress in JDTC,

exhaustion of all other options

and behavioral contingencies

Enter another option

164. Would your JDTC team remove a participant from the JDTC for the following?

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No

Yes, some of

them

Yes, all of

them

Not

Sure

Participants who successfully

complete JDTC

Participants who unsuccessfully

exit JDTC

Parents of participants who

successfully complete JDTC

Parents of participants who

unsuccessfully exit JDTC

No

Yes, some of

them

Yes, all of

them

Not

sure

Participants who successfully

complete JDTC

Participants who unsuccessfully

exit JDTC

165. Are exit interviews conducted with participants and parents when they leave the JDTC

program? (Check all that apply)

166. Does your JDTC attempt to contact participants at some point after they exit the JDTC?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

Within the first 3 months of

exiting JDTC

Between 3-6 months of exiting

JDTC

Between 6 months and 1 year of

exiting JDTC

At 1 year or more after exiting

JDTC

Enter another option

167. If yes, at what point do you reach out to participants after they leave your JDTC?

168. What do you talk with them about? (Check all that apply)

Whether they need any support or assistance

Whether they have used alcohol or other drugs

Their current housing, education, and employment status

Any criminal behavior or contacts with the legal system (police or courts)

Other (Please specify):

M. DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

169. Does your JDTC collect and store participant data?

No

Yes on paper

Yes electronically, but not in a JDTC-specific management information

system (MIS)

Yes in a JDTC MIS

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

170. (If yes, in a JDTC MIS) Which people/agencies have access to your MIS? (check all that

apply)

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

171. Does your MIS collect all of the information needed by your program for participant tracking

and case management?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

Data from the treatment provider

(e.g., attendance at treatment,

treatment progress)

Drug testing (e.g., dates of drug

tests, drug test results)

Drug use after program

completion

Attendance at required activities

(e.g., services, meetings, or

events specified in the case

plan)

Phase progression information

Successful completion

Unsuccessful exit

Participant age at entry into

JDTC

Racial/ethnic demographics of

JDTC participants

Gender demographics of JDTC

participants

Family-related information, such

as family cohesion, home

functioning, and communication

Recidivism/reoffending during

the program

Recidivism/reoffending after

program completion

Educational enrollment

Employment

Involvement in prosocial

activities

Peer associations

None of the above

172. Which of the following data elements are collected by your JDTC?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

Enter another option

173. Does the JDTC use the information it collects on participants to assess and monitor whether it

is moving towards its program goals?

No

Yes

174. Has your JDTC made adjustments in policies or practices based on this monitoring?

No

Yes

175. Please give an example of what changes you made.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

176. How often are policy meetings held (i.e., how often does the team hold a separate meeting,

outside of participant pre-court staffings, to discuss JDTC-wide issues rather than individual

participants)?

No policy meetings are held and the team does not regularly discuss

policy

No policy meetings are held, but the team discusses policies during

regularly-scheduled pre-court staffings

More than once per month

Once per month

Every other month

Once per quarter

Twice per year

Once per year

Less than once per year

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

177. Who attends policy meetings?

Judge

JDTC Coordinator

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

178. Have you had an outside evaluator measure whether the JDTC is being implemented as

intended (e.g., a process evaluation)?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

179. Have you had an outside evaluator measure whether the JDTC is achieving its intended

outcomes (e.g., an outcome evaluation)?

No

Yes

180. Is there currently a plan for an external evaluation?

No

Yes

Not sure

N. JDTC STATISTICS

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Alcohol (%)

Marijuana (%)

Crack/Cocaine (%)

Methamphetamine (%)

Heroin (%)

(Misuse of) prescription opiates (%)

(Misuse of) other prescriptions (%)

Other drug #1 (% only, list name of drug below)

Other drug #2 (% only, list name of drug below)

Name of other drug #1:

Name of other drug #2:

%

181. What is/are the drug(s) used by your participants? To the best of your ability, please estimate

the PERCENT of participants who use each type of drug (percents should add to at least 100%; enter

whole numbers only – no letters or symbols):

182. If you marked "other" in the question above, please specify the other

drug(s) of choice:

183. Please estimate what percentage of your participants regularly use more than one substance

at a time:

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% American Indian or Alaska Native

% Asian

% Black or African American

% Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin

% Middle Eastern or North African

% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

% White

% Two or more races

% Other

184. How many participants are currently active in your JDTC?

185. What race/ethnicity are your current participants? Please give us your best estimate of the

percentage of participants for each of the race/ethnicities listed below (percents may add to greater

than 100):

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

% Male

% Female

% Transgender

% Gender non-conforming

% 13 years or younger

% 14-17 years

% 18 years and older

186. What gender are your current participants? Please estimate the percentage for each gender in

your JDTC:

187. What age are your current participants? Please give your best estimate of the percentage of

your participants in each of the following age groups:

188. Are you aware of any participants in your JDTC who do not identify as heterosexual?

No

Yes

Not sure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

189. Do you have any services that are responsive to the particular needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, gender nonconforming, and Two-Spirit?

No

Yes

Not sure

190. Has your JDTC analyzed your data to determine if there is equity of access to the program for

all eligible youth?

No

Somewhat

Yes

Unsure

Thank You!

Page description:

Thank you for completing this survey!

Thank you for taking our survey. Your response is very important to us.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OJJDP TJC Court Self-Assessment

OJJDP TJC Court Self-Assessment

This self-assessment tool is intended for juvenile court programs that work with juvenile justice

involved youth who have substance use disorders. These programs have a range of names

(including, but not limited to: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court, Juvenile Drug Court, Wellness Court,

etc.). For this assessment we will use the abbreviation juvenile court for any of this type of

program.

A. BACKGROUND

Grantee Site ID (SID):

Local Site ID (LSID):

Court ID (CID):

Name:

Email address:

Phone number:

1. Please provide the appropriate ID numbers:

2. Date self-assessment is being completed:

3. Who is the primary person coordinating completion of this self-assessment

tool?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JUVENILE DRUG COURT NAME:

Address:

Address 2:

City/Town:

County:

Jurisdiction (e.g., 9th circuit court):

State:

Zip:

4. What is your role in the juvenile court? {Recommended: court staff member fill

out when available; Judge completes when no other staff member is available}

Judicial Assistant, Court Staff Member

Judge

Other (please specify):

5. Please provide us with the official name and address of your juvenile court:

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Please list the names and roles of the other staff members who will help you

(or who you will check with) as you fill out this assessment. If you filled out the

assessment on your own (with no help from other colleagues), please type

“none.”

7. Do you have a specialized docket or special services/approaches for youth in

your juvenile court who have substance use issues other than a juvenile drug

treatment court? If yes, please think about that group of youth when answering

the remaining questions on this assessment. If not, please think about youth with

substance use issues in the general court system.

No

Yes

8. If yes, please describe those services:

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Month:

Year:

9. If yes, when did your court’s specialized docket or services for youth with

substance use issues begin?

10. Has your juvenile court received any technical assistance (including phone

calls to answer your questions, resources or sample documents emailed or

mailed to you, online support and/or training, or in-person support and/or

training) in the past year?

No

Yes (From whom?)

Not sure

11. Did your juvenile court make any changes as a result of that technical

assistance?

No

Yes

Not sure

12. Please describe the change(s) your juvenile court made.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B. JUVENILE COURT BACKGROUND/CONTEXT

No Yes

A written Mission or Vision

Statement?

A written Policy and Procedure

Manual?

A written Youth/Juvenile

Handbook?

A written Youth/Juvenile

Agreement / Contract?

A written Confidentiality Waiver?

A document detailing your court's

use of incentives and sanctions?

13. What type of jurisdiction does your juvenile court serve? (CHECK ALL THAT

APPLY)

Frontier/Remote (FAR) (Total Population < 2500 people AND > 1 hour from

town AND < 6 people per square mile [ppsm])

Rural (Total Population < 50,000 AND Nonmetropolitan Area)

Suburban (Total Population > 50,000 AND < 1000ppsm)

Urban (Total population > 50,000, AND >1000ppsm)

Tribal

14. Do you have any of the following?

15. Does the court have a written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with

any partner agencies (such as prosecutor, defense, probation, law enforcement,

etc.) or community organizations (such as treatment providers)?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

The juvenile court philosophy

The juvenile court practices/procedures

Assist with ongoing system improvement

Be collaborative with partner agencies

16. Does the MOU define the role and duties expected of each team member?

No

Yes

17. Is the MOU signed by an authorized representative of each participating

agency?

No

Yes

18. Does your MOU specify what information will be shared between

participating members?

No

Yes

19. Does your MOU require your participating members to commit to the

following?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Different risk and need levels

Co-occurring disorders

Boys and Girls

Age

Enter another option

Never Sometimes Often

Pre-adjudication

Post-adjudication/pre-disposition

Post-disposition

Referred from Probation /

Probation Revocation

Referred from informal

probation/supervision/deferred

adjudication

Enter another option

20. Do you have separate tracks or dockets within your juvenile court for:

21. (If you have a special docket or services) At what point are youth with

substance use disorders identified for your specialized docket or services?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Charges for the case that led to

juvenile court are automatically

dismissed or expunged

Charges for the case that led to

juvenile court are dismissed or

expunged by youth request

Early termination of probation

Probation term is not served

Term of detention / commitment for

case that led to court is shortened

or not served

Enter another option

days

days

phases

22. What are potential outcomes for youth who successfully complete juvenile

court requirements:

23. How many days after an arrest or referral does it typically take before a youth

is referred to juvenile court (or specialized docket/services for youth with

substance use disorders)?

24. How many days after the arrest or referral to the juvenile court does it

typically take before a youth attends the first hearing?

25. How many phases (stages/levels of supervision) does your juvenile court

involve?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

months

26. What is the least amount of time a youth could spend involved with the

juvenile court and successfully complete juvenile court requirements?

C. JUVENILE COURT ELIGIBILITY, REFERRAL, AND ENTRY

27. Which of the following people/agencies can refer youth with substance use

issues to the juvenile court's services (Check all that apply):

District attorney/prosecuting attorney

Public defender/defense attorney

Court/judge

Court/screener or assessor

Law Enforcement (e.g., police, sheriff)

Probation Officer

Treatment provider

Child Welfare Case Worker

School

Family Members

Other (Please specify):

28. (If your juvenile court has a special docket or services for youth with

substance use issues) Are the eligibility requirements for these services in

writing?

No

Yes

Not applicable

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. If the eligibility requirements are written, are all agencies/individuals who can

make referrals given a copy of the eligibility requirements?

Yes, all referring agencies have them

Most should have them

Most do not have them

Not Sure

30. What kind of event prompts a referral to these juvenile court services (check

all that apply)?

A new arrest

A new adjudication

A probation/parole violation

A child welfare allegation

An open child welfare case

A screening/assessment/referral from a treatment provider

Referral from family member

Other (Please specify):

31. Does your juvenile court have any processes in place (such as outreach or

training) to ensure equity of access for all youth with substance use issues?

No

Somewhat

Yes

Unsure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

32. Is there a written policy (to ensure equity of access for all eligible youth)?

No

Yes

33. Do you have services available for individuals with serious emotional

disturbances (e.g., Bi-Polar Disorder, Major Depression etc.)?

No

Yes

34. If yes, briefly describe those services:

35. Does your juvenile court screen for substance use disorders?

No

Yes

Sometimes

36. Does your juvenile court use a substance use disorder screening tool?

No

Yes

Not sure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

37. If yes, which tool do you use?

Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-2 (MAYSI-2)

CRAFFT (Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble)

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS)

Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)

Other (Please specify):

38. Has this screening tool been validated (scientifically tested to make sure it

accurately identifies the appropriate youth and measures what it intends to

measure, such as risks or needs) for your juvenile court population?

No

Yes

Not sure

39. Has the screening tool been edited or modified in any way (i.e., are you

using the original tool or has your court made changes to fit your juvenile court)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

D. RISK AND NEED ASSESSMENT

Page description:

The following questions refer to the process your juvenile court uses to assess levels of risk and need.

Some jurisdictions use a combined risk and needs assessment tool, while others may use two distinct

tools (one for risk and one for need).

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40. Are youth assessed for risk of reoffending?

Never

Sometimes

Always

41. How are the responses used? (Please check all that apply)

To determine level and type of court involvement/supervision (e.g., diversion,

informal handling, formal handling, probation)

To determine priorities or level of service

Other:

42. Do you use a risk assessment tool?

No formal tool is used but participants are assessed for risk

Yes

43. If yes, which tool do you use?

Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT)

Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI)

Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI)

Joint Risk Matrix (JRM)

North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

44. Has your risk assessment tool been validated (scientifically tested to make

sure it accurately identifies the appropriate youth and measures what it intends

to measure, such as risks or needs) and standardized for your population?

No

Yes

Not sure

45. Has your risk assessment tool been edited or modified (i.e., are you using

the tool as written, or has your team made changes to it to fit your population)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

46. Have the individuals who administer the risk assessment received training

on the tool?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

No specific training is provided

Screening staff received a manual

or other document describing how

to use and interpret the screening

results

Met with program staff to learn

about the screen and process

Attended a workshop or training in

person

Attended a workshop or training

on-line

After initial training, received

feedback and coaching by

qualified staff based on

observations, and/or record

checks

On a continual basis, received

feedback and coaching by

qualified staff based on

observations, and/or record

checks

Enter another option

47. In your agency, what training do staff members receive regarding

administration and interpretation of results from the agency’s (screening/clinical

assessment) instrument(s)?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

As part of determination of what

level of court involvement the

youth will have

After legal eligibility determination

but before first juvenile court

hearing

After first juvenile court hearing

Never Case by Case Always

They proceed through the

traditional juvenile court process

They are diverted to an alternative

program not part of the traditional

court process

They receive informal probation

Their adjudication is deferred

They are admitted to the JDTC

Enter another option

48. At what point in the juvenile court process is the risk assessment conducted?

49. How long after the first juvenile court hearing does your program conduct the

risk assessment?

50. What may happen to a youth whose risk of re-offense is low?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

51. Do you use a needs assessment tool (a needs assessment identifies factors

about the youth that can be changed through individualized treatment or

programming to reduce the likelihood that the youth will reoffend)?

No – the juvenile court does not assess participants for substance use or

mental health diagnoses

No formal tool is used but participants are screened or informally assessed for

substance use (e.g., two or more positive drug tests or positive drug test at the

time of intake; asked a small number of questions)

Yes

52. Please provide the name of the needs assessment tool:

Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)

Addiction Severity Index (ASI)

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A)

Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST)

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID)

Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS)

CAGE (Cut-down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener)

Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Short Screener (GAIN-SS)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes Not Sure

determine level of court

involvement/level of supervision

identify which services to provide

(or refer to providers)

develop a treatment/case plan

determine level of care

identify youth needs

identify family needs

identify youth strengths

identify family strengths

evaluate the youth’s motivation for

treatment

53. Has your needs assessment tool been validated and standardized for your

population?

No

Yes

Unsure

54. Has the tool been edited or modified in any way (i.e., are you using the

original tool or has your team made changes to fit your population)?

No, it has not been modified

Yes, it has been modified

Not sure

55. Does your juvenile court use the information from the needs assessment to:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

As part of determination of what

level of court involvement the

youth will have

After legal determination but

before first juvenile court hearing

After first juvenile court hearing

At regular intervals during the

juvenile court

No Sometimes Yes

They proceed through the traditional juvenile court process

They are diverted to an alternative program not part of the

traditional court

Enter another option

56. At what point in the juvenile court process does your court conduct needs

assessments?

57. How long after first hearing?

58. Have the individuals who administer needs assessments received training

on the tool?

No

Yes – Some have received training

Yes – All have received training

59. How does the court process/handle youth who do not appear to have a

substance use/mental health disorder?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

60. What domains are part of your needs assessment? (Please check all that

apply)

Use of alcohol and other drugs

Mental health issues/needs

History of physical, sexual, or

emotional abuse

History of other trauma

Suicidal ideation

Wellbeing and strengths of the youth

Wellbeing and strengths of the family

Parental/guardian/familial drug use

Parental/guardian/familial mental

health

Parental skills

Educational needs

Other (Please specify):

E. TEAM MEMBERS

61. Who do you consider to be a staff member or partner (please include anyone

involved in any aspect of your court, including the provision of treatment or

support to the youth)? (Check all that apply)

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

62. Which staff members/partners have written position descriptions? (Check all

that apply)

No position descriptions have been

written

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (please specify):

63. Are judge(s) assigned to juvenile court voluntarily?

No – judges are assigned to juvenile court by administration

Yes – the position is voluntary

64. Are judges assigned to juvenile court indefinitely or does the position rotate?

Indefinitely

Position rotates regularly

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

65. Approximately how often does a juvenile court position rotate to a new

judge?

Every 6 months

Yearly

Every 2 years

Every 3 years

Other (Please specify):

66. Can the same judges rotate through the juvenile court assignment more than

once?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

67. Do any of these positions rotate regularly (other than due to people retiring,

changing positions, etc.)?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes Unsure

Have a community outreach and

development plan

Have a promotional brochure that

is shared with potential community

partners

Attend community activities to

promote juvenile court programs

or services

Regularly interface with the media

to promote juvenile court

programs or services

Enter another option

68. In order to engage community members, does your juvenile court :

F. TEAM MEMBER ORIENTATION AND TRAINING

No Sometimes Yes

juvenile court model/philosophy

juvenile court

practices/procedures

Staff member roles

69. Is there a formal orientation for new staff members?

No

Yes

Only for specific positions

70. Does your orientation cover the following information?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Attended juvenile court specific training OR relevant juvenile court seminars at

conferences

Received informal training (peer-to-peer etc.)

Observed other juvenile courts

Attended general judicial conferences

Attended training about substance use disorders in youth

71. Has the judge:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

72. Please indicate which of the following juvenile court staff members/partners

have received training or education specifically in the use of incentives and

sanctions to modify the behavior of juvenile court involved youth?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

73. Please indicate which of the following juvenile court staff members/partners

have received training or education about drug treatment courts:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No -

None

Yes - Some team

members

Yes - All team

members

The nature of substance use

disorders and the dynamics of

recovery

The development of treatment

plans

Adolescent development

Developmentally-appropriate

juvenile justice programming

Cultural competency

Strategies for family engagement

Trauma informed approaches to

working with families

The purpose of the treatment and

service interventions provided by

the juvenile court

The use of evidence based

practices in substance use

treatment

Case management skills

The risk-needs-responsivity

(RNR) model

Their specific role within a team of

youth services professionals

Strength-based philosophy and

practices (e.g., Motivational

Interviewing)

74. Please indicate whether staff members/partners have received formal

training in any of the following topic areas:

G. FAMILY AND SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

Give permission for the youth to

participate in the juvenile courtreferred services?

Agree to participate along with the

youth in juvenile court services?

Attend treatment services as a part

of the juvenile court?

75. Is a responsible parent/guardian/family member required to:

76. Is there a specific staff member designated to liaise with the responsible

parent/guardian/family member?

No, no staff members liaise with families

No, multiple staff members liaise with families

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

77. Which staff members are specifically designated to liaise with the

responsible parent/guardian/family member?

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

78. Does your juvenile court ensure that at least one family member or other

adult is available to participate in discussions to help the court make decisions

about each youth?

No

Yes, for a few participants

Yes, for some participants

Yes, for most participants

Yes, for all participants

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not

Permitted

Not Required but

Encouraged Required

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

attends an orientation explaining

involvement in the juvenile court

(including requirements and

available services)

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

attends court sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates (speaking etc.) during

court sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some] case

planning sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

has a role in identifying

appropriate incentives and

sanctions for their child

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some] case

management sessions

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member

participates in [at least some]

treatment / therapy sessions

79. Please indicate if any of the following are requirements in your juvenile court:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Responsible

parent/guardian/family member is

encouraged to participate in

supervision and discipline of the

youth

The juvenile court allows

responsible

parent/guardian/family member to

call in for court, if they are unable

to attend in person

The juvenile court provides child

care to facilitate responsible

parent/guardian/family member &

youths involvement in court

requirements

Court sessions are scheduled at a

time that accommodates work and

school schedules

The juvenile court performs drug

testing in the home

The juvenile court offers a wide

range of hours for flexibility in drug

testing times (including early

morning and evening)

The juvenile court conducts case

planning meetings in the home

The juvenile court conducts case

planning meetings at a wide range

of hours (including early morning

and evening)

The juvenile court provides

services to family members in

addition to the youth

The juvenile court offers peer

support to family members

80. Please indicate if your juvenile court uses any of the following strategies in

working with families:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

The juvenile court provides courtcertified or licensed onsite

interpreters for youth and parents/

guardians/family members with

limited English proficiency.

The juvenile court provides courtcertified or licensed onsite

interpreters for youth and parents/

guardians/family members with a

hearing deficiency

All juvenile court public

documents are translated into the

native language of non-Englishspeaking youth and parents/

guardians/family members

81. Does your juvenile court provide any of the following services?

82. Have you been able to secure the schools’ involvement (such as sharing of

school-related information or participation as a team member)?

The schools are not involved

The schools are nominally involved

Yes, we have most of the involvement we would like

Yes, we have exactly the involvement we would like

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

Assign a case manager or other team member the responsibility

of identifying a contact at the youth’s school

Hold any hearings or meetings at the school

Educate parents/guardians/family members on how to advocate

for their child’s educational rights

Explore educational options to fit each youth

Use Risk & Needs assessment to establish school goals

Work with school to meet school goals

Establish school goals in collaboration with school partners

Work in collaboration with school partners to keep juvenile courtinvolved youth in school

83. Does your juvenile court:

H. TREATMENT, CASE PLANNING AND OTHER SERVICES PROVIDED TO

PARTICIPANTS/FAMILIES

84. Does your juvenile court provide a single point of contact for juvenile court

youth and their responsible parent/guardian/family member across services?

No

Yes

85. Is an individual case plan developed for each youth?

No

Sometimes

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Case by Case Always

Supervision requirements

Treatment requirements

Family interventions

Drug test protocol

Services related to criminogenic

needs (e.g., antisocial attitudes

and peers)

Educational goals

No Sometimes Yes

provided by professionals trained

in case management

provided by staff trained in

substance use disorders

provided by staff trained in how to

integrate needs (including cultural

needs and special needs) into

treatment

aimed at reducing disparities in

how minority youth are treated in

the juvenile justice system

trauma-informed and focused on

avoiding retraumatization

modified over time based on

reassessments of youth needs

Not

ff d

Offered but

i d

Required for

h

Required

f ll h

86. Does the case plan include:

87. Is case management:

88. To what extent are each of the following services provided to youth with

substance use issues (either directly as a part of juvenile court or through

partnerships with service providers):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

offered not required some youth for all youth

Detox

Home-based outpatient individual

treatment sessions

Office-based outpatient individual

treatment sessions

Home-based outpatient group

treatment sessions

Office-based outpatient group

treatment sessions

Home-based family treatment

Office-based family treatment

Gender-specific treatment

sessions

Home-based intensive outpatient

Office-based intensive outpatient

Day treatment

Residential treatment/inpatient

care

Mental health counseling

Relapse prevention classes

and/or services

Psychiatric services (e.g., testing,

medication management,

treatment)

Language-specific or culturalspecific programs

Acupuncture

Self-help meetings (e.g., AA or

NA)

Parenting classes for youth

Parenting classes for youths’

parents /guardians/family

members

Prenatal/perinatal program

Anger management/violence

prevention

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

p

Trauma-related services

Criminal thinking interventions

Aftercare treatment (after youth

have left treatment)

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not

offered

Offered

but not

required

Required

for some

youth

Required

for all

youth

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

without MET

Motivational Enhancement Therapy with

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MET/CBT)

Motivational Enhancement Therapy

without Cognitive Behavior Therapy

(MET)

Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT)

Seeking Safety

Family Behavior Therapy (FBT)

Contingency Management/Motivational

Incentives

Functional Family Therapy (FFT)

Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)

Family Support Network (FSN)

Family Matters

Marijuana Checkup

Multiservice Packages (programs that

combine two or more treatment

approaches)

Enter another option

89. To what extent are each of the following treatment models provided to

juvenile court youth?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol/substance use treatment only:

Mental health treatment only:

Both:

90. Please provide the names of any other specific evidence-based treatment

program available to your youth:

91. Does your juvenile court use more than one treatment agency?

No

Yes

92. How many agencies that provide treatment currently work directly with your

juvenile court?

93. Does one agency provide treatment to the majority of the youth who need it?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes for some Yes for all

Licensed or certified

Experienced in working with

juvenile justice populations

Using adolescent-specific

model(s)

Implementing services with fidelity

to the treatment model being used

94. Is there one agency or individual who coordinates or provides oversight of

treatment for youth at all agencies?

No

Yes

95. Treatment providers are:

96. How does the juvenile court match youth with treatment services? (Check all

that apply)

Use needs assessments of youth and parents to develop a case plan to

match interventions

Use American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria as a guide

Services are detailed in the juvenile court requirements and all youth

participate

Youth are matched to services where slots are available

Youth attend a treatment provider based on where they live

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No

Yes, for some

providers

Yes, for all

providers

Court staff conducts site visits of treatment providers

State conducts audits or site visits for treatment

provider certification

Court staff discusses evidence-based practices with

the provider

Court staff discusses how fidelity to evidence-based

treatment is monitored

Youth are surveyed about their perception of

treatment

Parents/guardians/families are surveyed about their

perception of treatment

No Yes

Verbally in team meetings

Verbally during status review

hearings (court appearances)

Through written progress reports

Through email

Enter another option

97. Does your juvenile court perform any of the following activities?

98. Do treatment providers communicate with the court in the following ways?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not offered Referral Through JDTC

Home visits from social workers or

other clinical staff

Incentives for participation

Benefits advisor (person who can

help the family identify insurance

options and publicly-funded

resources [such as Medicaid] to

help pay for treatment and other

services)

Enter another option

99. Is the information from the treatment provider given to the court in a timely

way (e.g., when information is needed for a status review hearing)?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Always

100. What services are available to a youth’s parents/guardians/family

members?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

The treatment plan contains

strength-based/competency

development goals as well as

goals that address risks and

needs

Treatment provider is responsible

for working with youth on the

treatment plan

Case manager is responsible for

working with youth on the

treatment plan

Court staff and partners discuss

progress of youth related to the

treatment plan

Court staff and partners make

suggestions for modifications to

treatment plan when warranted

Youth provides input into

adjustments to treatment plan

when they are needed

Parents/guardians/family

members provide input into

adjustments to treatment plan

when they are needed

101. Please indicate which statements reflect procedures for how your juvenile

court develops and monitors youths’ treatment plans:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least monthly

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least quarterly

Treatment plan is reviewed at

least every six months

Treatment plan is reviewed when

youth reaches specific milestones

in meeting court requirements

Goals are updated or added as

progress is made

The treatment plan is not reviewed

once it is developed

102. When is a youth’s treatment plan reviewed?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not

offered

Offered but

not required

Required for

some youth

Required

for all youth

Job training/vocational program

Employment assistance

Health education (sexual health/

education, AIDS/HIV, nutrition,

life-skills, etc.)

Communication and conflict

resolution skills

GED/Education assistance

Housing/homelessness

assistance

Health care

Dental care

Medication assisted treatment for

substance dependence (e.g.,

Naltrexone for alcohol and opiate

dependence)

Transportation

Literacy

Recreational activities

Creative/expressive activities

(such as art or music)

Service learning and civic

engagement activities (such as

volunteering or becoming involved

in community events)

Enter another option

103. Which of the following services are provided to juvenile court participants

(either directly as a part of the juvenile court or through partnerships with service

providers)?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

104. Are youth required to pay any fees as part of the juvenile court (e.g., court

fees, treatment fees, probation fees, drug tests, etc.) NOT including as a

sanction?

No

Yes

105. Do the fees vary according to youth/families’ ability to pay?

No

Yes

106. Is paying fees required for youth to complete juvenile court requirements?

(Check all that apply)

No, a youth’s case may be closed even if they cannot pay their fees

Yes, fees are required for the youth's case to be closed

Yes, fees are required for them to remain in good standing/compliance with

the court

I. STAFFING AND COURT SESSIONS

107. Does your juvenile court staff have regular meetings with providers

(staffings) where youth progress is discussed (e.g., meetings prior to status

review hearings)?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

minutes

108. How often does your juvenile court staff have meetings with providers

(staffings) where youth progress is discussed?

Twice per year or less

Once per quarter

Once per month

Twice per month/Every two weeks

Once per week

Twice per week or more

109. What is the average length of time of a typical staffing meeting (in number of

minutes?)

110. How many youth are typically reviewed during the staffing meeting?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

Not applicable - Not

a member of the

team

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

111. Please check how often the following people/agencies attend juvenile court

team meetings (staffings) where youth progress is discussed:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Sometimes Yes

Youth engagement and progress

in their case plan

Drug test results

Progress in treatment

Progress in other services as

required

Adherence to supervision

requirements

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Verbally in staffing meetings

Verbally during status review

hearings (court appearances)

Through written progress reports

prior to staffing meetings

Through email

Enter another option

112. Is the following information shared among the court staff and partners to

assist in developing a response to youth behavior?

113. Is information shared among the court staff and partners in the following

ways?

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

114. Is the information shared among staff members and partners in time to be

used for decision-making (e.g., changes in case management, incentives and

sanctions decisions, etc.)?

Never

Rarely

Sometimes

Always

115. How often does an individual youth typically attend status review (court)

hearings during involvement in your juvenile court?

Less than monthly

Once per month

Twice per month/every other week

Once per week

Multiple times per week

Specific to participant/no general requirements

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Sometimes Always

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial

assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or

liaison

Substance Use Treatment

Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider

Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Enter another option

116. Please check how often the following people/agencies attend juvenile court

status review hearings (court appearances):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

minutes

No Sometimes Yes

Speak directly to youths during

their court appearances?

Provide consistent follow-through

on warnings to youths?

Speak directly to

parents/guardians/family members

if they are in attendance?

Follow the recommendations

provided by the staff members and

partners?

Decide what sanctions are

imposed?

117. Please indicate the current schedule of your juvenile court status review hearings (court

appearances) (e.g., Mondays from 9-11 a.m., or every other Wednesday afternoon from 1-5 p.m.):

118. What is the average length of time (in minutes) of a status review hearing

(court appearance) for your juvenile court? (If you have status review hearings

on more than one day, pick one day as an example).

119. Does the judge(s):

J. COURT RESPONSE TO PARTICIPANT BEHAVIOR (INCENTIVES, SANCTIONS,

THERAPEUTIC RESPONSES)

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Page description:

For the purposes of this section, please utilize the following definitions to assist you as you

answer the following questions:

Incentives: strategies that reinforce positive behavior, such as praise, applause,

recognition, small gift such as candy, gift card, privileges

Sanctions: strategies that discourage negative behavior, such as loss of privileges,

research or writing assignments, community service hours, or (as a last resort)

detention

Therapeutic responses: strategies that help build additional skills or add supports,

such as more frequent treatment sessions

120. Does the juvenile court provide staff members and partners with written

guidance on incentives and sanctions to respond to youth behaviors?

No

Yes

Not sure

Not applicable

121. Does the juvenile court provide staff members and partners with written

guidance about treatment services and other therapeutic interventions to

respond to youth behaviors?

No

Yes

Not sure

Not applicable

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Incentives are discussed among

the staff and partners

Staff and partners seek to reach

consensus when deciding on

appropriate incentives

Staff and partners provide

incentives consistently (similar

response for similar behaviors)

Staff and partners take into

account the circumstances

surrounding the youth’s behavior

before deciding on an incentive

Staff and partners decide on

incentives based on whether the

incentives will likely result in the

behavior change desired for each

youth

Youth are given a written list of

possible incentives

Youth are given a written list of the

behaviors that lead to incentives

Youth identify possible incentives

through the case planning process

Staff and partners use incentives

as a primary approach to behavior

change

Staff and partners other than the

judge are empowered to deliver

incentives outside of court

hearings

Staff and partners encourage

family members to apply

incentives as agreed to with the

court staff

122. Please indicate the extent to which the following statements about

incentives are true for your juvenile court:

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

123. Which of the following responses to youth behavior have you used as an

INCENTIVE? (Check all that apply)

Applause

Verbal praise from judge

Small tangible items

Sobriety coins

Redeemable tokens/tickets

Gift cards

Case plan specific earned privileges (such as being seen first in court or later

curfew)

Other (Please specify):

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Sanctions are discussed among

the staff and partners

Staff and partners seek to reach

consensus when deciding on

appropriate sanctions

Sanctions are more severe for

repeated violations of juvenile

court rules

Staff and partners apply sanctions

consistently (similar response for

similar infractions)

Staff and partners take into

account the circumstances

surrounding the youth’s behavior

before deciding on a sanction

Staff and partners decide on

sanctions based on whether the

sanction will result in the behavior

change they want for each youth

Youth are given a written list of

possible sanctions

Youth are given a written list of

behaviors that lead to sanctions

Youth identify possible sanctions

through the case planning process

Staff and partners other than the

judge are empowered to deliver

sanctions (other than the loss of

liberty) outside of court hearings

Staff and partners encourage

family members to apply sanctions

as agreed to with the court staff

Staff and partners impose a

sanction immediately for failure to

appear for a drug test or for

tampering with a drug test

124. Please indicate the extent to which the following statements about

sanctions are true for your juvenile court:

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

125. Which of the following responses to youth behavior have you used for

youths as a SANCTION? (Check all that apply)

Writing essays

Sit sanctions (sit in court to watch)

Community service

Residential treatment

More frequent drug or alcohol tests

More court appearances

Increased treatment sessions

Increased court requirements or decreased privileges

Self-help (e.g., books, CDs, DVDs, groups)

Other (Please specify):

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Impose a sanction

Re-evaluate the youth's treatment

plan

Response depends on youth’s

stage in treatment and past

progress

Response depends on how many

previous positive tests a youth has

Response depends on the youth’s

unique situation

The youth has the option to

challenge the result

Enter another option

No Sometimes Yes

Incentives

Sanctions

126. How does the juvenile court respond to substance use (such as a positive

drug test or admitting use)?

127. Do you track incentives and sanctions for each youth?

128. What is your estimate of the ratio of incentives to sanctions for each youth?

More than one incentive for every sanction

One incentive for every sanction

Less than one incentive for every sanction

Not sure

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

For positive drug screens?

For continued substance use?

For noncompliance with juvenile

court rules?

For failure to appear for court (first

time)?

For failure to appear for treatment?

For on-going failure to appear to

court?

After the first positive drug test?

After the second positive drug

test?

After the third positive drug test?

When youth are a danger to

themselves?

When youth are a danger to

others?

When youth may abscond?

For tampering with a drug test?

129. Is detention used as a sanction in your juvenile court?

No

Yes

130. Do you use detention as a sanction:

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Never Rarely Sometimes Always

1 day

2 days

3-6 days

1 week

2 weeks

Longer than 2 weeks

Enter another option

131. When a detention sanction is used, would you say that the length of the

sanction is generally:

132. How is the length of a detention sanction determined? (Check all that apply)

Graduated decision matrix or sanctions guidelines

Through consensus after speaking with staff and partners

By the judge on the bench

Other (Please specify):

K. DRUG TESTING

133. Does your juvenile court or partner agencies conduct drug testing for youth

involved with juvenile court?

No

Yes

Not Sure

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

No Yes

Treatment providers

Probation

Law Enforcement (Police/Sheriff)

Court Staff

Case Managers

Enter another option

134. Please indicate whether or not the following agencies/staff collect drug test

samples (e.g., urine) or perform drug testing:

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No Yes

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house

dipsticks for instant tests

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab

for testing

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab

for confirmation of positive instant

test

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house lab

EtG

Patch

Hair

Breath

Blood

Oral swab

Sleep monitor

Bracelet/Tether (alcohol) (e.g.,

SCRAM)

Enter another option

135. Please indicate whether the following types of drug and alcohol tests are

used by your juvenile court:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

136. Please check which types of drug and alcohol tests are used most often (of

those marked “yes” in the question above):

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house dipsticks for instant tests

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab for testing

Urine (UA or UDS): Sent out to lab for confirmation of positive instant test

Urine (UA or UDS): In-house lab

EtG

Patch

Hair

Breath

Blood

Oral swab

Sleep monitor

Bracelet/Tether (alcohol) (e.g., SCRAM)

Other (Please specify):

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No Yes

There is an equal chance each

day that a youth could be drug

tested (youth cannot predict when

they will be asked to provide a

sample for testing)

Drug testing is performed for

cause (e.g., if a youth appears to

be under the influence)

Drug testing occurs on a regular

schedule (youth is aware when

testing will occur)

Drug testing occurs on some but

not all business days

Drug testing occurs on all regular

business days (5 days per week)

Drug testing occurs on weekends

and holidays

Drug testing is trauma-informed

and avoids retraumatization

No Yes

Based on the schedule

recommended by a treatment

provider

Based on the drug(s) the youth is

taking

Modified based on phases of

court/level of treatment need

Carried out on a standard (even if

random) schedule (e.g., once per

week, twice per week, etc.)

137. Are the following statements true for your juvenile court?

138. Is your drug testing:

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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139. What is your standard test schedule in the beginning of their participation in

your juvenile court (in the first phase)?

4 or more times per week

3 times per week

2 times per week

1 time per week

Once every 2 weeks

Once per month

Less than once per month

Before each court appearance

Specific to participant/no general requirements

140. What is your standard test schedule toward the end of their participation (in

the last phase)?

4 or more times per week

3 times per week

2 times per week

1 time per week

Once every 2 weeks

Once per month

Less than once per month

Before each court appearance

Specific to participant/no general requirements

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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No Yes Not sure

Dilution (i.e., creatinine testing is

conducted)

Adulteration (e.g., temperature)

141. Does your juvenile court use random drug testing?

No

Yes

142. Please describe the method you use for random drug testing.

143. Is drug testing observed?

No

Sometimes

Yes – indirect observation (e.g., mirrors)

Yes – direct observation

144. Are samples tested for:

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145. How quickly are drug test results obtained (not including tests sent to the

lab for confirmation)?

Within minutes

Same day

Within 24 hours

Within 48 hours

Within one week

Other (Please specify):

146. Are staff members who collect specimens trained in standard collection

protocols?

No

Yes

Not sure

L. JUVENILE COURT SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION (GRADUATION) AND UNSUCCESSFUL

EXIT

147. Is there a minimum number of days drug free that a youth must achieve as

part of their juvenile court requirements?

No

Yes

Depends on the requirements determined for a specific youth

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days

No Sometimes Yes Not applicable

Complete treatment

Have a job

Be in school

Have a sober housing

environment?

Complete community service?

Write a sobriety/relapse

prevention/continuing care plan

Pay all treatment fees or fees for

other programs/services?

Pay all court-ordered fines and

fees not related to treatment (e.g.,

restitution)?

Enter another option

148. What is the minimum number of days that a youth must be drug free to

successfully complete their juvenile court requirements?

149. Which of the following are part of a youth’s juvenile court requirements if

they have a substance use disorder?

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No

Yes, some

parents/guardians/family

members

Yes, at least one

parent/guardian/family

member per youth

Yes,

some

youth

Yes,

every

youth

Not

Sure

Participants

who

successfully

complete

juvenile court

Participants

who

unsuccessfully

exit juvenile

court

Parents of

youths who

successfully

complete

juvenile court

Parents of

youths who

unsuccessfully

exit juvenile

court

150. Are exit interviews conducted with youth and parents/guardians/family

members when their juvenile court case is closed? (Check all that apply)

151. Does your juvenile court attempt to contact youths at some point after they

complete their juvenile court involvement?

No

Yes, some youth

Yes, all youth

Not sure

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Never Sometimes Always

Within the first 3 months

Between 3-6 months

Between 6 months and 1 year

At 1 year or more

Enter another option

152. If yes, at what point do you reach out to youth after they complete juvenile

court requirements?

153. What do you talk with them about? (Check all that apply)

Whether they need any support or assistance

Whether they have used alcohol or other drugs

Their current housing, education, and employment status

Any criminal behavior or contacts with the legal system (police or courts)

Other (Please specify):

M. DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION

154. Does your juvenile court collect and store data about youth?

No

Yes on paper

Yes electronically, but not in a JDTC-specific management information

system (MIS)

Yes in a JDTC MIS

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

155. (If yes, in an MIS) Which people/agencies have access to your MIS?(check all

that apply)

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

156. Does your MIS collect all of the information needed by your juvenile court

for youth service tracking and case management?

No

Yes

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Never Sometimes Always

Data from the treatment provider

(e.g., attendance at treatment,

treatment progress)

Drug testing (e.g., dates of drug

tests, drug test results)

Attendance at required activities

(e.g., services, meetings, or events

specified in the case plan)

Phase progression information

Date of case completion

Age at entry into juvenile court

Racial/ethnic demographics of

juvenile court youth

Gender demographics of juvenile

court youth

Family-related information, such

as family cohesion, home

functioning, and communication

Recidivism/reoffending during the

program

Recidivism/reoffending after

program completion

Educational enrollment

Employment

Involvement in prosocial activities

Peer associations

None of the above

Enter another option

157. Which of the following data elements are collected by your juvenile court?

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

158. Does the juvenile court use the information it collects on youth to assess

and monitor whether it is moving towards its goals?

No

Yes

Not Sure

159. Has your juvenile court made adjustments in policies or practices based on

this monitoring?

No

Yes

160. Please give an example of what changes you made.

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

161. How often are policy meetings held (i.e. how often does the judge, court

staff, and partners hold a meeting to discuss juvenile court-wide issues rather

than individual participants)?

No policy meetings are held and the staff/partners do not regularly discuss

policy

No policy meetings are held, but the staff/partners discuss policies during

regularly-scheduled staffing meetings

More than once per month

Once per month

Every other month

Once per quarter

Twice per year

Once per year

Less than once per year

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

162. Who attends policy meetings?

Judge

Juvenile court staff or judicial assistant

Clinical treatment supervisor or liaison

Substance Use Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Mental Health Treatment Provider Representative(s)

Prosecuting attorney

Defense Attorney

Case Manager(s)

Probation/Parole Representative

Law Enforcement Representative

School Representative or Liaison

Child Welfare liaison

Cultural liaison

Court Clerk

Bailiff/court security

Community partner(s)

Other (Please specify):

163. Have you had an outside evaluator measure whether the juvenile court is

operating as intended (e.g., a process evaluation)?

No

Yes

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

164. Have you had an outside evaluator measure whether the juvenile court is

achieving its intended outcomes (e.g., an outcome evaluation)?

No

Yes

165. Is there currently a plan for an external evaluation?

No

Yes

Not sure

N. JUVENILE COURT STATISTICS

Alcohol (%)

Marijuana (%)

Cocaine (%)

Methamphetamine (%)

Opiate/heroin (%)

(misuse of) Prescription opiates (%)

(misuse of) Other prescriptions (%)

Other drug #1 (% only, list name of drug below)

Other drug #2 (% only, list name of drug below)

166. What is/are the drug(s) used by your youth? To the best of your ability,

please estimate the PERCENT of youth who use each type of drug (percent

should add to at least 100%; enter whole numbers only – no letters or symbols):

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Name of other drug #1:

Name of other drug #2:

%

% American Indian or Alaska Native

% Asian

% Black or African American

% Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin

% Middle Eastern or North African

% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

% White

% Two or more races

% Other

167. If you marked "other" in the question above, please specify the other

drug(s) of choice:

168. Please estimate what percentage of your youth regularly use more than

one substance at a time:

169. What race/ethnicity are your current youth? Please give us your best

estimate of the percentage of youth for each of the race/ethnicities listed below:

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% Male

% Female

% Transgender

% Gender non-conforming

% 13 years or younger

% 14-17 years

% 18-24 years

170. What gender are your current participants? Please estimate the percentage

for each gender in your juvenile court:

171. What age are youth in your juvenile court? Please give your best estimate

of the percentage of your youth in each of the following age groups:

172. Are you aware of any participants in your juvenile court who do not identify

as heterosexual?

No

Yes

Not sure

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

173. Do you have any services that are responsive to the particular needs of

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, gender

nonconforming, and Two-Spirit?

No

Yes

Not sure

174. Has your juvenile court analyzed your data to determine if there is equity of

access to services for all youth with substance use issues?

No

Somewhat

Yes

Unsure

Thank You!

Page description:

Thank you for completing this survey!

Thank you for taking our survey. Your response is very important to us.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
        

               

               

                     

                       

                           

                             

                             

  

                             

                                 

                     

                       

                         

                         

                             

                             

             

                           

                           

                           

                                 

                           

                       

                

                           

                               

                                   

                             

                                 

                           

                         

                             

                             

                                 

           

   

                                       

                       

Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC) Site Visits Protocols

Site Visits: Overview & Role in the Evaluation 

The considerable variability across JDTCs is frequently rooted in program implementation (e.g.,

Sullivan et al., 2016). Therefore, to determine whether youth experience better outcomes

under JDTC compared to traditional juvenile court, the CHS team must assess each court’s

understanding of and fidelity to the JDTC Guidelines. An ability to assess, interpret, and classify

courts according to that variability is therefore crucial to the evaluation and to OJJDP’s policy

priorities.

The CHS team has a two‐part approach to assessing fidelity to JDTC Guidelines, which includes

conducting site visits at each studied court. Site visits will help answer questions such as a) to

what extent are JDTCs implementing the JDTC Guidelines (areas most/least commonly

implemented), b) to what extent are traditional juvenile courts (comparison sites) operating

using similar features (e.g., evidence‐based screening or treatment) or staff (e.g., the same

judges, probation officers, and treatment programs) that might reduce the contrast, c) are

there clear variations in the implementation of the guidelines that are expected to lead to

differences in outcomes, and d) what recommendations can be made to clarify or change the

guidelines or training and technical assistance programs.

Carnevale Associates (CALLC) will lead the site visit component of the research. Building on

the year 1 self‐assessment reports, the site visit process is designed to better understand

variations in the fidelity of implementation across the JDTC and traditional juvenile courts, and

lead to the development of a typology to permit us to identify factors likely to moderate or

mediate outcomes within JDTCs and traditional juvenile courts. These findings will also be used

to fine‐tune the guidelines/objectives, improve the training and technical assistance for the

implementation of those objectives, and improve program outcomes.

The team’s approach builds on a proven methodology used under the OJJDP JDC/RF Cross‐Site

Evaluation to assess adherence to the JDC/RF Logic Model (Greene et al., 2014). First, CALLC will

work with the CHS team, AIR, and OJJDP to flesh out the logic model the OJJDP JDTC Guidelines

and the OJJDP JDTC Theory of Change as the expected model for JDTC implementation. Second,

we will develop measures to assess fidelity to each key activity from step 1. Third, we will

review available documentation from sites and convene telephone calls with sites to establish a

basic understanding of court structure and personnel. Fourth, we will conduct 2‐day site visits

at all sites to gather process and implementation data specific to the fidelity measures. Fifth,

we will codify data and conduct qualitative analysis. Sixth, we will develop and recommend to

the rest of the CHS team an implementation typology based on the findings with the intent of

subsequently testing its impact on outcomes.

Participating Sites 

Per the study design, the were will be a total of 15 sites, 3 of which will use random assignment

to place youth in JDTC versus traditional juvenile court (TJC)—permitting a true experimental

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

1
        

                            

                        

  

       

                               

                       

               

                       

                    

                     

                             

      

                   

                         

                        

                         

            

                       

              

                     

              

                   

              

                       

      

                                   

                               

          

      

   

                         

                             

                                   

                 

                             

                 

                   

     

design. The remaining 12 will utilize a quasi‐experimental design. At the time of this writing,

the experimental sites are finalized but the quasi‐experimental sites are still being finalized.

Evaluation Personnel 

Site Visitors and Roles 

The following list identifies the primary site visits. However, we will also likely draw on other

senior staff including Michael Dennis and Barbara Estrada from Chestnut Health Systems,

Steven Belenko and Matt Hiller from Temple University.

1. Carnevale Associates President (CALLC) Dr. John Carnevale will oversee the site‐visit and

qualitative assessment process. He will not attend the site visits.

2. Carnevale Associates Senior Research Manager (CALLC) Erika Ostlie is responsible for

the overall oversight and design of the site visits. She will manage the process without

attending the visits

3. Carnevale Associates Project Manager (CALLC), Raanan Kagan, is responsible for day‐to‐

day management of the site visit process. He will attend initial visits to ensure

consistency and fidelity to the protocols and he will manage all visits.

4. Carnevale Associates Research Associate (CALLC), Josh Esrick, will be one of two primary

data collectors for the site visits.

5. Carnevale Associates Research Associate (CALLC), David Thiess, will be one of two

primary data collectors for the site visits.

6. Northwest Professional Consortium Inc. Senior Scientist (NPC), Dr. Shannon Carey, will

assist with the site visits as needed.

7. Northwest Professional Consortium Inc. Subcontract Director (NPC), Dr. Juliette Mackin,

will assist with site visits as needed.

8. Chestnut Health Systems Research Associate, Pamela Baumer (CHS), will assist with site

visits as needed.

The Site Visit team will expect to work with the Research Liaison at each site to setup and

coordinate the site visit. Each site’s Research Liaison will also participate in site visits, along with

appropriate program staff (see below).

Logistics and Scheduling 

Pre‐Visit Procedures 

Before each visit, the Site Visit Team will review site materials (including their self‐assessments)

to develop a concrete understanding the operation and structure of each site. To facilitate this

review, NPC will (a) request and put on box any policies identified in the survey and (b) identify

any complex or unusual features for priority review.

In addition, the team will conduct site readiness calls with the Research Liaison (or another

appointed person). These calls will serve several purposes including:

a. Gathering/verifying basic information about the site (e.g., how many treatment

providers are used)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

2
        

                             

         

                     

      

                                 

                    

      

                               

                               

            

            

                

                

                         

            

                                   

                                         

                               

                               

                              

                           

                             

                           

                                  

        

                         

                   

                           

                             

                               

                         

                           

          

   

                       

                                 

b. Discussing meeting logistics (e.g., dates and times for the visit and who will attend which

meetings at which locations etc.)

c. Discussing travel and other logistical concerns (e.g., recommended hotels, need for

rental car etc.).

Following these calls, the Site Visit Team will develop a draft agenda for each visit, which we

will review with each site in advance of the visit.

Travel, Lodging Etc. 

Consistent with GSA per diem and lodging rates for FY 2018, the following logistical plans have

been established, for a total of $1,033 per person per trip—or $2,066 for each two‐person trip.

For 2 people at each site:

 2 nights lodging ($180/night per person)

 $500 in air and ground transportation (per person)

 2.5 days per diem at $69/day (per person)

Bookings will be made with site personnel input to maximize efficiency. Carnevale Associates

staff will travel together from Washington, DC.

Each site visit will entail two full days of collection. The site visit personnel will arrive on the

night before Day 1, conduct a full day visit on Day 1 and Day 2 and depart on Day 2 (time

dependent on flight schedules etc.) As scheduling permits, the Site Visit Team may arrive in the

morning on Day 0, to allow initial afternoon meetings on Day 0 and facilitate earlier departure

on Day 2. The tentative agenda below assumes that level of coordination is not attainable.

Notably, the Colorado regional site—which is composed of 4 smaller courts in the Denver

area—will likely require a longer site visit. Each court will have dedicated staff and procedures,

necessitating targeted data gathering for each court. The Site Visit Team anticipates that the

Colorado visit will be longer than the standard 2‐day visit, but shorter than 4 distinct site visits.

General Site Visit Procedures 

We propose conducting large group interviews where we will collect input from multiple

audience members simultaneously on multiple topics with previously developed discussion

prompts. These interviews will allow us to collect comprehensive process data and will provide

us with a crucial window into how well the site stakeholders collaborate. In smaller group

follow‐up sessions, we will meet with specific audiences to gain greater detail in their areas of

specialization. We may also observe JDTC Staffing/Court and/or tour the site facilities, time

permitting. The Site Visit Team anticipates that the Research Liaison will participate in all on‐

site meetings to coordinate logistics.

Tentative Agenda 

The following represents a general, tentative agenda; however, detailed agendas will be

established with each site to ensure that the needed staff can attend and the needed data can

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

3
        

                         

                         

                        

      

                         

        

          

                       

                    

     

                         

      

                         

           

                       

                 

         

                   

              

          

               

               

             

     

     

         

      

                 

       

       

     

                                 

                             

                           

  

                             

                           

be collected. Meeting sequence and content may be adjusted to accommodate staff availability

and/or site preference. Many “targeted meetings” may be merged to better accommodate the

2‐day schedule, based on input from the research liaison at each site.

Day 0‐ Travel Day

 Evening‐ The Site Visit team will meet in advance to go over any site‐specific

questions/issues that may remain.

Day 1 – Collection Day

 8:30‐9:30am – Senior Staff Meeting with JDTC Coordinator and Select Senior Staff

 9:30am‐ 11:30am – All Staff General Meeting on Court Structure Etc.

 11:30‐12:30pm – Lunch

 12:30‐5:30pm – Meetings with JDTC Coordinator and Targeted Staff to follow up on

each relevant area:

o JDC Team, Stakeholders, Culture, and Training (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7)

o Judicial Leadership (Objectives 1 & 3)

o Eligibility Criteria, Screening, and Assessment (SUD & Other) (Objectives 2 & 4)

o Evidence‐Based SUD Treatment, Mental Health Services, and Pro‐Social Activities

(Objectives 2, 4 & 6)

o Case Management, Supervision and Drug Testing (Objectives 3, 4 & 5)

 Evening – Optional Dinner with Site staff

Day 2 – Collection Day

 8:30am‐12:30 – Continuation of Day 1 Meetings

o Incentives and Sanctions (Objectives 1, 3 & 5)

o Family Engagement (Objectives 1, 3, 4 & 6)

o Educational Involvement (Objective 1)

o Graduation (Objective 7)

o Evaluation (Objectives 2 & 7)

 12:30‐1:30pm – Lunch

 1:30‐4:00pm – Observation of JDTC Staffing/Court and/or Facility Tour

 4:00‐5:00pm – Concluding/Debriefing Meeting

 Site Visit Team Departs

Post Site‐Visit Procedures 

While we will make every effort to gather all of the required information, me may also conduct

follow‐up calls with individuals after the visit, to clarify specific information. These calls can be

arranged through the sites’ Research Liaison or directly with individuals in question (per site

preference).

Following the site visits, the Site Visit Team will provide fidelity and process information, to

inform the overall evaluation. Specifically, the Site Visit Team will share (a) our fidelity

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

4
        

                         

                        

  

                                 

                              

      

                         

                                     

              

       

                 

              

                                   

                           

  

                         

           

                       

                 

         

                   

               

             

     

      

         

          

   

   

     

   

        

          

              

   

assessment findings, (b) summaries of noteworthy complex and/or unique features of each site,

and (c) any suggestions for the TTA provider stemming from our findings.

Research Tools 

Each of the following tools will be used to facilitate the site visit data collection and assessment.

The core set of site‐visit questions is also included at the end of this appendix.

JDTC Research Measures 

These measures are the overarching categories of sub‐measures (which will also be assessed)

and are available in detail at the end of this document. In each area, each site visitor will assess

each site based on the following scale:

1‐ Practice consistent with guidelines

2‐ Practice varies from guidelines in some ways (provide examples)

3‐ Practice is inconsistent with guidelines (provide examples)

In each section, each visitor will also note any relevant activities that were altered as a result of

JDTC T/TA. Each section is also mapped to its corresponding Objective/s from the JDTC

Guidelines.

1. JDC Team, Stakeholders, Culture, and Training (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7)

2. Judicial Leadership (Objectives 1 & 3)

3. Eligibility Criteria, Screening, and Assessment (SUD & Other) (Objectives 2 & 4)

4. Evidence‐Based SUD Treatment, Mental Health Services, and Pro‐Social Activities

(Objectives 2, 4 & 6)

5. Case Management, Supervision and Drug Testing (Objectives 3, 4 & 5)

6. Incentives and Sanctions (Objectives 1, 3 & 5)

7. Family Engagement (Objectives 1, 3, 4 & 6)

8. Educational Involvement (Objective 1)

9. Graduation (Objective 7)

10. Evaluation (Objectives 2 & 7)

11. Overlap/Commonalities between JDTC and TJC

a. Judicial Leadership

b. Court Staff

c. Probation/Community Supervision Staff

d. SUD Treatment

e. MH and Other Services

f. Case Management, Supervision & Drug Testing

g. Incentives/Sanctions

h. Screening and Assessment (SUD, MH and Other)

i. Educational Involvement

j. Family Engagement

k. Pro‐social activities/community involvement

l. Trainings

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

5
        

        

                             

                             

                    

                             

                       

                    

                

                      

          

                         

         

JDTC Data Collection Instrument 

Carnevale Associates will develop and utilize a set of discussion prompts that is designed to

elicit the responses needed to assess each site based on the Research Measures listed above

and specifically address each of the sub‐measures outlined in below.

In addition, discussion prompts will focus on court structure which, though not specific to the

fidelity of JDTC Guideline implementation, is crucial to understanding the processes and

procedures of each court. These areas will include (not exhaustive):

 Youth enrollment procedures (i.e., court admissions process flow)

 Variations from the JDTC model (e.g., co‐occurring courts vs. JDTCs etc.)

 Common State Policies (e.g., state‐mandated assessments etc.)

 # of court dockets and judges, judicial rotation system (as applicable), and interaction

between specialty courts (e.g., transfers)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

6
        

              

                               

                               

                  

                                  

       

                 

              

                         

                         

   

                   

         

                       

                     

                 

                      

                           

            

                  

                      

                           

                        

                       

           

                         

                   

               

             

               

       

                       

                         

                 

                

                          

           

                           

   

                   

JDTC Site Visit Fidelity Measures and Sub‐measures

Prior to the commencement of visits, Items 1‐10 below will be converted into a table, with

columns for (a) measures, (b) ratings, and (c) other comments. Overlap (#11) will use a different

format as it will require more free text descriptions.

In each “Area” and “Sub‐Area” 1‐10, each site visitor will assess each site on the following scale:

1‐ Practice consistent with guidelines

2‐ Practice varies from guidelines in some ways (provide examples)

3‐ Practice is inconsistent with guidelines (provide examples)

1. JDC Team, Stakeholders, Culture, and Training (Objectives 1, 2, 3, 6 & 7)

a. Court Manual clearly articulates the role of the JDTC in coordinating services across

agencies (1.1)

b. JDTC manual describes weekly staffings including: timing, format, roles and

responsibilities, and decision‐making process (3.4)

c. JDTC team includes at least the following, and they attend staffing meetings

regularly: a consistent judge, a JDTC coordinator, a treatment representative, a

juvenile probation representative, a state’s attorney/prosecutor, a public defender,

a school representative, and a cultural liaison (as appropriate) (1.2, 1.3)

d. Each JDTC Team Member’s role is codified in writing and signed and includes their

role in JDTC staffings (1.2, 3.4)

e. The JDTC Team is committed to court’s philosophy (1.1)

f. Staff from different agencies understand and respect one another (1.1, 1.4)

g. JDTC coordinator functions as JDTC project manager and acts as the primary point of

contact between the judge and the rest of the JDTC team (1.2)

h. JDTC conducts weekly staffings (prior to hearings) to review all participants progress

based on all team members (3.4)

i. JDTC has access to and utilizes training and TA on the following, including cross‐

training: SUD and recovery (including EBPs), screening and assessment, treatment

planning, adolescent development, JDTC philosophy and mission, cultural

competence (particularly for youth and families), family engagement, trauma‐

informed care, contingency management (e.g., incentives and sanctions, LGBTQI‐

GNC needs (1.4, 2.5)

j. JDTC provides certified or licensed interpreters, as needed (including for family) (1.6)

k. JDTC identifies all local service providers and involves them in court planning (6.1)

l. Court practices crafted to produce equivalent outcomes across participants

regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation (7.1)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

2. Judicial Leadership (Objectives 1 & 3)

a. Judge serves as the JDTC chairperson, with ultimate authority for the actions of the

JDTC (1.2)

b. Judge is perceived as a leader by the team (1.2)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

7
        

                 

                

             

                          

                       

                       

          

                         

      

                                 

     

           

                     

        

                         

                   

                   

     

     

     

   

       

  

                   

          

             

        

                 

                          

                 

         

                       

                   

                         

     

   

   

                        

c. Participants perceive the Judge as non‐judgmental and fair (3.2)

d. Judge treats participants with dignity and respect (3.2)

e. Judge emphasizes youth accountability over “judgement” (3.2)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

3. Eligibility Criteria, Screening, and Assessment (SUD & Other) (Objectives 2 & 4)

a. Eligibility criteria adhere to program guidelines – age 14+, diagnosed SUD, and

moderate/high risk of reoffending (2.1)

b. Eligibility criteria result in equity of access for by gender, racial/ethnic group, and

LGBTQI‐GNC status (2.5)

c. Youth do not have an SUD and are a lower risk of reoffending are diverted from the

JDTC process (2.4)

d. Participants are screened for SUD (2.3)

e. SUD screening is performed with a validated, culturally responsive tool appropriate

for the population (2.3)

f. Youth assessments are completed “by the time the youth first appears in JDTC” and

risk of reoffending is assessed prior to enrollment (2.2, 4.1)

g. Risk of reoffending is assessed with a validated tool (2.2)

h. Youth assessments capture: (4.1)

a. drug use (2.3)

b. abuse/trauma and PTSD

c. criminogenic need

d. mental health need (2.3)

e. well‐being needs/strengths

i. SUD assessment is performed with a validated, culturally responsive tool

appropriate for the population (2.3)

j. Trained and certified personnel conduct assessments (4.1)

k. Participants receive regular re‐assessments (2.3)

l. Information from assessments informs case management and treatment planning

(2.3)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

4. Evidence‐Based SUD Treatment, Mental Health Services, and Pro‐Social Activities

(Objectives 2, 4 & 6)

a. Youth and families have access to evidence‐based services for: mental health needs,

trauma, family life, educational challenges, and criminal thinking (6.1, 6.4)

b. Access to the full continuum of SUD treatment (from residential to outpatient) (6.1)

a. Office based OP

b. IOP

c. Home‐based OP

d. Day treatment

e. Inpatient/residential

c. SUD treatment utilizes evidence‐based modalities show to work with youth (6.1, 6.2)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

8
        

                 

                   

            

             

               

                     

     

           

                   

               

               

       

                          

                   

             

                  

          

          

             

                   

     

           

                     

       

       

  

                     

          

        

                       

                          

                    

                       

               

                          

               

         

a. ACC, behavioral therapy, CBT, family therapy, MET, MET/CBT, multiservice

packages

d. SUD treatment is available as Individual, group, and family (6.1)

e. JDTC uses culturally relevant treatment interventions (2.5)

f. Evidence‐based treatment is delivered with fidelity (6.3)

g. Treatment referral process is clear to families (6.1)

h. Treatment plans are individualized based on youth and family assessments and

needs (4.2, 6.4)

i. Treatment plans are culturally appropriate (4.2)

j. JDTC attempts to verify the evidence‐based nature of services (6.4)

k. Court and provider discuss modality, fidelity expectations (6.3)

l. JDTC encourages and helps foster pro‐social skills (6.5)

m. Mentoring is suggested (6.5)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

5. Case Management, Supervision and Drug Testing (Objectives 3, 4 & 5)

a. JDTC provides evidence‐based case management, including: (4.2)

a. A single POC to coordinate across health/social service systems

b. Advocating for youth and family

c. Being flexible, community‐based and client‐oriented

d. Helping youth and family manage related needs

b. Case management and supervision plans are individualized based on youth and

family assessments (4.2, 5.4)

c. Case management plans are culturally appropriate (4.2)

d. Ongoing monitoring and case management focus more on addressing needs rather

than program compliance (5.4)

e. Drug testing is: (5.5)

a. Random

b. Observed

c. Frequent (2x a week in early stages—randomization is suggested as an

alternative to frequency for cost)

d. Sensitive to experienced trauma

f. Missed, failed or tampered drug tests are met with immediate, graduated sanctions

(5.5)

g. JDTC uses spot testing if staff suspect youth is under the influence (5.5)

h. Frequency of testing is the last supervision level lifted (5.5)

i. Response to return to drug use is consistent with youth circumstances (5.6)

j. Consistent application of program requirements, including incentives/sanctions (3.3)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

6. Incentives and Sanctions (Objectives 1, 3 & 5)

a. Incentives and sanctions are: (5.1)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

9
        

  

  

     

   

      

  

                   

  

                     

      

                        

                 

                         

                        

                       

     

           

                       

                 

                         

                          

             

                          

                       

         

                 

                         

   

                   

                       

  

                       

                    

                     

              

                     

                 

           

                       

                     

        

a. Immediate

b. Certain

c. Consistent (5.2, 3.3)

d. Fair (5.2)

e. Of appropriate intensity

f. Goal‐oriented

g. Graduated

h. Individualized and based on assessment of need (5.1, 5.2, 3.3)

i. Therapeutically sound

b. Incentives/sanctions are developed by JDTC team and assigned based on weekly

staffings (3.3, 3.4)

c. Incentives and sanctions do not punish youth for lack of parental engagement (1.5)

d. Application of incentives/sanctions favors incentives—strive for 4:1 ratio (5.1)

e. Effort is made to maximize and individualize incentives (e.g., dedicated staff seek out

new incentives, praise is used as an incentive etc.) (5.1 and 5.2)

f. JDTC uses data to monitor incentives/sanctions for effectiveness and ratio, on an

ongoing basis (5.1)

g. Youth perceive incentives/sanctions as fair (5.2)

h. JDTC meets with youth every 60‐90 days to create incentive/sanctions list (5.2)

i. Detention used as a last resort and sparingly (5.3)

j. The use of fees as a sanctioned is reviewed carefully, if applicable (5.3)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

7. Family Engagement (Objectives 1, 3, 4 & 6)

a. JDTC uses an open and flexible definition of “family” and “family support” (1.5)

b. At least one parent, guardian, or designated adults regularly participates in JDTC

decision‐making for each youth (1.5)

c. JDTC and parents work collaboratively in court proceedings (3.1)

d. JDTC involves parents and works collaboratively in supervision at home and in the

community (3.1)

e. JDTC involves parents and works collaboratively in treatment programs (3.1)

f. JDTC has a designated person to lead family engagement, ideally with lived

experience (1.5)

g. Families are provided all the information they need in accessible ways, including

translating documents into languages other than English (1.5, 1.6, 3.1)

h. JDTC employs strategies to make family participation easier (e.g., court time

adjustments, physical settings, and/or transportation assistance) (1.5)

i. JDTC uses innovative approaches to involve parents (e.g., parental incentives for

staffing attendance, family therapy, parental training classes, “parent peers”,

parental liaisons, parental sanctions) (3.1, 4.1)

j. Parents are assessed for drug use, mental health, and parenting skills (4.1)

k. Parental assessment focuses on how parents’ substance use, role modeling etc.

affect the youth (4.1)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

10
        

               

                         

   

     

                         

                   

       

                     

                     

          

                

                    

                          

      

                             

             

                          

         

                     

         

                  

     

  

            

              

  

  

  

        

                   

   

                          

          

   

   

     

   

l. JDTC incorporates treatment and other programing for parents (4.1)

m. Families and youth participate in discussions about where services are located in the

community (6.1)

8. Educational Involvement (Objective 1)

a. JDTC Team includes a participant from the local school district who attend staffings

or employs non‐standard strategies to ensure school communication (e.g., holding

meetings at school) (1.3)

b. JDTC works with recovery high school (or similar efforts/programs), where available,

and pursues non‐standard options in cases where public secondary school is

inconsistent with youth needs (1.3)

c. Educational goals are prioritized for each youth (1.3)

d. JDTC tracks school attendance, homework, in‐school behavior, and grades (1.3)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

9. Graduation (Objective 7)

a. Termination is used only as a last resort and after deliberation by JDTC team (7.2)

b. Strict guidelines dictate grounds for termination (7.2)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

10. Evaluation (Objectives 2 & 7)

a. Equal treatment is verified by disaggregating referral cohort and comparing to

enrollment and completion data (2.5)

b. JDTC tracks success rates to measure equitable access (2.5)

c. JDTC collects: (7.3)

a. Family‐related factors

b. Recidivism during and after the program

c. Drug use during and after the program

d. Program status

e. Educational enrollment

f. Employment status

g. Prosocial involvement (activities and associations)

d. Application of data focuses on continuous quality improvement rather than

compliance (7.3)

Record any relevant activities that were altered as a result of JDTC T/TA:

11. Overlap/Commonalities between JDTC and TJC

a. Judicial Leadership

b. Court Staff

c. Probation/Community Supervision Staff

d. SUD Treatment

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

11
        

        

          

              

   

                             

                       

                    

                

                      

          

                         

         

 

e. MH and Other Services

f. Case Management, Supervision & Drug Testing

g. Incentives/Sanctions

h. Screening and Assessment (SUD, MH and Other)

i. Educational Involvement

j. Family Engagement

k. Pro‐social activities/community involvement

l. Trainings

In addition, discussion prompts will focus on court structure which, though not specific to the

fidelity of JDTC Guideline implementation, is crucial to understanding the processes and

procedures of each court. These areas will include (not exhaustive):

 Youth enrollment procedures (i.e., court admissions process flow)

 Variations from the JDTC model (e.g., co‐occurring courts vs. JDTCs etc.)

 Common State Policies (e.g., state‐mandated assessments etc.)

 # of court dockets and judges, judicial rotation system (as applicable), and interaction

between specialty courts (e.g., transfers)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

12
        

       

                                   

                      

     

                        

          

                  

                   

        

        

         

                   

                          

                

                      

                        

        

                         

                    

   

                          

                         

                        

                       

                     

       

                         

                   

             

                 

         

           

               

       

                             

                               

       

                       

                   

Site Visit General Questions

These questions present the core of the material to be gathered at each site visit. They will be

modified based on site‐specific information and needs prior to each visit.

History and Structure

 When did your JDTC receive its first client (when did it “begin”)?

 Has it been operating continuously?

 Have there been major changes to operations since inception?

 Do you have multiple phases or tracks in your JDTC?

o What are the tracks?

o What are the phases?

 Ask for the program’s phase descriptions.

o Is there a required minimum/maximum duration for time in program?

o What is the average amount of time a youth spends in your program?

 How many clients do you serve each year?

 What is your population’s demographic profile? Is it roughly what you expect?

 When did you receive your JDC Guideline Implementation grant? When did you begin

receiving TTA under it?

 Have you altered your goals/objectives or any major components of the program since

implementation? (i.e., are things different than described in your proposal)

o When/why/replacement plans?

 Are you incorporating any other courts (e.g., Mental Health Courts)? Please detail them.

 Are there any common state policies that apply to the JJ system?

 How do the specialty courts interact (e.g., how do you handle transfers?)

 Under which branch of government does your JDTC operate (State judicial; State

Executive; County, municipal, or local judicial; County, municipal, or local executive;

non‐profit organization; For‐profit organization; other)?

JDC Team, Stakeholders and Judicial Leadership (1,2) 

 Who are the members (individuals and roles) on your JDC team? (minimum: judge,

coordinator, treatment rep, probation rep, states attorney, defense, school, cultural

liaison)

o Have these members changed since the grant award?

o How long have these individuals been in their positions?

o Has staff turnover affected services?

o What is the role of the coordinator?

 Is he/she the POC between judge and team?

o Which members attend staffings?

 Is there a single POC of logistical info for youth to coordinate across multiple service

orgs? If so, who? If not, how does the team coordinate? How do they ensure smooth

communication with the youth?

 How do you communicate across agencies (e.g., between JDTC and treatment)? What

information is shared? How is this information shared across agencies?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

13
        

       

     

               

                

       

       

             

           

       

           

         

                    

     

                           

       

       

               

                         

                           

                 

         

                 

                   

  

                           

     

             

                       

  

                               

  

      

      

  

  

        

         

o What are the barriers?

 Are there multiple judges/dockets?

o Who are the judges? How do they coordinate?

o How long have they been involved with JDTC?

 When are staffings held?

o Frequency, periodicity?

o Relationship to hearing time?

o Do you review all cases at staffing?

o What is the decision making process?

o Who chairs staffing? (judge)

o Does the judge attend all staffings?

 What day/time are court hearings?

 Do you have a court manual for staff? For participants?

o Clearly articulate positions?

o Did each staff member have to sign off on their Position Description? Does it

include role in staffings?

o Role of coordinator clear?

o Describes details (time, frequency, who attends) of staffings?

 How do you identify local service providers or partners (e.g., treatment providers or

boys and girls club, or businesses that want to be involved with prosocial activities)?

o What do you do to involve them in JDTC?

o How effective has that been?

o Who is involved in determining if they can participate?

o Have you added/removed any partners or providers since your proposal?

Accessibility (1)

 Do you provide interpreters for individuals that do not speak English? If so how?

o Youth and family?

 How do you ensure equivalent outcomes across race/ethnicity/gender/sexual

orientation?

 Are there common state/county policies that apply? (e.g., state rules about court

interpreters)

TTA (1)

 Do you have access to the following TTA, if so how/through whom and which have you

utilized:

o SUD and recovery

o EBPs

o Screening and assessment

o TX planning

o Adolescent development

o JDTC philosophy and mission

o Cultural competence (youth and family focus?)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

14
        

  

  

      

          

                       

                           

  

                         

                    

                           

                     

   

       

         

             

           

          

                   

                       

       

                     

         

         

       

         

                     

       

               

                       

     

                       

             

                     

                   

                       

                       

       

o LGBTQI‐GNC needs

o Family engagement

o Trauma informed care

o Contingency management (e.g., incentives and sanctions)

 What did you think about any TTA you received? Quality? Notable outcomes?

o What was the most valuable thing you learned from the TTA you received? Least

valuable?

 Are staff cross trained outside of their discipline? (e.g., probation trained on principles

of trauma‐informed treatment or treatment trained on supervision best practices etc.)

 Ask for a list of the TTA the program (any team members) have received.

Philosophy/Culture and Judicial Leadership (Ask each small group (e.g. probation, treatment,

etc. separately) (1,2)

 Commitment to court philosophy?

 Judge perceived as a leader?

 Participants perception of judge? (non‐judgmental and fair)

 Judge emphasizes youth accountability over judgment?

Eligibility Criteria (3) [Flow Diagram]

 Please walk us through the process of being referred to JDTC

o At what point in the process are youth formally “enrolled” in JDTC?

 How are youth referred?

o How does this work under different circumstances and from different sources?

 What are the formal eligibility criteria?

o Are exceptions made? If so, how/when/why?

o How is non‐violent defined?

 At what point is eligibility determined?

 Who is involved in eligibility assessments? How does that process work?

o How/where is this process documented?

 Has eligibility changed over time? If so, how/why?

 Have you had to work with referring agencies to understand eligibility? Experience?

 Is enrollment voluntary?

o What happens if a youth is eligible but chooses not to enroll?

 Is parental interested considered in enrollment decisions?

o If so, how? To what extent? How are those decisions made?

 How do you ensure that criteria ensure equal access by gender/race/ethnicity/sexual

orientation?

 Are there common state/county policies that apply? (e.g., rules for specialty court

eligibility set by the state? Broader referral policies set by the state etc.)

Screening (3) [Flow Diagram] 

 What screeners are used (SUD/MH/Risk)?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

15
        

                             

                   

                              

                 

                     

     

         

             

                 

       

                       

                 

     

       

                 

   

      

                       

                       

       

               

                 

       

                 

         

             

                         

               

             

         

                   

           

                           

      

o If not a known tool, how where they created/why? What do the users think of

them?

 Are SUD status and risk of reoffending factored in? How?

o What happen to youth who are below the JDTC cut off? Are they still admitted?

 Where in the process does each screening take place?

 Is it automatic for all JJ population or specific of JDTC?

 Who conducts screenings?

 How long do they take?

 Has the screening process changed over time?

 Are there any state/county mandated screenings separate from JDTC?

Assessment (3) [Flow Diagram]

 What assessment tools are used (SUD, MH, Risk of Reoffending, Needs, other)?

 At what point in the process is each tool administered?

 Who conducts each assessment?

o Are they trained/certified, as appropriate?

 How do you assess (if not clear from tools):

o Abuse/trauma/PTSD

o Criminogenic need

o Well being, needs/strengths

o MH

o SUD

 How often are participants reassessed on each dimension? Using what follow up tools?

 Do you use assessment info to inform case management and treatment planning?

o How for each tool?

o How is assessment info shared across team members?

 Are there any state/county mandated assessments separate from JDTC requirements?

Enrollment (3) [Flow Diagram]

 After youth are formally admitted what does “intake” look like?

o Roles/activities?

o How long does this take?

 Timing between referral/screening/enrollment/intake/assessment (and what is the

order)?

o What is the total time from referral to admission to JDTC, on average?

 What are the major barriers to youth enrollment?

o How do you try to mitigate them?

 How do you document enrollment?

 Has any part of the enrollment/intake process changed over time?

o Why? When? And was it an improvement?

 At what point in the process do you consider youth formally “admitted” to JDTC?

SUD Treatment (4)

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

16
        

              

              

                  

                  

      

        

          

                

          

        

                  

                    

                  

          

                  

             

                   

                   

         

                

                           

                   

                   

               

                     

               

             

                 

                        

      

        

        

      

      

                    

               

              

             

   

   

   

 What providers are available for SUD TX?

 How are youth referred to SUD treatment?

 How do you determine which provider sees each youth?

 What is the rough ratio by provider/LOC/modality, on average?

 For each provider:

o What LOCs are available?

o What tx modalities are used?

o Do they offer individual, group, and family therapy?

o What are the service hours?

o Where are they located?

o Do they conduct home visits as part of TX?

o What are the caseloads (for JDTC youth and/or other youth)?

o What is the ratio of JDTC to other youth?

o Has staff turnover affected services?

 How do you/providers ensure that TX is culturally relevant?

 How do you/providers monitor fidelity to EBPs?

 How does the court verify the evidence‐based nature of services?

 How and when do you explain the referral/services to families?

o Is there documentation for this?

 Are assessments always conducted by the agency providing services?

 How do you ensure that TX plans are based on assessment and individualized?

 How does the court verify the evidence‐based nature of services?

 When/how/and how often does the JDTC discuss modality and fidelity expectations?

 How do you ensure that services are culturally appropriate?

 How long is it between court admission (intake) and tx initiation?

o Does this vary by provider? How much? Why?

o What about from assessment to TX initiation?

 What data system(s) do your SUD treatment partners use?

o How long has it been in place? Has it changed over time?

o Who enters data?

o What info is captured?

o Who can access data?

o Frequency of use?

o Strengths/weaknesses of system?

o How do you share this data with the broader team?

 What training is available to SUD TX providers?

MH Treatment and Other Clinical Services (4)

 Do youth have access to services for:

o Mental health

o Trauma

o Family life

o Educational challenges

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

17
        

   

         

       

       

       

                    

                  

          

               

             

                 

             

                 

             

                   

                   

                   

         

                 

           

         

                 

         

                           

                         

                        

      

        

        

      

      

                    

               

        

          

        

      

                

            

            

                  

o Criminal thinking

 For each of the above:

o What organizations provide these services?

o Where are they located?

o Are they evidence based?

o What are the caseloads (for JDTC youth and/or other youth)?

o What is the ratio of JDTC to other youth?

o Has staff turnover affected services?

o Are services available for parents in each area?

o How do youth get referred to services?

o How do parents get referred to services, if applicable?

o How do you coordinate with those providers?

o How do you/providers ensure that services are culturally relevant?

o How do you/providers monitor fidelity to EBPs?

o How does the court verify the evidence‐based nature of services?

o When/how/and how often does the JDTC discuss modality and fidelity

expectations?

 How and when do you explain the referral/services to families?

o Is there documentation for this?

 Do you used a unified treatment plan across providers?

o If so, how is it shared?

o If not, how are services coordinated?

 Do any of the above providers conduct home visits?

o On what frequency/for what reasons?

 For the MAIN agencies (at least: the primary mental health agency and any service

organization that serves the majority of the youth): what data system do use?

o How long has it been in place? Has it changed over time?

o Who enters data?

o What info is captured?

o Who can access data?

o Frequency of use?

o Strengths/weaknesses of system?

o How do you share this data with the broader team?

 What training is available to clinical service providers?

Pro Social Services (4)

 What pro‐social services are offered?

 Which organizations provide which services?

 Is mentoring offered?

 How are referrals made to pro social partners?

 How are new potential partners identified?

 Are partners involved in JDTC planning/decision making?

 If referred, are pro social services required for graduation?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

18
        

                          

                    

                  

                    

   

       

             

          

       

                    

                            

               

             

       

     

                 

                  

                     

                     

                   

                        

            

           

                       

         

         

                       

                        

      

        

        

      

      

                    

            

   

             

               

          

                    

                            

 How are pro social services tracked/monitored? How are they shared with the team?

 What are the caseloads (for JDTC youth and/or other youth)?

 What is the ratio of JDTC to other youth?

 What training is available to providers of pro social services?

Case Management (5)

 Do you provide case management?

 Who provides CM? What agency employs them?

o Has staff turnover affected services?

 What services are provided?

o What are the caseloads (for JDTC youth and/or other youth)?

o What is the ratio of JDTC to other youth? Are CMs dedicated to JDTC?

 How long have these induvial worked with JDTC?

 Are CM and Probation/supervision combined or separate?

 When/how/who develops CM plans?

o Are CM plans individualized?

o If so, how are they informed by assessments above?

o How do you ensure CM plans are culturally appropriate?

 Who coordinates across health/social systems if you are involved in several?

o How is this coordination done with the rest of the team?

 Does someone advocate for youth/family within systems? Who? And How?

 How do you ensure that services are flexible, community‐based, and client oriented?

o In what ways are these challenges?

 How do you approach ongoing CM?

o Do you focus on need or program compliance? How does this manifest?

 Do you conduct home visits?

o On what frequency/for what reasons?

 Do you use CM software? If so, what data system do use?

o How long has it been in place? Has it changed over time?

o Who enters data?

o What info is captured?

o Who can access data?

o Frequency of use?

o Strengths/weaknesses of system?

o How do you share this data with the broader team?

 What training is available to CMs?

Supervision/Probation (5)

 Who provides supervision? What agency employs them?

 How long have these individuals worked with JDTC?

o Has staff turnover affected services?

 What are the caseloads (for JDTC youth and/or other youth)?

 What is the ratio of JDTC to other youth? Are POs dedicated to JDTC?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

19
        

                 

               

       

   

             

         

                       

                     

         

         

                     

                        

      

        

        

      

      

                    

           

      

               

                               

         

       

       

     

                   

     

                   

         

                   

                 

                         

                               

           

        

                 

                 

 How does the PO supervisor relate to the JDTC coordinator?

o How does the JDTC coordinator communicate with POs?

 When/how/who develops supervision plans?

o Are plans individualized?

o If so, how are they informed by assessments above?

 How do you approach ongoing supervision?

o Do you focus on need or program compliance? How does this manifest?

 How do you respond to a youth that “backslides” with use?

 Do you conduct home visits?

o On what frequency/for what reasons?

 Do you have software for probation? What data system do use?

o How long has it been in place? Has it changed over time?

o Who enters data?

o What info is captured?

o Who can access data?

o Frequency of use?

o Strengths/weaknesses of system?

o How do you share this data with the broader team?

 What training is available to POs?

Drug Testing (5)

 Which agencies conduct drug tests for your program’s participants?

o Probation?

o TX?

o Other?

 Are these treated differently? If so, how? (e.g., are all used in court or only some?)

 For each agency that tests,

o What is the testing process/procedure?

o Where are tests conducted?

o Are tests random?

o If not random, are they predictable? What system is used?

o Are tests observed?

o How frequent are the tests? Is this tied to phase?

 How do they change by phase?

o How are you sensitive to trauma your participants may have experienced?

o What is done for missed/failed/tampered tests? Is there a sanction?

o Is spot testing used if use is suspected of being under the influence?

o Is this data entered into a system? Who has access to this system? And how is

this data shared across the team?

Incentives and Sanctions (6)

 Do you have a list of existing incentives/sanctions (I/S)?

o Is there a matrix to match actions to I/S?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

20
        

     

     

                           

         

             

                 

         

           

         

                       

                         

           

               

                     

                             

                     

                 

         

           

           

               

                 

                 

                   

                       

                       

  

                      

              

                      

        

                

                

                  

                 

                      

                          

                

              

                         

  

                  

o Is it graduated?

o Immediate and certain?

 If youth win a prize (or face a consequence), when do they get it?

 Who developed the I/S list?

 Do youth have a say in I/S?

 How are I/S assigned? What is the decision‐making process?

 How do you individualize I/S?

o Do you create an individual list?

 How do you maximize/individualize I/S?

o Do you have a staff member dedicated to seek out new incentives?

o Do you consider youth assessments in I/S selection? Do you consider their goals?

o How do you balance consistency and individualization?

 How do you use praise as an incentive?

 What do you think is your ratio of incentives to sanctions?

o Do you strive for a ratio? If so, what do you do to get there?

 How do you respond to a youth that “backslides” with use?

 Do you consider lack of parental engagement for I/S?

 How often do you use detention?

o How do you avoid using detention?

 Do you use fees as sanctions?

o If yes, why? How was this decision reached?

 Do you think youth perceive the I/S as fair?

o Do you do a youth survey to assess this?

 Do you track the application of I/S in any way?

o If so, do you use this to analyze effectiveness? Or I/S ratio?

 Do clinical staff have a say in I/S to inform clinical soundness?

Family Engagement (7)

 How do you define “family” for the purposes of JDTC participation?

 What do you consider an “engaged family”?

 Based on your own definition, what percentage of families are engaged?

o Thoughts on this result?

 What do you require for parent/family participation in JDTC?

 How do you involve parents in court proceedings?

 What is parents role in supervision? (home and community?)

 What is parents role in TX (SUD and/or other)?

 Do you have a staff member dedicated to lead family engagement?

o Who? What is his/her experience? How long have they been on the job?

 Is there a single JDTC POC for families?

 What are they provided (paperwork) upon enrollment?

 How do you ensure access for non‐English speaking families (paperwork, in court, and

routine comms)?

 What strategies do you use to make family participation easier?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

21
        

        

     

  

                  

         

  

      

  

          

  

              

   

  

        

                               

  

                              

                

              

                

                             

        

          

                  

  

                  

            

                  

  

                                   

   

                      

  

  

      

  

  

                    

                  

                              

          

             

o Timing of court hearings?

o Location of hearings?

o Parental transportation assistance?

 Do you use any of the following, please elaborate:

o Incentives for parents attending staffing

o Parental sanctions

o Parental training classes

o Family therapy

o Parent peers and/or parent liaisons

o Other?

 Do parents receive formal (or informal) assessments for:

o Drug use

o Mental health

o Parenting skills/ role modeling

 If yes to above, do those assessments focus on the effects of those conditions on youth?

How?

 If family TX is a component of youth TX, how do you enforce parental cooperation?

 Is treatment (SUD and/or MH) available for parents?

o If assessed as needed, is it mandatory?

 What role do families/youth have in JDTC management/planning?

o Do they play a role in determining what services are offered or where in the

community they are located?

o How do you accomplish this?

 How would you assess your strengths/weaknesses in family engagement?

Educational Involvement (8)

 Is there a school rep on the JDTC team?

o What is his/her position? Name? Experience?

 Does this person (or another education rep) attending staffings?

o How frequently?

 If there is not a school rep, is there a JDTC staff member who has regular contact with

your participants’ schools?

 Do you track the following and, if so, how? How often?

o Attendance

o Homework completion

o In school behavior

o Grades

o Other?

 Do you have a recovery high school in your jurisdiction?

o If so, do you work with it and how?

 If public secondary school is a bad fit for youth, what other options are there?

o How do you utilize them?

 How are educational goals developed for youth?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

22
        

           

                         

  

                    

                  

                        

               

          

                   

              

              

                  

              

        

                  

                      

            

                      

          

          

            

                  

                

              

              

                          

   

  

         

            

  

  

  

                    

          

                 

      

          

                 

                 

o Where are they codified (tx plan?)

o How are they prioritized by the team and by each component (e.g., CM,

probation etc.)?

 Do you employ any non‐standard methods of communication with schools?

o For example, do you ever hold staffings at school?

Graduation (9) – If there are multiple courts, this applies to each:

 What are your discharge categories? Please explain them.

o Have they changed over time?

o Historically, what % of youth fall into each category?

 How does the JDTC manual document graduation/completion?

 What does the discharge process look like?

 What do youth need to do to successfully complete?

o Is completing tx sufficient for successful graduation?

 What triggers an unsuccessful discharge?

o What is codified about what leads to this result?

o How does the team determine this? How much flexibility is there?

o What steps are used before unsuccessful discharge?

 Can youth voluntarily withdraw once they are enrolled in your program?

 How is successful completion acknowledged?

Evaluation (10) and Data Sharing

 Does the court have an evaluator?

o Is that person in‐house or from an outside organization?

o What data systems do they have access to?

o Are they part of the JDTC team?

o Do they participate in staffings? Other meetings?

 Do you track the following—both currently under your grant and before the grant:

o Program status

o Successful completion

o Recidivism (during and after program)

o Drug use (during and after program)

o Educational enrollment

o Employment status

o Prosocial involvement

 For each of the above, how do you track it?

 Do you conduct analyses for:

o Equal treatment (e.g., disaggregated referral cohort comparing to enrollment

and completion data)

o Success rate and equitable access

o Quality improvement

 Does your program have an electronic management information system?

o If so, which team members have access to it?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

23
        

           

                       

              

                     

                  

              

              

                               

   

                  

   

                   

  

                      

   

                          

   

                  

                  

  

      

        

                  

                  

  

      

  

  

  

            

                

        

     

                        

            

      

                          

  

                     

            

o Which team members use it regularly?

 What sort of management and evaluation reports are routinely generated? How are

they used? What about ad hoc reports?

 What tools are in place to link different agencies within JDTC?

o How are services tracked and coordinated using these systems?

o Particular strengths and weaknesses for cross‐org evaluation?

o Do management or evaluators utilize GAIN ABS tools?

JDTC and TJC Overlap (11) – these questions will be asked in the appropriate sections above

What overlap exists between JDTC and TJC for: 

 Judicial leadership

o Do the same judges preside sometimes? All the time?

 Court staff

o Do any members of the JDTC team also oversee TJC?

 Probation/supervision staff

o Do POs or supervision staff have both JDTC and TJC cases?

 Probation/supervision policies

o Are there common policies for both (put another way, how is JDTC different)?

 SUD treatment

o How does SUD treatment work for youth in TJC?

o Available? Mandatory? When in the process are referrals made?

o Provider overlap?

o Level of Care/modality overlap?

 MH and Other Services

o How does each service work for youth in TJC?

o Available? Mandatory? When in the process are referrals made?

o Provider overlap?

o Level of Care/modality overlap?

 Case Management

o Personnel overlap?

o Policy overlap?

o How is CM different for JDTC

 Drug testing—how is JDTC testing different from TJC testing

o Testing, testers, frequency, etc.

 Incentives and Sanctions

o Does JDTC use the same I/S as TJC? How are they similar/different?

o What are the similarities in application?

 Screenings and assessments

o What parts of the S&A procedures are the same for JDTC and TJC?

 Educational involvement

o How to do courts interact with educational facilities under TJC?

o What parts of JDTC are unique?

 Family Engagement

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

24
        

            

                        

      

                      

         

                        

        

o How are families engaged under TJC?

o Are any of the JDTC policies applicable to TJC? If so, what?

 Pro Social Activities

o Do TJCs involve prosocial activities in the same way as JDTCs?

 How are they similar/different?

 Trainings

o Are any of the JDTC trainings discussed above available to TJC staff?

o Are any trainings state/county mandated?

JDTC Site Visit Protocols

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

25
Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Evaluation

Record Abstraction Specifications

(Updated: 11/30/2018)

For further information contact:

Corey Smith (cnsmith@chestnut.org)

Michael Dennis (mdennis@chestnut.org)

Tab 1 (Main Youth Record) provides a list of the variables that will be collected for the main youth record abstraction

and includes consistency codes for any that are not collected locally, not available (e.g., requiring additional access), or

missing. Data are primarily focused on event prior to enrollment in the JDTC Evaluation study.Tab 2 (Court Transition ‐ Anytime) list of variables for collection of data on youth placement and movement through the

court system. This includes court placement for the JDTC Evaluation as well as transitions before or after study

placement.Tab 3 (SU Treatment ‐ Anytime) provides specifications for a log of youth treatment services, level of care transitions,

and dates of service before, during, and after study assignment.Tab 4 (Bio Testing ‐ Post Assign) contains a list of variables for data collection on urine screens and results from the

period post‐assignment for JDTC Evaluation study.

Tab 5 (Recidivism ‐ Post Assign) provides a list of variables for collection of recidivism data on youth in the main record.

Tab 6 (Value List) gives a list of values for items with a longer response set.Other Record Abstraction Resources (Training Slides, Webinar Recordings, Data Entry Tool)

Available at: https://jdtc.box.com/v/Youth‐Record‐Abstraction

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Main Youth Record (Created after Court Placement)

Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

Record Identifiers

XSITE Grantee Site ID

XLSID Local Site ID

XPID Youth Research IDXYEID Youth Episode ID

XDTRJJS Date of Referral to JJS Pre‐Assignment

XRUDT Record Update Date

Grantee Site ID (2 digit site/county ID number)

Local Site ID ‐ Only needed if youth will be spread to

multiple local locations. If only one location, set as "1" ‐ (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned but still

linked ID during de‐identification).Local Youth ID  ‐ assigned by site to each unique youth in

the site (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned but

still linked ID during de‐identification)

Set to 1 for the first record covering the duration of

involvement in justice system; if the youth comes back in

later in the study the new record would be assigned a 2(and 3 if a third time). This creates a record per youth‐episode, but allows for the reality that the same youth do

come back in multiple time over a period of several years.

the date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) the youth entered the

juvenile justice system; it is also used to claculate the time

to other events (e.g., screening). This is the start date of a

youth JJ episode.

The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) this youth's record was

last updated. Assumes that RC verison is that master copy

and that any updated version of the records (based on this

field) should override earlier verisons.

Demographics at time of entering the Juvenile Justice System

DEMAGE Age Pre‐Assignment Age in years or coded as  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

DEMDOB

DEMGEND

Date of Birth

Gender

Pre‐AssignmentPre‐Assignment

Date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy) If available (to be recoded by

CHS into age in years at intake with 2 decimal places as

part of dentification process).

Gender coded as 1=female, 2=male, 99=other ,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

DEMHISP Hispanic Pre‐Assignment

4 Information MissingHispanic descent coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information notcollected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

DEMRACE Race Pre‐Assignment

Missing

Race coded as 1=Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander,2=Black/African‐American, 3=White/Caucasian, 4=Native

American/Alaskan Native, 5=Other Race, 6=Mixed or

Multiple Races ,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing,

DEMNOTES Demographic Notes Pre‐Assignment Optional open text field for any other information RC want

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

Biological Testing

BIOFLG Biological Testing Flag Pre‐Assignment Prior to youth survey, whether biological testing for

substance use was done on the youth's urine, breath,

saliva, blood, hair or other bio samples at all (detailed infoshould be added in Bio testing database), codes as 1 if yes,

0 if no, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information notaccessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 NotApplicable/Skipped

BIOALC Alcohol Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for alcohol

, coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

BIOAMP Amphetamine Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for

amphetamines (including methamhetampines), coded as 2

for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

BIOCAN Cannabis Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for

cannabis (including marijuana, blunts, hashish and other

forms of THC), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for

invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 NotApplicable/Skipped

BIOCOC Cocaine Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for cocaine

(including powder and crack), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for

negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

BIOOPI Opioid Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for opioids

(including heroin, fentanyl, prescription drug misuse, andillegal methadone), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative,

0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information

not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

BIOOTH Other Drug Results Pre‐Assignment Whether the biological samples tested positive for other

drugs (anyhing other than alcohol, amphetamine,

cannabis, cocaine, or opioids) ‐ coded as 2 for positive, 1for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

BIONT Biological Testing Notes Pre‐Assignment Optional open text field for any other information

Substance U

SUSCRFLG

se Screening

Substance Use Screen Flag Pre‐Assignment Whether the youth was screened for substance use

problems prior to or day of youth survey (including study

eligibility screening) , coded as 1 if yes, 0 if no, ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

SUSCRDT

SUSCRTYPE

SUSCRPOS

SU Screen Date

SU Screen Type

SU Screen positive

Pre‐Assignment

Pre‐Assignment

Pre‐Assignment

The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) on the most recent

screener prior to the youth survey

Name or type of screener coded as from list A of screener

and assessment types

Screening indicated need for substance use treatment,

based on instrument specific interpretation guidelines;coded 1 if yes, 0 if no, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

SUSCRNT SU SCR notes Pre‐Assignment Optional open text field for any other information; Can

indicate local names of instruments or if a package of

multiple instruments were used here

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

Risk of Recidivism

RRFLG Recidivisim Assessment Pre‐Assignment Whether youth was assessed for recidivism risk prior to

Flag youth survey. Coded as 1 if yes, 0 if no, ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing

RRTYPE Recidivisim Assessment Pre‐Assignment Type of recidivism risk assessment done, coded from List C

Type

RRCAT Recidivism Risk Level Pre‐Assignment Recidivism risk level, coded as 4=very high, 3=high,

2=medimum, 1=low,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

RRNT Recidivism Risk Notes Pre‐Assignment Open text field to enter any other information

Other Source of Information on Needs

OTHSUPOS Other SU Positive Pre‐Assignment Any indications of SU Treatment need other than youth

survey or SU screener. Coded as 0 if no other indicationsof treatment need, 1=judicial mandate, 2=other staff

recommendations, 4=Family Recommendation, 99=other

(describe in notes)

OTHNT Other Positive Notes Pre‐Assignment Optional open text field for any other information

Charges at time of entering the Juvenile Justice System (XDTRJJS)

CHRGCNTXT Charge Event Context Pre‐Assignment For the charges being described, what is the context of the

charges, coded as 1=arrest, 2=adjudication, 99=Other,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing

CHRGCNTXTDT Charge Event Date Pre‐Assignment The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of charge related

event.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

CHRGVO Violent Charge Pre‐Assignment Violent offense against a person ( including homicide,

rape, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, other

violent sex offenses), coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

CHRGPO Property Charge Pre‐Assignment

4 Information Missing

Property offense (including burglary, larceny‐theft, motor

vehicle, theft, arson, vandalism, trespassing, shoplifting),

coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

CHRGAOD AOD Related Charge Pre‐Assignment Alcohol or drug law violations (including driving under the

influence, distribution, manufacture, public intoxication,

possession), coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

CHRGPPV Porb or Parole Violation Pre‐Assignment

MissingProbation or parole violations, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

CHRGWO Weapons Offense Pre‐Assignment

4 Information Missing

Weapons offenses, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information

not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4

CHRGOSO Other Status Offense Pre‐Assignment

Information MissingOther status offenses, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

CHRGOTH Other Charges Pre‐Assignment

4 Information Missing

Other charges (Please Specify in Notes), coded as 1=yes,

0=no,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

CHRGMLEV Charge Maximum Level Pre‐Assignment Charge Maximum Level, coded as 1=Felony,

2=Misdemeanor, 3=Summary/Citation, 4=Status,

99=Other, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

CHRGNT Charge Notes Pre‐Assignment Open text field to enter information on local charges

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

Status prior to intake and study court assignment

STATJJ JJ Status before intake Pre‐Assignment JJ System status immediately prior to study participation

court assignment, coded as 0=New from community,1=Probation, 2=Other/Informal Community Supervision,3=Diversion without Community Supervision, 4=Child in

need of supervision (CHIN, PIN, CIN, FINS), 5=Juvenile DrugCourt, 6=Pre‐adjudication Detention, 7=Post‐adjudication

Detention, 8=Other or Multiple Statuses (please describe

in notes field for other/mutiple), ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

STATNT Status Notes Pre‐Assignment Open text field to enter other information

Court Placem

CRTASSIGN

CRTTYPE

ent (for study court placem

Court assignment RDD/RA

Type of court

ent)

Assignment

Assignment

Type of court assigned to based on RDD or RA assignment

protocol, coded as, 1=Juvenile Drug Treatment Court

(JDTC), 2=Traditional Juvenile Court (TJC),  ‐1 Informationnot collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4

Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable

Type of court youth was placed with for study coded as,

1=Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (JDTC), 2=Traditional

Juvenile Court (TJC) , 99=Other (specify in notes),  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

CRTID

CRTPLCDT

Placement Court ID

Date placed with court

AssignmentAssignment

Identificaiton number for Court youth was placed with for

study (2 digit number, starting with "1" for JDTC, and "2"

for TJC).

The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of assignment to

specific court.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

CRTNT Court Notes field Assignment An open text field for any other record notes sites want to

put here.

Referral to Substance Use Treatment

REFFLAG Referral to Treatment Flag Post‐Assignment Whether youth was referred for substance use treatment,

coded as 1=yes, 0=no,   ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

REFDT Referral to Treatment Post‐Assignment The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) the youth was first

Date referred for substance use treatment; will be used to

calculate whether within time window.

REFNT Referral Notes Post‐Assignment Optional open text field for any other information

Record Close Out

XADJDT Adjudication Date Any time The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of an adjudication

hearing or disposition of case for the current JJ referral.

XADJFLG Adjudicated Delinquent Any time Whether youth was adjudicated delinquent, coded as 0 if

Flag no, 1 if yes (adjudicated delinquent), 2 if case is still

pending,  ‐1 Information not collected,   ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

XADJCHRGLEV Adjudication Maximum Any time Charge Maximum Level of charges youth was adjudicated

Charge Level delinquent for (if any), coded as 1=Felony,

2=Misdemeanor, 3=Summary/Citation, 4=Status,99=Other, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label

Data Source

Timeframe Description

XECFLG

XECDT

XRNT

Episode Closed Flag

Episode Close Date

Record Notes

Whether the episode has closed (youth completed current

JJ referral episode) or remains open. Episode should bemarked as closed if a new referral episode is begun. Coded

1 for Closed, 0 for open.  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) this youth was released

from the current JJ referral episode or a new referral has

begun (starting a new referral espisode row).

An open text field for any other record notes RC want to

put here.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Court Placement Data: Any Time in JJ Episode

(by court transition if youth transitions before, after, and during assignment for study)

Variable Variable Label Description

XSITE Grantee Site ID Grantee Site ID

XLSID Local Site ID Local Site ID ‐ (CHS will replace this with a randomly

assigned but still linked ID during de‐identification).

XLYID Local Youth ID Local Youth ID  ‐ assigned by site to each unique youth in

the site (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned but

still linked ID during de‐identification)

CRTID Court ID Court ID ‐   (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned

but still linked ID during de‐identification).

CRTNAME Court name Court name or division.

CRTPLCDT Date placed with court The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of assignment to

specific court.

CRTTYPE Type of court Type of court youth was assigned to coded as, 1=Juvenile

Drug Treatment Court (JDTC), 2=Traditional Juvenile Court

(TJC) , 99=Other (specify in notes),  ‐1 Information notcollected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

CRTREFSRC Referral source to court Source of referral to the JJ court system, coded as 1=Pre‐

trial investigation, 2=Pre‐sentence investigation, 3=Formal

Court Staff Case review, 4=Prosecutor referral, 5=Referral

from other attorney, 5=other staff recommendation,

6=other family recommendation, 99=other (pleasedescribe in notes),  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2Information not accessible, or ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5

Not Applicable/Skipped

CRTJDGID Judge ID Identification number for assigned judge.

CRTJDGNAME Judge/Magistrate name Name of judge or magistrate overseeing assigned court.

CRTCLDT Close date of episode/case. The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) the current court

case/episode with this court ended.

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

CRTCLDES Court case/episode youth destination. upon completion of court episode, youth

discharged/transfer destination, coded as 0=still in court;

1=completed and discharged to the community,

2=suspended sentence, 3=transferred to (another) juvenile

drug treatment court (JDTC), 4= transferred to (another)

traditional juvenile court (TJC), 5=transferred to adult

court, 6=transferred to other court (please describe in

notes) , 7=transferred to long term detention, 99=other

(please describe in notes),  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, or ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5

Not Applicable/Skipped

CRTNT Court Notes field An open text field for any other record notes sites want to

put here.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Treatment and Transition Data:

Any Time During JJ Epidose (record by episode of treatment)

Variable Variable Label Description

XSITE Grantee Site ID Grantee Site ID

XLSID Local Site ID Local Site ID ‐ (CHS will replace this with a randomly

assigned but still linked ID during de‐identification).

XLYID Local Youth ID Local Youth ID  ‐ assigned by site to each unique youth in

the site (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned but

still linked ID during de‐identification)

TXSID Local SU Tx Provider ID Local Site Provider ID ‐ assigned by the site to each service

provider within the juvenile justice system site. (CHS willreplace this with a randomly assigned but still linked ID

during de‐identification)

TXADMTYPE Treatment admission type Relation of episode of treatment to youth entrance into

the study. Coded as 0 if treatement episode began prior tothe youth survey, 1=Index adminssion (first SU treatment

admission after youth survey), 2=Other post youth survey

treatment connected to court assignment, 3=treatment

after completion of court assignment.

TXINTDT Treatment Intake Date The Date the youth started this episode of substance use

treatment; used to calculate initiation within time window

TXINTSTAT Intake Status 1=New admission from community, 2=Readmission

within 30 days of the previous discharge, 3=External

transfer from another substance abuse treatment agency,

4=Internal transfer from a substance abuse treatment unit

within the same agency, 5=Transfer from the juvenile

justice/criminal justice system, 6=Transfer from another

controlled environment, 98=Unspecified or unknown,

99=Other.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

TXLOC Tx Level of Care

TxTYPE Treatment TypeTXDISCSTAT Program Discharge Status

TXDISDT Treatment Discharge Date

TXNT Treatment Notes

Level of care coded as 1=outpatient, 2=intensive

outpatient/day program, 3=group home,4=residential/inpatient, 99=other (specify in notes),  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/SkippedName or type of treatment coded as from treatment types

(see list B);

Is youth still in treatment, or description of destination

upon discharge back to community or other treatment

(see list of option in tab 6. Value Labels)

The Date the youth was discharged from currenttreatment episode; used to calculate engagement and

continuing care.

Optional open text field for any other information on

treatment type.

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Biological Testing Data: Post Assignment

(record by test, can have multiple records per youth for each test)

Variable Variable Label Description

XSITE Grantee Site ID Grantee Site ID

XLSID Local Site ID Local Site ID ‐ (CHS will replace this with a randomly

assigned but still linked ID during de‐identification).

XCRTID Court ID Court ID ‐   (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned

but still linked ID during de‐identification).

XLPID Local Provider ID Local Site Provider ID ‐ assigned the site to each service

provider within the juvenile justice system site; if testing

done by juvenile justice system, set to 0. (CHS will replace

this with a randomly assigned but still linked ID during de‐

identification)

XLYID Local Youth ID Local Youth ID  ‐ assigned by site to each unique youth in

the site (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned butstill linked ID during de‐identification)

BIOTYPE Biological Test Type Biological test type coded as 1=urine, 2=breath, 3=saliva,

4=blood, 5=hair, 99=other (specify in notes),  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped; Note

can have multiple tests on the same date by entering more

than one row.

BIOLOC Biological Test Location Biological test location coded as 1=off‐site laboratory,

2=on‐site laboratory, 3=on‐site test, 4=monitoring device,

99=other (specify in notes), ‐1 Information not collected, ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5

Not Applicable/Skipped; Note can have multiple tests on

the same date by entering more than one row

BIOSMPLDT Biological Sample Date Biological sample date coded in MM/DD/YYYY format

based on the date the sample was taken.

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

BIOTRDT Biological Results Date Biological test results date coded in MM/DD/YYYY format

based on the date the test results were returned; longer

difference between sample and test result datesassociated with less impact on youth.

BIOALC Alcohol Results Whether the biological samples tested positive for alcohol

, coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

BIOAMP Amphetamine Results

BIOCAN Cannabis Results

BIOCOC Cocaine Results

BIOOPI Opioid Results

Whether the biological samples tested positive for

amphetamines (including methamhetampines), coded as 2for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing, ‐5 Not Applicable/SkippedWhether the biological samples tested positive for

cannabis (including marijuana, blunts, hashish and otherforms of THC), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative, 0 for

invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 NotApplicable/Skipped

Whether the biological samples tested positive for cocaine

(including powder and crack), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for

negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

Whether the biological samples tested positive for opioids

(including heroin, fentanyl, prescription drug misuse, andillegal methadone), coded as 2 for positive, 1 for negative,

0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Informationnot accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

BIOOTH Other Drug Results Whether the biological samples tested positive for other

drugs (anyhing other than alcohol, amphetamine,

cannabis, cocaine, or opioids) ‐ coded as 2 for positive, 1

for negative, 0 for invalid, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

BIONT Biological Testing Notes Optional open text field for any other information; Can

indicate types of tests done and/or any other substances

used (e.g., K2) here.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Recidivism Data: Post Assignment

(record first event and set of charges subsequent to date of youth recruitment to study)

Variable Variable Label Description

XSITE Grantee Site ID Grantee Site ID

XLSID Local Site ID Local Site ID ‐ (CHS will replace this with a randomly

assigned but still linked ID during de‐identification).

XLYID Local Youth ID Local Youth ID  ‐ assigned by site to each unique youth in

the site (CHS will replace this with a randomly assigned but

still linked ID during de‐identification)

R_CHRGCNTXT Charge Event Context For the charges being described, what is the context of the

charges, coded as 1=arrest, 2=adjudication, 99=Other,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing

R_CHRGCNTXTDT Charge Event Date The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of charge related

event.

R_CHRGVO Violent Charge Violent offense against a person ( including homicide,

rape, robbery, aggravated assault, simple assault, other

violent sex offenses), coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

4 Information Missing

R_CHRGPO Property Charge Property offense (including burglary, larceny‐theft, motor

vehicle, theft, arson, vandalism, trespassing, shoplifting),

coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2

Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

R_CHRGAOD AOD Related Charge Alcohol or drug law violations (including driving under the

influence, distribution, manufacture, public intoxication,

possession), coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information not

collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information

Missing

R_CHRGPPV Porb or Parole Violation Probation or parole violations, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Page 21 of 28

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Variable Variable Label Description

R_CHRGWO

R_CHRGOSOR_CHRGOTH

R_CHRGMLEV

R_XADJDT

R_XADJFLGR_XADJCHRGLEV

R_CHRGNT

Weapons Offense Weapons offenses, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1 Information

not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐4

Other Status Offense

Information MissingOther status offenses, coded as 1=yes, 0=no,  ‐1

Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not accessible, ‐

Other Charges

4 Information MissingOther charges (Please Specify in Notes), coded as 1=yes,

0=no,  ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

Charge Maximum Level

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing

Charge Maximum Level, coded as 1=Felony,2=Misdemeanor, 3=Summary/Citation, 4=Status,

99=Other, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

Adjudication Date

Adjudicated Delinquent Flag

Adjudication Maximum Charge

Level

The Date (in MM/DD/YYYY format) of an adjudicationhearing or disposition of case for the current JJ referral.

Whether youth was adjudicated delinquent, coded as 0 if

no, 1 if yes (adjudicated delinquent), 2 if case is still

pending,  ‐1 Information not collected,   ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 NotApplicable/Skipped

Charge Maximum Level of these new charges youth was

adjudicated delinquent for (if any), coded as 1=Felony,

2=Misdemeanor, 3=Summary/Citation, 4=Status,

99=Other, ‐1 Information not collected,  ‐2 Information not

accessible, ‐4 Information Missing, ‐5 Not

Applicable/Skipped

Charge Notes Open text field to enter information on local charges

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Page 22 of 28

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
[Lists of values below are used in validation for the forms or data and/or for syntax. These are

the cross‐site codes onto which local system codes (which will vary) should be mapped onto. We

can add more if needed. ]

List

List A value label list: Type of Screeners\a or Clinical Assessments\b where those in blue are

typically used ONLY for assessment (not a screener)

Value Value Label

0 Not screened or assessed1 1 Our agency uses a local measure we created or borrowed from another agency2 2 Addiction Severity Index (ASI)3 3 Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Involvement Scale (AADIS)

4 4 Adolescent Drinking Index (ADI)5 5 Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument

6 6 Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (A‐OCDS)7 7 Assessment of Substance Misuse in Adolescence (ASMA)

8 8 Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS)9 9 Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)

10 10 CAGE (Cut‐down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye‐opener)11 11 Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale

12 12 Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)

13 13 Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA)

14 14 Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI)

15 15 Comprehensive Adolescent Severity Index (CASI)

16 16 CRAFFT (Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble)

17 17 Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA)

18 18 DISC ‐ Predictive Scales (DPS)19 19 DISC ‐ Other scales20 20 Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)21 21 Drug Abuse Screening Test–Adolescents (DAST‐A)

22 22 Fagerstorm Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND)23 23 Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Initial (GAIN‐I)

24 24 Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Quick Version 3 (GAIN‐Q3)

25 25 Global Appraisal of Individual Needs–Short Screener (GAIN‐SS)

26 26 Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC)

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Value Value Label

27 27 Jesness Inventory‐Revised (JI‐R)28 28 Kiddie‐Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia

(Kiddie‐SADS)

29 29 Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument‐2 (MAYSI‐2)

30 30 Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST)

31 31 Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI)

32 32 Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI)33 33 Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory‐III (MCMI‐III)34 34 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory‐Adolescent (MMPI‐A)

35 35 Ohio Youth Assessment System (OYAS)36 36 Practical Adolescent Dual Diagnostic Interview (PADDI)

37 37 Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC‐35)

38 38 Personal Experience Inventory (PEI)39 39 Personal Experience Screening Questionnaire (PESQ)

40 40 Personality Inventory for Youth (PIY)

41 41 Problem Oriented Screening Inventory for Teenagers (POSIT)

42 42 Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors (PSL‐AB)

43 43 Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM)

44 44 Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI)

45 45 Scales for Predicting Successful Inclusion (SPSI)

46 46 Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN)

47 47 Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)

48 48 Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV (SCID)

49 49 Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)

50 50 Symptom Checklist‐90‐Revised (SCL‐90R)

51 51 TCU Criminal Thinking Scales (TCU CTS)

52 52 TCU Drug Screen II (TCUDS)

53 53 TCU HIV/Hepatitis Risk Form (TCU HVHPF)

54 54 Teen Addiction Severity Index (T‐ASI)

55 55 Youth Self‐Report (YSR)

99 99 Other standardized instruments related to substance use, HIV or other behavioral

health problems or combinations of instruments (please specify in notes field)

‐1 ‐1 Information Not Collected

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Value Value Label

‐2 ‐2 Information Not Accessible

‐4 ‐4 Information Missing

‐5 ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

\a A screening instrument is a relatively brief standard set of questions designed to identify

youth who may be at high risk of having disorders that warrant brief intervention, more

comprehensive assessment, or immediate referral for treatment. It does not require

professional staff to administer, but may need professional staff to interpret.

\b Formal clinical assessments are more comprehensive and multidimensional than

screening instruments and are designed to support diagnosis, placement and treatment

planning related to substance use disorders, HIV risk, and mental health disorders.

Formal clinical assessments are typically conducted by trained professionals.

List B value label list: Type of Substance Use Treatment, where those in Blue are typically used

to also treat co‐occurring mental health

Value Value Label

0 0 No substance use treatment provided

1 1 Locally developed treatment program(s)

11 11 Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A‐CRA)

12 12 Adolescent Portable Therapy (APT)

13 13 Assertive Continuing Care (ACC)14 14 Behavior Management through Adventure

15 15 Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT)

16 16 Chestnut Health Systems Outpatient (CHS‐OP)

17 17 Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) w/o MET

18 18 Contingency Management /Motivational Incentives

19 19 Family Behavior Therapy (FBT)

20 20 Functional Family Therapy (FFT)21 21 Family Matters22 22 Family Support Network (FSN)

23 23 Mapping Enhanced Counseling (MEC)24 24 Marijuana Checkup

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Value Value Label

25 25 Motivational Enhancement Therapy with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MET/CBT)

26 26 Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) w/o CBT27 27 Motivational Interviewing (MI)

28 28 Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)

29 29 Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC)

30 30 Multisystemic Therapy (MST)

31 31 Not On Tobacco (N‐O‐T)

32 32 Operation New Hope (aka Lifeskills ’95)33 33 Parenting with Love and Limits (PLL)

34 34 Phoenix House Academy

35 35 Project ASSERT (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services Education and Referral to

Treatment)

36 36 Residential Student Assistance Program (RSAP)

37 37 Seeking Safety38 38 Seven Challenges (7C)

39 39 Teen Intervene99 99 Other substance use treatment program(s) (Please describe in notes)

‐1 ‐1 Information Not Collected

‐2 ‐2 Information Not Accessible

‐4 ‐4 Information Missing

‐5 ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

List C value label list: Type of Recidivism Risk Assessment

Value Value Label

0 0 Site does NOT determine risk of recidivism

1 1 Staff rating based on their professional experience2 2 Type of offense

3 3 Locally created measure4 4 Council of Juvenile Correction Administrators (CJCA) Standards

5 5 Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS)

6 6 Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN)

7 7 Joint Risk Matrix (JRM)8 8 Level of Service Inventory Revised (LSI‐R)

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Page 26 of 28

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Value Value Label

9 9 North Carolina Assessment of Risk (NCAR)

10 10 Orange County Risk Assessment (OCRA)11 11 Positive Achievement Change Tool (PACT)

12 12 Psychopathy Check List Revised (PCL‐R)

13 13 Psychopathy Checklist – Youth Version (PCL‐YV)

14 14 Washington State Juvenile Court Assessment (WSJCA)15 15 Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI)

16 16 Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI)

17 17 Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System (JAIS)

99 99 Other measure (Please specify in notes)

‐1 ‐1 Information Not Collected

‐2 ‐2 Information Not Accessible

‐4 ‐4 Information Missing

‐5 ‐5 Not Applicable/Skipped

Program Discharge Status

0 Still in treatment.1 Completed treatment and discharged to the community.

21 Internal transfer to the next level of care for substance abuse treatment within the same

agency.

22 External referral to the substance abuse treatment program in another agency.

23 Transfer to medical treatment.24 Transfer to psychiatric care.

25 Transfer to juvenile justice/criminal justice agency.

26 Other transfers.31 At staff request/disciplinary.41 Against medical advice  ‐ Away without leave or runaway.

42 Against medical advice  ‐ individual or family choice.

43 Against medical advice  ‐ insurance or benefit.44 Against medical advice  ‐ juvenile justice/criminal justice agency request.45 Against medical advice  ‐ transfer to other agency request.

97 Death.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Value Value Label

98 Unspecified or unknown.

99 Other

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Page 28 of 28

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDTC Cross-Site Evaluation Study Youth Survey Baseline 

Youth Survey (v. 1.1.11) 

Site ID [XSITE]: .......... |__|__|__|__|__|__| Local Site Name [XSITEa]: ...... |__|__|__|__|__|__| 

Staff ID [XSID]: ...........|__|__|__|__|__|__| Staff Initials [XSIN]: .................|__|__|__| 

Part. ID [XPID]: ...........|__|__|__|__|__|__| Last Name [XPNAM]: __________________________ 

First Name: ____________________ M.I.: ________ 

Observation [XOBS]: ................|__|__| v. ___________________________________________ 

Edit Staff ID [XEDSID]:............|__|__|__|__|__|__| Edit Date [XEDDT]:..... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| 

Data Entry Staff ID [XDESID]:. |__|__|__|__|__|__| Key Date [XDEDT]:..... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| 

Copyright Information 

This instrument includes several copyrighted instruments (GAIN, MHC-SF, FFM) that we have obtained 

permission to use for the purpose of this cross-site evaluation of the JDTC project (2014-DC-BX-K001). For any 

other use, please request information or permission from Dr. Dennis at mdennis@chestnut.org or 309-451-7801. 

For Staff Use Only 

A1. Exclusion Checklist (Check all that apply) Yes No NA 

a. Youth not between ages 14-17 1 0 -4 

b. Youth not eligible for TJC (default juvenile court with judge) 1 0 -4 

c. Youth not eligible for JDTC (RA only – Check -4/NA in RD sites) 1 0 -4 

d. Youth convicted of a violent offense 1 0 -4 

e. Youth expected to leave community within the next 12 months 1 0 -4 

f. Youth expected to be sent to long term detention for 90 days or more 1 0 -4 

g. Currently no capacity in JDTC 1 0 -4 

h. Other reason local jurisdiction does not want youth in the evaluation study 

(Please give reason for exclusion below) 

v._______________________________________________________ 

1 0 -4 

If any box checked YES above, STOP – the youth is not eligible for the study 

A2. Consent Checklist Yes No NA 

a. Has youth assented to participate? (If no, please give reason below) 

v._______________________________________________________ 

1 0 -4 

b. Has parent or guardian consented to participate? (If no, please give reason 

below) 

v._______________________________________________________ 

1 0 -4 

Unless both boxes are checked yes above, STOP – youth does not (yet) have permission to be in the study 

YS 1.1.11 1 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

For Staff Use Only 

A3. 

A3a. 

A3c. 

Administrative Information 

Time: ......... |__|__| : |__|__| HH:MM ........................................A3b. |__|__| (AM/PM) 

Today’s Date [XOBSDT]: ............................... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| (MM/DD/YYYY) 

Introduction 

Purpose: This survey is designed to help us track how you are doing before, during and after your participation in 

the juvenile justice system and any services you may receive. The information we collect will be used to 

determine which court you will go to, help treatment service providers help you, and help us to evaluate the court. 

Format: This survey has questions about what you have been doing and what services you are using. You will be 

able to say you do not know or refuse to answer any question that you do NOT want to answer. 

Length: The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. You will be able to take a break if you need to. 

Privacy: Your answers will be used to make court assignment decisions, recommend services that you may need, 

and to evaluate if the court is providing services that help youth. Your answers are private and your 

confidentiality is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability 

Act (HIPAA) of 1996. 

Confidentiality: A research ID (not your name) will be used on this survey. We have obtained a “Privacy 

Certificate.” This means that we cannot be forced to give out any information to anyone about you, including 

whether you are in this study. We will, however, share information about you for two reasons: if you tell us you 

are going to hurt yourself or someone else or if you tell us someone is hurting you. 

The staff who work on this research study have been trained and are required to follow federal laws that protect 

your information. Your survey responses will only be used to help with court placement and substance use 

treatment services. The Court has agreed NOT to let anything you say in the interview to be used against you in 

court. Your answers are combined with those of many other individuals so that when a report is written only 

group data are reported. 

Second, officials from the federal government have the right to audit us to check to make sure we have protected 

your safety and accurately reported what we have done. 

Any questions? 

YS 1.1.11 2 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

A4. Timeframe Anchoring 

Several questions will ask you about things that have happened during the past month, 90 days and 6 

months. To help you remember this time period, please look at the calendar. First, let's find today's date 

and circle it. 

Next, count back 30 days to about a month ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was going 

on about (DATE A MONTH AGO)? 

(PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT. IF UNABLE TO RECALL: Do you remember any birthdays, holidays, 

sporting or other special events that happened around (DATE A MONTH AGO)? Did anything change in terms of 

where you were living, who you were with, whether you were in treatment, work, school or jail? Where were you 

living then? Were you in treatment, working, in school, or involved with the law then?) 

A4a. Record anchor for Past Month: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past month, we are talking about things that have 

happened since about (NAME PAST MONTH ANCHOR). 

Next, count back 13 weeks to about 90 days ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was 

going on about (DATE 90 DAYS AGO)? (PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT). 

A4b. Record anchor for 90 Days ago: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past 90 days, we are talking about things that 

have happened since about (NAME 90 DAYS AGO ANCHOR). 

Next, count back 6 months to about 182 days ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was 

going on about (DATE 6 MONTHS AGO)? (PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT). 

A4c. Record anchor for 6 Months ago: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past 6 months, we are talking about things that 

have happened since about (NAME 6 MONTH ANCHOR). 

Please keep this calendar handy and use it as we go through the survey to help you remember when 

different things happened. 

You may not always know the exact answer to each question, but I would like you to give me your best 

guess if you can. You can also tell me if you need me to explain something, simply do not know or if you 

do not want to or refuse to answer any questions. It is important that you try to answer each question if 

you can and are willing to. 

Do you have any questions before we begin? 

A5. Would you rather try to do the questionnaire on your own or have me help you by asking the questions? 

On own (still proctored)...............................1 

Ask questions ..........................................2 

(ONLY IF DOING AS INTERVIEW: As we go through the questionnaire, I will read the questions and 

record your answers.) 

YS 1.1.11 3 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

B. Background Information (Enrollment only) 

In this first section, I am going to ask you some very basic questions about yourself. 

B1. What is your gender? 

Male........................................................................1 

Female...................................................................... 2 

Transgender (Male to Female).......................................... 4 

Transgender (Female to Male).......................................... 5 

Other (Please describe)..................................................99 

v. _________________________________________________________ 

B2. What is your date of birth?........................................................................ |__|__| / |__|__| / |__|__|__|__|

 Month Day Year 

B2a. How old are you today? ........................................................... |__|__| [IF 18 OR OVER, GO 

Age TO B3a] 

B2b. Who currently has legal custody of you? (Would you say...) 

v. _________________________________________________ 

(Clarify and code) 

Parents living together...................................................1 

Parents who are separated but share custody..........................2 

One parent (even if living with stepparent)...........................3 

Other family members...................................................4 

Legally emancipated minor living on your own......................5 

Runaway/on own (without legal emancipation)......................6 

County/State (foster home or protective services)................. 7 

Juvenile or correctional institution..................................... 8 

Other (Please describe in B2bv).................................... 99 

YS 1.1.11 4 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

B3a. Which races, ethnicities, nationalities or tribes best describe you? (Any others?) 

(Please record and select all that apply below for coding) 

v1. _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________ 

(If possible, please select at least one race.) MENTIONED 

Yes No 

1. Alaskan Native (Please record tribe in B3av1)..................... 1 0 

2. Asian........................................................................1 0 

3. Black/African American.................................................1 0 

4. White/ Caucasian....................................................... 1 0 

5. Hispanic, Latino or Chicano.............................................1 0 

a. Puerto Rican..................................................... 1 0 

b. Mexican.......................................................... 1 0 

c. Cuban............................................................. 1 0 

e. Dominican........................................................ 1 0 

f. Other Central American ........................................1 0 

g. Other South American..........................................1 0 

z. Other (Please describe in B3av1)............................ 1 0 

6. Native American (Please record tribe in B3av1)...................1 0 

7. Native Hawaiian.......................................................... 1 0 

8. Pacific Islander ........................................................... 1 0 

99. Some other group (Please describe in B3av1)........................1 0 

B3b. Do you currently have significant sexual or romantic attractions mostly to... 

(Select one) 

the opposite sex?.............................................................................1 

the same sex?..................................................................................2 

both males and females?.................................................................3 

neither males or females?............................................................... 5 

not sure?..........................................................................................6 

or something else? (Please describe)..................................99 

v. _________________________________________________ 

B4. What is the last grade or year that you completed in school? 

(NOTE: Use 12 for high school or GED)....................................... |__|__| 

Grade 

YS 1.1.11 5 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

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necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

Please answer the next questions with how many times. 

B5. In your lifetime, how many times have you started (been 

admitted to) treatment or counseling for your use of 

alcohol, cannabis or any other drugs?......................................................... |__|__| Times 

B6. In your lifetime, how many times have you been arrested and charged 

with a crime? Please include all the times this happened, even if you 

were then released or the charges were dropped. ....................................... |__|__|__| Times 

B7. In your lifetime, how many times were you found guilty by a court? 

(being adjudicated as an adolescent or convicted as an adult)? ............... |__|__|__| Times 

YS 1.1.11 6 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

WB. Wellbeing 

Please answer the following questions about how you have been feeling during the past 

month using Card W as (0) never, (1) once or twice, (2) about once a week, (3) 2 to 3 

times per week, (4) almost every day, or (5) every day. 

NeverOnce or twice About once a week 2-3 times per week Almost every dayEvery day 

0 1 2 3 4 5 

MHC-SF WB. During the month, how often did you feel ... 

1. happy................................................................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

2. interested in life...................................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

3. satisfied with life..................................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

4. that you had something important to contribute to society.................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

5. that you belonged to a community (like a social group, your school, or your 0 1 2 3 4 5 neighborhood)....................................................................................... 

6. that our society is a good place, or is becoming a better place, for all people.............. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

7. that people are basically good..................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

8. that the way our society works made sense to you............................................. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

9. that you liked most parts of your personality.................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

10. good at managing the responsibilities of your daily life....................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

11. that you had warm and trusting relationships with others...................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

12. that you had experiences that challenged you to grow and become a better person........ 0 1 2 3 4 5 

13. confident to think or express your own ideas and opinions.................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

14. that your life has a sense of direction or meaning to it.......................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

YS 1.1.11 7 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

FE. Family Environment 

The next set of questions is about your family. In this case, family refers to anyone you consider as your family. It 

may include individuals with whom you have a blood or legal connection, but it does not have to include these 

individuals. You may or may not have a blood or legal tie with anyone you currently consider your family. Do 

you have any questions? 

All families have strengths and weaknesses and for these items there are no right or wrong 

answers. Using Card FE, please respond if each statement about your family is (0) never 

true, (1) sometimes true, (2) true about half the time, (3) mostly true, or (4) always true. 

FEE FE1. During the past month,... 

a. Adults in our family make home a safe place for kids..................................... 1 2 3 4 

b. No matter how hard it gets, in our family, we don't give up on each other.............. 0 1 2 3 4 

c. We stick together in our family................................................................ 0 1 2 3 4 

d. Family members do things for each other (like watching the kids, cooking, cleaning).. 0 1 2 3 4 

e. In our family, when a person needs to talk, someone will listen........................... 0 1 2 3 4 

f. When people in our family need something (like food, money, clothes, a ride), they 0 1 2 3 4 can get it from someone in the family.......................................................... 

g. Our family treats each other with respect.................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

h. People in our family share the work of keeping things going............................... 0 1 2 3 4 

j. Our family has fun together.................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

k. People in our family get along with each other.............................................. 0 1 2 3 4 Never true of us Sometimes true Half of the time true Mostly true Always true of us 

0 

(Please continue using Card FE and responding if each of the following statements about 

your family is (0) never true, (1) sometimes true, (2) true about half the time, (3) mostly 

true, or (4) always true.) 

FEI FE2. During the past month ... 

a. Family members tell each other how to run their lives..................................... 1 2 3 4 

b. People in our family argue with each other................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

c. Family members break promises to each other................................................ 0 1 2 3 4 

d. Family members lie to each other.............................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

e. If family members tell the kids they can't do something, another family member will 0 1 2 3 4 tell them they can................................................................................. 

f. People in our family stay angry at each other for a long time............................. 0 1 2 3 4 

g. Kids in our family are out of control.......................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

h. People in our family feel hopeless............................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

j. Adults in our family make the kids feel bad................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

k. Kids in our family have too much on their shoulders because the adults don't do 0 1 2 3 4 their share......................................................................................... Never true of us Sometimes true Half of the time true Mostly true Always true of us 

0 

Please answer the next questions using yes or no. 

Yes No 

FE3. Has your parent or guardian attended any of your current court hearings? 1 0 

FE4. Has your parent or guardian met with your probation officer or other court staff? 1 0 

YS 1.1.11 8 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

FE5. The next question is about any Very Important Adults you might have in 

your life right now. A Very Important Adult is someone who spends a lot of 

time with you, someone you can really count on, who gets you to do your 

best, and who cares about what happens to you. Please answer “yes” or “no” 

to each of the following statements if they describe any Very Important 

Adults in your life right now. You can say “yes” to more than one statement 

if you have more than one Very Important Adult in your life. If you do not 

happen to have a Very Important Adult in your life right now, please check 

“NO” to each row. Yes No 

a. My parent or other person who raises me........................................... 1 0 

b. Another adult relative (grandparent, aunt or uncle, etc.) ......................... 1 0 

c. A teacher, guidance counselor, or other adult at school........................... 1 0 

d. A coach or activity leader outside of school......................................... 1 0 

e. An adult friend, neighbor, friend of your family, or friend’s parent............. 1 0 

f. A mentor or other staff person from this court...................................... 1 0 

g. A mentor through a different program than this one............................... 1 0 

h. Other (Please describe below)........................................................ 1 0 

v._______________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 9 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

SP. School and Peers 

The next questions are about being in any kind of school or training program. Using 

Card R and responding "in the past month," "2 to 3 months ago," "4 to 6 months ago," “7-

12 months ago,” "1 or more years ago," or "never"... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

SPScr SP1. When was the last time you... 

a. came in late or left early from school or training? ......................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. skipped or cut school or training just because you didn't want to be there?... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. got bad grades or had your grades drop at school or training?....................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. got sick at school or training?......................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. went to any kind of school or training? ......................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

SP1f. When was the last time, if ever, you received any kind of help dealing with 

school problems (for example, talking to a school counselor about problems at 

school, working with a tutor, attending a social skills group at school)?.................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days (5 days per week in 90 days is equivalent to 64 days). 

SP1e. During the past 90 days, on how many days... 

1. were you absent from school or training for a full day?.................|__|__| 

Days 

2. did you go to any kind of school or training?.................................|__|__| 

Days 

SP2. On your most recent report card, what was your average grade in school? 

(Clarify and code) 

As..................................................................................................... 4 

Bs..................................................................................................... 3 

Cs..................................................................................................... 2 

Ds..................................................................................................... 1 

Es or Fs ........................................................................................... 0 

Mixed/Other (Please describe) ...................................................... 99 

v. _________________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 10 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

SP3. During the past 90 days, how many people would you say you spend 

most of your free time with or hang out with? ............................................ |__|__| [IF 0, GO TO SP4a]

 People 

Please respond to the next questions using Card SP as (0) None, (1) A Few, (2) Some, (3) Most or (4) All. 

SES SP3. Of the people you have regularly socialized or hung out with, 

would you say that none, a few, some, most or all of them... 

None A Few Some Most All 

a. were employed or in school or training full time?..............0 1 2 3 4 

b. were involved in illegal activity?...................................... ..0 1 2 3 4 

c. weekly got drunk or had 5 or more drinks in a day?......... ..0 1 2 3 4 

d. used any (illegal) drugs during the past 90 days?............ ..0 1 2 3 4 

e. shout, argue and fight most weeks?................................... ..0 1 2 3 4 

f. have ever been in drug or alcohol treatment? ................0 1 2 3 4 

g. would describe themselves as in recovery? ...................0 1 2 3 4 

The next questions are about organized alcohol and drug free activities that young people sometimes 

participate in during their free time (this could be before or after school, before or after work, on the 

weekends, or during the summer). These activities are led or supervised by adults, take place outside your 

home, and usually happen on a regular schedule. Examples include a club, program, team, lessons, 

homework help/tutoring, and time spent at a community center or camp. We want to know how often you 

participated in these types of activities in different places during the past six months. Please respond 

to the next questions using Card SA as (0) zero hours per week, (1) sometimes but less than 2 hours per 

week, (2) 2 to 5 hours per week, or (3) more than 5 hours a week. 

SP4. In a usual week over the past six months, how many hours did

 you spend participating in alcohol and drug free organized

 activities (do not include activities in detention)... 

0 hours a weekSometimes, but less than 2 hours a week 2-5 hours a week More than 5 hours a week 

0 1 2 3 

a. At your school (before or after regular school hours only)? 0 1 2 3 

b. At a center or activity area in your community (for example, a Boys

 & Girls Club, YMCA, or park district facility)? 0 1 2 3 

c. At a church, synagogue, mosque, or any place of worship (not

 including worship services)? 0 1 2 3 

d. Anywhere else not listed above (remember to include only organized

 activities – this means they are led/supervised by adults, outside your

 home, and usually happen on a regular schedule)? (Please list the places) 0 1 2 3 

 v. _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 11 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

RB. Risk of Harm 

The next questions are about experiences that increase your risk of harm. These 

experiences may be things you have done or that others have done to you. Please remember 

that all of your answers are strictly confidential. We will, however, share information 

about you for two reasons: if you tell us you are going to hurt yourself or someone else or 

if you tell us someone is hurting you. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

RB1. When was the last time you... 

a. had two or more different sex partners during the same time period?....... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

RBScr b. had sex without using any kind of condom, dental dam or other barrier 

to protect you and your partner from diseases or pregnancy?........................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. had sex while you or your partner was high on alcohol or other drugs?.... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. used a needle to inject drugs like heroin, cocaine or amphetamines?............ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

g. were attacked with a weapon, including a gun, knife, stick, bottle or 

other weapon?................................................................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

h. were physically abused, where someone hurt you by striking or beating 

you to the point that you had bruises, cuts or broken bones?......................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

j. were sexually abused, where someone pressured or forced you to 

participate in sexual acts against your will, including your regular sex 

partner, a family member or friend?............................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

k. were emotionally abused, where someone did or said things to make 

you feel very bad about yourself or your life?................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF ALL RB1g-k = 0, GO TO RB1n] 

RB1. When was the last time you... 

m1. were abused several times or over a long period of time?.............................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

m2. were afraid for your life or that you might be seriously injured by the 

abuse?............................................................................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

RB1n. When was the last time, if ever, you received any kind of help with any of these 

experiences (for example, participating in a needle exchange program, being 

instructed in safe sex practices, moving to a shelter for domestic violence 

victims)?...................................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

YS 1.1.11 12 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

MH. Mental Health 

The next questions are about common psychological, behavioral and emotional 

problems. These problems are considered significant when you have them for two or 

more weeks, when they keep coming back, when they keep you from meeting your 

responsibilities, or when they make you feel like you can't go on. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

IDScr MH1. When was the last time you had significant problems with... 

a. feeling very trapped, lonely, sad, blue, depressed or hopeless about the 

future?........................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. sleep trouble, such as bad dreams, sleeping restlessly or falling asleep 

during the day?............................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. feeling very anxious, nervous, tense, fearful, scared, panicked or like 

something bad was going to happen?............................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. becoming very distressed and upset when something reminded you of 

the past?.......................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. thinking about ending your life or dying by suicide?..................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. seeing or hearing things that no one else could see or hear or feeling that 

someone else could read or control your thoughts?........................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

(Still using Card R...) 

MH2. When was the last time you did the following things two or more times? 

a. Lied or conned to get things you wanted or to avoid having to do 

something........................................................................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. Had a hard time paying attention at school, work or home............................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. Had a hard time listening to instructions at school, work or home................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. Had a hard time waiting for your turn............................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. Were a bully or threatened other people......................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. Started physical fights with other people........................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

g. Tried to win back your gambling losses by going back another day.............. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

MH2h. When was the last time, if ever, you were treated for a mental, emotional, 

behavioral or psychological problem by a mental health specialist or in an 

emergency room, hospital or outpatient mental health facility, or with 

prescribed medication?................................................................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF MH2h IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO MH3a] Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago 

Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

YS 1.1.11 13 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

Please answer the next questions using the number of times, nights or days. 

MH2h. During the past 90 days, how many... 

1. times have you had to go to an emergency room for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Times 

2. nights total did you spend in the hospital for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Nights 

3. times did you see a mental health doctor in an office or 

outpatient clinic for mental, emotional, behavioral or 

psychological problems?................................................................ |__|__| Times 

4. days did you take prescribed medication for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Days 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

PPI MH3. During the past 90 days, on how many days... 

a. were you bothered by any nervous, mental or psychological 

problems?........................................................................................|__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO MH3c] 

b. did these problems keep you from meeting your responsibilities 

at work, school or home, or make you feel like you could not 

go on?............................................................................................. |__|__| Days 

c. have you been disturbed by memories of things from the past 

that you did, saw or had happen to you?........................................ |__|__| Days 

d. have you had any problems paying attention, controlling your 

behavior, or broken rules you were supposed to follow?............... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.11 14 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

SU. Substance Use 

The next questions are about your use of alcohol and other drugs. Alcohol includes (but is 

not limited to) beer, wine, whiskey, gin, scotch, tequila, rum or mixed drinks. "Other 

drugs" include a) marijuana, b) other street drugs like meth, crack, heroin, PCP, or 

poppers, c) inhalants like glue or gasoline and d) any non-medical use of prescriptiontype drugs. Please do not include any prescription drugs you used only as instructed by a 

doctor. Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

SDScr SU1. When was the last time... 

a. you used alcohol or other drugs weekly or more often?................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. you spent a lot of time either getting alcohol or other drugs, using alcohol 

or other drugs, or recovering from the effects of alcohol or other drugs 

(e.g., feeling sick)?.......................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. you kept using alcohol or other drugs even though it was causing social 

problems, leading to fights, or getting you into trouble with other people?... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. your use of alcohol or other drugs caused you to give up or reduce your 

involvement in activities at work, school, home or social events?................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. you had withdrawal problems from alcohol or other drugs like shaky 

hands, throwing up, having trouble sitting still or sleeping, or you used any 

alcohol or other drugs to stop being sick or avoid withdrawal problems?..... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. you received treatment, counseling, medication, case management or 

aftercare for your use of alcohol or any other drug? Please do not 

include any emergency room visits, detoxification, self-help or recovery 

programs......................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF SU1f IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO SU2a] 

Please answer the next questions using the number of times, nights or days. 

SU1f. During the past 90 days, how many... 

2. nights were you in a halfway house, residential, inpatient, or 

hospital program for your alcohol or other drug use problems?.... |__|__| Nights 

3. days were you in an intensive outpatient or day program for 

your alcohol or other drug use problems?...................................... |__|__| Days 

4. times did you go to a regular (1-8 hours per week) outpatient 

program for your alcohol or other drug use problems?..................|__|__| Times 

5. days did you take medication like methadone or Antabuse to 

help with withdrawal or cravings?..................................................|__|__| Days 

99. days did you go to any other kind of treatment program or 

work with some other kind of case manager for your alcohol 

or other drug use problems? (Please describe)..............................|__|__| Days 

v. _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 15 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

SU2. During the past 90 days, how many... 

a. days have you been in a detoxification program to help you 

through withdrawal?....................................................................... |__|__| Days 

b. days have you attended one or more self-help group meetings 

(such as AA, NA, CA, or Social Recovery) for your alcohol or 

other drug use?................................................................................|__|__| Days 

c. times have you been given a breathalyzer or urine test to 

check for your alcohol or other drug use? 

(Do not count any today)................................................................ |__|__| Times 

d. times did you go to an emergency room for your alcohol or 

other drug use problems?................................................................|__|__| Times 

e. times did you receive Narcan or naloxone to reverse a heroin 

or opioid overdose?........................................................................ |__|__| Times 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

SFS SU3. During the past 90 days,... 

a. on how many days did you go without using any alcohol, 

marijuana or other drugs?............................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 90, GO TO SU5] 

b. on how many days did you get drunk at all or were you high 

for most of the day?........................................................................ |__|__| Days 

c. on how many days did alcohol or other drug use problems 

keep you from meeting your responsibilities at work, school 

or home?......................................................................................... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.11 16 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

SFS SU4. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you... 

a. used any kind of alcohol (beer, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, 

whiskey, wine or mixed drinks)?.................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO SU4c] 

b. gotten drunk or had 5 or more drinks?........................................... |__|__| Days 

c. used marijuana, hashish, blunts or other forms of THC 

(herb, reefer, weed)?...................................................................... |__|__| Days 

d. used crack or other forms of cocaine (smoked rock, freebase)?.....|__|__| Days 

e. used speed, methamphetamine, or other stimulants (crystal, ice, 

glass, Adderall, Biphetamine, Benzedrine, Concerta, Dexedrine, 

Methylphenidate, Mixed Salt Amphetamine or Ritalin, Desoxyn 

or other forms of methedrine)?.......................................................|__|__| Days 

f. used heroin (alone or mixed with other things)?......................|__|__| Days 

g. used OxyContin, street methadone or other opiates (such as 

codeine, Darvocet, Darvon, Demerol, Dilaudid, Karachi, Oxys, 

Percocet, Propoxyphene, morphine, opium, Talwin or Tylenol 

with codeine?................................................................................. |__|__| Days 

h. used any other drugs? (Please describe below)..............................|__|__| Days 

v. _________________________________________________ 

Examples of Other Drugs include: 

• Inhalants like gasoline, lighter fluid, white out or markers 

• PCP, LSD, ketamine or special K, mushrooms, or other hallucinogens, 

• anti-anxiety drugs like Valium or Xanax, tranquilizers, ecstasy, 

• downers, sleeping pills, barbiturates or other sedatives like Dalmane, 

Donnatal, Doriden, Flurazepam, GHB, Halcion, liquid ecstasy, 

methaqualone, Placidyl, Quaalude, Secobarbital, Seconal, Rohypnol or 

Tuinal 

• still other drugs like amyl nitrate, cough syrup, nitrous oxide, NyQuil, 

SU5. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you been in a detention, 

jail, residential treatment program, hospital or other place where you 

could not use alcohol, marijuana or other drugs? (Use 0 for none).......... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.11 17 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

CV. Crime and Violence 

The next questions are about crime and violent behavior. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

CV1. When was the last time you... 

a. had a disagreement in which you pushed, grabbed or shoved someone?...... 5 4 3 2 1 0 CVScr b. took something from a store without paying for it?....................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. sold, distributed or helped to make illegal drugs?.......................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. drove a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs?.......... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. purposely damaged or destroyed property that did not belong to you?.......... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. were involved in the juvenile justice system, such as jail or prison, 

detention, probation, parole, house arrest or electronic monitoring?............. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF CV1f IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO CV3] 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

CV2. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you been... 

a. on probation or parole?...................................................................|__|__| Days 

b. in juvenile detention or jail?........................................................... |__|__| Days 

d. on house arrest or electronic monitoring?...................................... |__|__| Days 

CV3. During the past 90 days, on how many days did you have an argument 

with someone else in which you swore, cursed, threatened them, threw 

something, or pushed or hit them in any way?............................................ |__|__| Days 

IAS CV4. During the past 90 days, on how many days were you involved in any 

activities you thought might get you into trouble or be against the law, 

besides drug use?......................................................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO CV4b] 

CV4a. On how many of these days were you involved in these activities (you 

thought might get you into trouble or be against the law)... 

1. in order to support yourself financially?.........................................|__|__| Days 

2. in order to obtain alcohol or other drugs?.......................................|__|__| Days 

3. while you were high or drunk?.......................................................|__|__| Days 

CV4b. During the past 90 days, how many times have you been arrested and 

charged with breaking a law? (Please include status offenses, but do not 

count minor traffic violations.)....................................................................|__|__|__| Times [IF 0 GO TO Z1] 

CV4b1. How many of these times were for truancy, curfew violations, 

underage drinking, or other status offenses because you were under age 18?........ |__|__|__| Times 

YS 1.1.11 18 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

Z. End 

Thank you! That is all of the questions we have for you at this time. 

(Please enter the current time in Z1. If you took any breaks, please make sure that you record about how many 

minutes total it took you to do the assessment without including the time for the breaks. If continuing survey on 

another day, record the time for the first day in Z1d and record the total time in XADMh1a-d.) 

Z1. What time is it now?....................................................................................|__|__| : |__|__| 

Time (HH:MM) 

b. Is it AM or PM................................................................................|_____| 

AM/PM 

c. How many breaks did you take today?...........................................|__|__| 

Breaks 

d. Not counting breaks, how long did it take you to finish this?........|__|__|__| 

Minutes 

Z2. Are there any other special issues we need to know about to help you 

(or help you come to treatment)? Do you have any additional comments or questions? 

v1. _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 19 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

For Staff Use Only 

XADM. Administration 

Please document the following aspects of how the survey was administered. If there are more detailed comments 

elsewhere in the document, please be sure to summarize them in the additional comments section in XADMj or at 

least say where we can find them. 

a1. How were the questions administered? Yes No 

a. Self-Administered (SA)..................................................................1 0 

b. Orally Administered by staff (ORS)...............................................1 0 

c. Orally Administered by others (ORA)........................................... 1 0 

z. Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................1 0 

v. _________________________________________________ 

a2. What was the mode of administration? Yes No 

a. Done with Pen and Paper (PAP).....................................................1 0 

b. Done on Computer (COMP)...........................................................1 0 

c. Done on Telephone (TEL)..............................................................1 0 

z. Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................1 0 

v. _________________________________________________ 

b. What was the primary language in which it was conducted (LNG)? 

English using the English Instrument.............................................1 

Spanish using the English Instrument............................................ 2 

Other combinations/languages (Please describe)..........................99 

v. _________________________________________________ 

c. Were there any indications that the client might have learning disabilities 

that would interfere with his or her ability to respond or participate in 

treatment or, in general, indications of developmental disabilities 

(IDD)? 

No/none (NO)................................................................................. 0 

Minimal (MIN)............................................................................... 1 

Moderate (MOD)............................................................................2 

Major (MAJ)...................................................................................3 

e. Was there any evidence of the following observed participant 

behaviors? (OPB) Yes No 

1. Depressed or withdrawn (DEP)......................................................1 0 

2. Violent or hostile (VIO) .................................................................1 0 

3. Anxious or nervous (ANX)............................................................ 1 0 

4. Bored or impatient (BOR).............................................................. 1 0 

5. Intoxicated or high (INT)............................................................... 1 0 

6. In withdrawal (WIT) ......................................................................1 0 

7. Distracted (DIS)..............................................................................1 0 

8. Cooperative (COP)......................................................................... 1 0 

YS 1.1.11 20 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey 

For Staff Use Only 

g. What was the participant's location during the assessment? (LOC) 

Treatment unit (Tx)........................................................................ 1 

Specialized intake unit (INT)......................................................... 2 

Correctional setting (COR).............................................................3 

School (SCH)..................................................................................4 

Employment or work setting (EMP).............................................. 5 

Home (HOM)................................................................................. 6 

Probation or Parole Office (PPO)...................................................7 

Welfare or Child Protection Agency (WCP)..................................8 

Research Office or Setting (RES)...................................................11 

Evaluation Liaison or other court office................................12 

Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................99 

v. _________________________________________________ 

g1-5. Were there any problems providing a quiet, private environment? (PRI) 

Yes No 

1. Noise or other frequent distractions (DIS)..................................... 1 0 

2. Divided attention or frequent interruptions (DIV)......................... 1 0 

3. Other people present or within earshot (EAR)............................... 1 0 

4. Police, guards, social workers or other officials present (OFF)..... 1 0 

5. Speaker or telephone call monitoring (MON)................................1 0 

h1. Was administration done over multiple days? (MUL)................................ 1 0 

[IF NO, GO TO XADMj] 

a. What is the final revision date (mm/dd/yyyy)?................. ............ |__|__| / |__|__| / |__|__|__|__|

 Month Day Year 

b. What is the total number of breaks across all sessions and days? 

(Include "1" for break in between multiple sessions.).............. |__|__| 

c. What is the total number of minutes spent doing the survey 

across all sessions and days?.......................................................... |__|__|__| 

d. What is the Staff ID [XSID] of the person finishing the 

survey?....................................................................................... |__|__|__|__|__|__| 

j. Do you have any additional comments about the administration of the assessment or things that 

should be considered in interpreting this assessment (AC)? 

Be sure to document any critical collateral information that you think should be considered 

during interpretation (or cross-reference where it is documented). 

v1. _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.11 21 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JDTC Cross-Site Evaluation Study Youth Survey Follow-up 

Youth Survey Follow-up (v. 1.1.9) 

Site ID [XSITE]: .......... |__|__|__|__|__|__| Local Site Name [XSITEa]: ...... |__|__|__|__|__|__| 

Staff ID [XSID]: ...........|__|__|__|__|__|__| Staff Initials [XSIN]: .................|__|__|__| 

Part. ID [XPID]: ...........|__|__|__|__|__|__| Last Name [XPNAM]: __________________________ 

First Name: ____________________ M.I.: ________ 

Observation [XOBS]: ................|__|__| v. ___________________________________________ 

Edit Staff ID [XEDSID]:............|__|__|__|__|__|__| Edit Date [XEDDT]:..... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| 

Data Entry Staff ID [XDESID]:. |__|__|__|__|__|__| Key Date [XDEDT]:..... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| 

Copyright Information 

This instrument includes several copyrighted instruments (GAIN, MHC-SF, FFM) that we have obtained 

permission to use for the purpose of this cross-site evaluation of the JDTC project (2014-DC-BX-K001). For any 

other use, please request information or permission from Dr. Dennis at mdennis@chestnut.org or 309-451-7801. 

For Staff Use Only 

A3. 

A3a. 

A3c. 

Administrative Information 

Time: ......... |__|__| : |__|__| HH:MM ........................................A3b. |__|__| (AM/PM) 

Today’s Date [XOBSDT]: ............................... |__|__| / |__|__| / 20 |__|__| (MM/DD/YYYY) 

YS 1.1.9 1 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

Introduction 

Purpose: This survey is designed to help us track how you are doing before, during and after your participation in 

the juvenile justice system and any services you may receive. The information we collect will be used to 

determine which court you will go to, help treatment service providers help you, and help us to evaluate the court. 

Format: This survey has questions about what you have been doing and what services you are using. You will be 

able to say you do not know or refuse to answer any question that you do NOT want to answer. 

Length: The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. You will be able to take a break if you need to. 

Privacy: Your answers will be used to make court assignment decisions, recommend services that you may need, 

and to evaluate if the court is providing services that help youth. Your answers are private and your 

confidentiality is protected under the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability 

Act (HIPAA) of 1996. 

Confidentiality: A research ID (not your name) will be used on this survey. We have obtained a “Privacy 

Certificate.” This means that we cannot be forced to give out any information to anyone about you, including 

whether you are in this study. We will, however, share information about you for two reasons: if you tell us you 

are going to hurt yourself or someone else or if you tell us someone is hurting you. 

The staff who work on this research study have been trained and are required to follow federal laws that protect 

your information. Your survey responses will only be used to help with court placement and substance use 

treatment services. The Court has agreed NOT to let anything you say in the interview to be used against you in 

court. Your answers are combined with those of many other individuals so that when a report is written only 

group data are reported. 

Second, officials from the federal government have the right to audit us to check to make sure we have protected 

your safety and accurately reported what we have done. 

Any questions? 

YS 1.1.9 2 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

A4. Timeframe Anchoring 

Several questions will ask you about things that have happened during the past month, 90 days and 6 

months. To help you remember this time period, please look at the calendar. First, let's find today's date 

and circle it. 

Next, count back 30 days to about a month ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was going 

on about (DATE A MONTH AGO)? 

(PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT. IF UNABLE TO RECALL: Do you remember any birthdays, holidays, 

sporting or other special events that happened around (DATE A MONTH AGO)? Did anything change in terms of 

where you were living, who you were with, whether you were in treatment, work, school or jail? Where were you 

living then? Were you in treatment, working, in school, or involved with the law then?) 

A4a. Record anchor for Past Month: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past month, we are talking about things that have 

happened since about (NAME PAST MONTH ANCHOR). 

Next, count back 13 weeks to about 90 days ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was 

going on about (DATE 90 DAYS AGO)? (PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT). 

A4b. Record anchor for 90 Days ago: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past 90 days, we are talking about things that 

have happened since about (NAME 90 DAYS AGO ANCHOR). 

Next, count back 6 months to about 182 days ago and circle that date. Do you recall anything that was 

going on about (DATE 6 MONTHS AGO)? (PROBE FOR SPECIFIC EVENT). 

A4c. Record anchor for 6 Months ago: v._______________________________________________________ 

When we talk about things happening to you during the past 6 months, we are talking about things that 

have happened since about (NAME 6 MONTH ANCHOR). 

Please keep this calendar handy and use it as we go through the survey to help you remember when 

different things happened. 

You may not always know the exact answer to each question, but I would like you to give me your best 

guess if you can. You can also tell me if you need me to explain something, simply do not know or if you 

do not want to or refuse to answer any questions. It is important that you try to answer each question if 

you can and are willing to. 

Do you have any questions before we begin? 

A5. Would you rather try to do the questionnaire on your own or have me help you by asking the questions? 

On own (still proctored)...............................1 

Ask questions ..........................................2 

(ONLY IF DOING AS INTERVIEW: As we go through the questionnaire, I will read the questions and 

record your answers.) 

YS 1.1.9 3 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

WB. Wellbeing 

Please answer the following questions about how you have been feeling during the past 

month using Card W as (0) never, (1) once or twice, (2) about once a week, (3) 2 to 3 

times per week, (4) almost every day, or (5) every day. 

NeverOnce or twice About once a week 2-3 times per week Almost every dayEvery day 

0 1 2 3 4 5 

MHC-SF WB. During the month, how often did you feel ... 

1. happy................................................................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

2. interested in life...................................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

3. satisfied with life..................................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

4. that you had something important to contribute to society.................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

5. that you belonged to a community (like a social group, your school, or your 0 1 2 3 4 5 neighborhood)....................................................................................... 

6. that our society is a good place, or is becoming a better place, for all people.............. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

7. that people are basically good..................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

8. that the way our society works made sense to you............................................. 0 1 2 3 4 5 

9. that you liked most parts of your personality.................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

10. good at managing the responsibilities of your daily life....................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

11. that you had warm and trusting relationships with others...................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

12. that you had experiences that challenged you to grow and become a better person........ 0 1 2 3 4 5 

13. confident to think or express your own ideas and opinions.................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

14. that your life has a sense of direction or meaning to it.......................................... 0 1 2 3 4 5 

YS 1.1.9 4 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

FE. Family Environment 

The next set of questions is about your family. In this case, family refers to anyone you consider as your family. It 

may include individuals with whom you have a blood or legal connection, but it does not have to include these 

individuals. You may or may not have a blood or legal tie with anyone you currently consider your family. Do 

you have any questions? 

All families have strengths and weaknesses and for these items there are no right or wrong 

answers. Using Card FE, please respond if each statement about your family is (0) never 

true, (1) sometimes true, (2) true about half the time, (3) mostly true, or (4) always true. 

FEE FE1. During the past month,... 

a. Adults in our family make home a safe place for kids..................................... 1 2 3 4 

b. No matter how hard it gets, in our family, we don't give up on each other.............. 0 1 2 3 4 

c. We stick together in our family................................................................ 0 1 2 3 4 

d. Family members do things for each other (like watching the kids, cooking, cleaning).. 0 1 2 3 4 

e. In our family, when a person needs to talk, someone will listen........................... 0 1 2 3 4 

f. When people in our family need something (like food, money, clothes, a ride), they 0 1 2 3 4 can get it from someone in the family.......................................................... 

g. Our family treats each other with respect.................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

h. People in our family share the work of keeping things going............................... 0 1 2 3 4 

j. Our family has fun together.................................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

k. People in our family get along with each other.............................................. 0 1 2 3 4 Never true of us Sometimes true Half of the time true Mostly true Always true of us 

0 

(Please continue using Card FE and responding if each of the following statements about 

your family is (0) never true, (1) sometimes true, (2) true about half the time, (3) mostly 

true, or (4) always true.) 

FEI FE2. During the past month ... 

a. Family members tell each other how to run their lives..................................... 1 2 3 4 

b. People in our family argue with each other................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

c. Family members break promises to each other................................................ 0 1 2 3 4 

d. Family members lie to each other.............................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

e. If family members tell the kids they can't do something, another family member will 0 1 2 3 4 tell them they can................................................................................. 

f. People in our family stay angry at each other for a long time............................. 0 1 2 3 4 

g. Kids in our family are out of control.......................................................... 0 1 2 3 4 

h. People in our family feel hopeless............................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

j. Adults in our family make the kids feel bad................................................. 0 1 2 3 4 

k. Kids in our family have too much on their shoulders because the adults don't do 0 1 2 3 4 their share......................................................................................... Never true of us Sometimes true Half of the time true Mostly true Always true of us 

0 

Please answer the next questions using yes or no. 

Yes No 

FE3. Has your parent or guardian attended any of your current court hearings? 1 0 

FE4. Has your parent or guardian met with your probation officer or other court staff? 1 0 

YS 1.1.9 5 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

FE5. The next question is about any Very Important Adults you might have in 

your life right now. A Very Important Adult is someone who spends a lot of 

time with you, someone you can really count on, who gets you to do your 

best, and who cares about what happens to you. Please answer “yes” or “no” 

to each of the following statements if they describe any Very Important 

Adults in your life right now. You can say “yes” to more than one statement 

if you have more than one Very Important Adult in your life. If you do not 

happen to have a Very Important Adult in your life right now, please check 

“NO” to each row. Yes No 

a. My parent or other person who raises me........................................... 1 0 

b. Another adult relative (grandparent, aunt or uncle, etc.) ........................ 1 0 

c. A teacher, guidance counselor, or other adult at school.......................... 1 0 

d. A coach or activity leader outside of school ....................................... 1 0 

e. An adult friend, neighbor, friend of your family, or friend’s parent ........... 1 0 

f. A mentor or other staff person from this court..................................... 1 0 

g. A mentor through a different program than this one............................... 1 0 

h. Other (Please describe below)........................................................ 1 0 

v._______________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 6 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

SP. School and Peers 

The next questions are about being in any kind of school or training program. Using 

Card R and responding "in the past month," "2 to 3 months ago," "4 to 6 months ago," “7-

12 months ago,” "1 or more years ago," or "never"... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

SPScr SP1. When was the last time you... 

a. came in late or left early from school or training? ......................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. skipped or cut school or training just because you didn't want to be there?... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. got bad grades or had your grades drop at school or training?....................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. got sick at school or training?......................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. went to any kind of school or training? ......................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

SP1f. When was the last time, if ever, you received any kind of help dealing with 

school problems (for example, talking to a school counselor about problems at 

school, working with a tutor, attending a social skills group at school)?.................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days (5 days per week in 90 days is equivalent to 64 days). 

SP1e. During the past 90 days, on how many days... 

1. were you absent from school or training for a full day?.................|__|__| 

Days 

2. did you go to any kind of school or training?.................................|__|__| 

Days 

SP2. On your most recent report card, what was your average grade in school? 

(Clarify and code) 

As..................................................................................................... 4 

Bs..................................................................................................... 3 

Cs..................................................................................................... 2 

Ds..................................................................................................... 1 

Es or Fs ........................................................................................... 0 

Mixed/Other (Please describe) ...................................................... 99 

v. _________________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 7 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

SP3. During the past 90 days, how many people would you say you spend 

most of your free time with or hang out with? ............................................ |__|__| [IF 0, GO TO SP4a]

 People 

Please respond to the next questions using Card SP as (0) None, (1) A Few, (2) Some, (3) Most or (4) All. 

SES SP3. Of the people you have regularly socialized or hung out with, 

would you say that none, a few, some, most or all of them... 

None A Few Some Most All 

a. were employed or in school or training full time?..............0 1 2 3 4 

b. were involved in illegal activity?...................................... ..0 1 2 3 4 

c. weekly got drunk or had 5 or more drinks in a day?......... ..0 1 2 3 4 

d. used any (illegal) drugs during the past 90 days?............ ..0 1 2 3 4 

e. shout, argue and fight most weeks?................................... ..0 1 2 3 4 

f. have ever been in drug or alcohol treatment? ................0 1 2 3 4 

g. would describe themselves as in recovery? ...................0 1 2 3 4 

The next questions are about organized alcohol and drug free activities that young people sometimes 

participate in during their free time (this could be before or after school, before or after work, on the 

weekends, or during the summer). These activities are led or supervised by adults, take place outside your 

home, and usually happen on a regular schedule. Examples include a club, program, team, lessons, 

homework help/tutoring, and time spent at a community center or camp. We want to know how often you 

participated in these types of activities in different places during the past six months. Please respond 

to the next questions using Card SA as (0) zero hours per week, (1) sometimes but less than 2 hours per 

week, (2) 2 to 5 hours per week, or (3) more than 5 hours a week. 

SP4. In a usual week over the past six months, how many hours did

 you spend participating in alcohol and drug free organized

 activities (do not include activities in detention)... 

0 hours a weekSometimes, but less than 2 hours a week 2-5 hours a week More than 5 hours a week 

0 1 2 3 

a. At your school (before or after regular school hours only)? 0 1 2 3 

b. At a center or activity area in your community (for example, a Boys

 & Girls Club, YMCA, or park district facility)? 0 1 2 3 

c. At a church, synagogue, mosque, or any place of worship (not

 including worship services)? 0 1 2 3 

d. Anywhere else not listed above (remember to include only organized

 activities – this means they are led/supervised by adults, outside your

 home, and usually happen on a regular schedule)? (Please list the places) 0 1 2 3 

 v. _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 8 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

RB. Risk of Harm 

The next questions are about experiences that increase your risk of harm. These 

experiences may be things you have done or that others have done to you. Please remember 

that all of your answers are strictly confidential. We will, however, share information 

about you for two reasons: if you tell us you are going to hurt yourself or someone else or 

if you tell us someone is hurting you. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

RBScr RB1. When was the last time you... 

a. had two or more different sex partners during the same time period?....... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. had sex without using any kind of condom, dental dam or other barrier 

to protect you and your partner from diseases or pregnancy?........................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. had sex while you or your partner was high on alcohol or other drugs?.... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. used a needle to inject drugs like heroin, cocaine or amphetamines?............ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

g. were attacked with a weapon, including a gun, knife, stick, bottle or 

other weapon?................................................................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

h. were physically abused, where someone hurt you by striking or beating 

you to the point that you had bruises, cuts or broken bones?......................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

j. were sexually abused, where someone pressured or forced you to 

participate in sexual acts against your will, including your regular sex 

partner, a family member or friend?............................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

k. were emotionally abused, where someone did or said things to make 

you feel very bad about yourself or your life?................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF ALL RB1g-k = 0, GO TO RB1n] 

RB1. When was the last time you... 

m1. were abused several times or over a long period of time?.............................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

m2. were afraid for your life or that you might be seriously injured by the 

abuse?............................................................................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

RB1n. When was the last time, if ever, you received any kind of help to reduce your 

risk with abuse (for example, participating in a needle exchange program, being 

instructed in safe sex practices, moving to a shelter for domestic violence 

victims)?...................................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

YS 1.1.9 9 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

MH. Mental Health 

The next questions are about common psychological, behavioral and emotional 

problems. These problems are considered significant when you have them for two or 

more weeks, when they keep coming back, when they keep you from meeting your 

responsibilities, or when they make you feel like you can't go on. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

IDScr MH1. When was the last time you had significant problems with... 

a. feeling very trapped, lonely, sad, blue, depressed or hopeless about the 

future?........................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. sleep trouble, such as bad dreams, sleeping restlessly or falling asleep 

during the day?............................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. feeling very anxious, nervous, tense, fearful, scared, panicked or like 

something bad was going to happen?............................................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. becoming very distressed and upset when something reminded you of 

the past?.......................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. thinking about ending your life or dying by suicide?..................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. seeing or hearing things that no one else could see or hear or feeling that 

someone else could read or control your thoughts?........................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

(Still using Card R...) 

MH2. When was the last time you did the following things two or more times? 

a. Lied or conned to get things you wanted or to avoid having to do 

something........................................................................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. Had a hard time paying attention at school, work or home............................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. Had a hard time listening to instructions at school, work or home................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. Had a hard time waiting for your turn............................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. Were a bully or threatened other people......................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. Started physical fights with other people........................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

g. Tried to win back your gambling losses by going back another day.............. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

MH2h. When was the last time, if ever, you were treated for a mental, emotional, 

behavioral or psychological problem by a mental health specialist or in an 

emergency room, hospital or outpatient mental health facility, or with 

prescribed medication?................................................................................................ 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF MH2h IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO MH3a] Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago 

Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

YS 1.1.9 10 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

Please answer the next questions using the number of times, nights or days. 

MH2h. During the past 90 days, how many... 

1. times have you had to go to an emergency room for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Times 

2. nights total did you spend in the hospital for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Nights 

3. times did you see a mental health doctor in an office or 

outpatient clinic for mental, emotional, behavioral or 

psychological problems?................................................................ |__|__| Times 

4. days did you take prescribed medication for mental, 

emotional, behavioral or psychological problems?........................ |__|__| Days 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

PPI MH3. During the past 90 days, on how many days... 

a. were you bothered by any nervous, mental or psychological 

problems?........................................................................................|__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO MH3c] 

b. did these problems keep you from meeting your responsibilities 

at work, school or home, or make you feel like you could not 

go on?............................................................................................. |__|__| Days 

c. have you been disturbed by memories of things from the past 

that you did, saw or had happen to you?........................................ |__|__| Days 

d. have you had any problems paying attention, controlling your 

behavior, or broken rules you were supposed to follow?............... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.9 11 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

SU. Substance Use 

The next questions are about your use of alcohol and other drugs. Alcohol includes (but is 

not limited to) beer, wine, whiskey, gin, scotch, tequila, rum or mixed drinks. "Other 

drugs" include a) marijuana, b) other street drugs like meth, crack, heroin, PCP, or 

poppers, c) inhalants like glue or gasoline and d) any non-medical use of prescriptiontype drugs. Please do not include any prescription drugs you used only as instructed by a 

doctor. Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

SDScr SU1. When was the last time... 

a. you used alcohol or other drugs weekly or more often?................................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

b. you spent a lot of time either getting alcohol or other drugs, using alcohol 

or other drugs, or recovering from the effects of alcohol or other drugs 

(e.g., feeling sick)?.......................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. you kept using alcohol or other drugs even though it was causing social 

problems, leading to fights, or getting you into trouble with other people?... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. your use of alcohol or other drugs caused you to give up or reduce your 

involvement in activities at work, school, home or social events?................. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. you had withdrawal problems from alcohol or other drugs like shaky 

hands, throwing up, having trouble sitting still or sleeping, or you used any 

alcohol or other drugs to stop being sick or avoid withdrawal problems?..... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. you received treatment, counseling, medication, case management or 

aftercare for your use of alcohol or any other drug? Please do not 

include any emergency room visits, detoxification, self-help or recovery 

programs......................................................................................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF SU1f IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO SU2a] 

Please answer the next questions using the number of times, nights or days. 

SU1f. During the past 90 days, how many... 

2. nights were you in a halfway house, residential, inpatient, or 

hospital program for your alcohol or other drug use problems?.... |__|__| Nights 

3. days were you in an intensive outpatient or day program for 

your alcohol or other drug use problems?...................................... |__|__| Days 

4. times did you go to a regular (1-8 hours per week) outpatient 

program for your alcohol or other drug use problems?..................|__|__| Times 

5. days did you take medication like methadone or Antabuse to 

help with withdrawal or cravings?..................................................|__|__| Days 

99. days did you go to any other kind of treatment program or 

work with some other kind of case manager for your alcohol 

or other drug use problems? (Please describe)..............................|__|__| Days 

v. _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 12 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

SU2. During the past 90 days, how many... 

a. days have you been in a detoxification program to help you 

through withdrawal?....................................................................... |__|__| Days 

b. days have you attended one or more self-help group meetings 

(such as AA, NA, CA, or Social Recovery) for your alcohol or 

other drug use?................................................................................|__|__| Days 

c. times have you been given a breathalyzer or urine test to 

check for your alcohol or other drug use? 

(Do not count any today)................................................................ |__|__| Times 

d. times did you go to an emergency room for your alcohol or 

other drug use problems?................................................................|__|__| Times 

e. times did you receive Narcan or naloxone to reverse a heroin 

or opioid overdose?........................................................................ |__|__| Times 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

SFS SU3. During the past 90 days,... 

a. on how many days did you go without using any alcohol, 

marijuana or other drugs?............................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 90, GO TO SU5] 

b. on how many days did you get drunk at all or were you high 

for most of the day?........................................................................ |__|__| Days 

c. on how many days did alcohol or other drug use problems 

keep you from meeting your responsibilities at work, school 

or home?......................................................................................... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.9 13 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

SFS SU4. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you... 

a. used any kind of alcohol (beer, gin, rum, scotch, tequila, 

whiskey, wine or mixed drinks)?.................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO SU4c] 

b. gotten drunk or had 5 or more drinks?........................................... |__|__| Days 

c. used marijuana, hashish, blunts or other forms of THC 

(herb, reefer, weed)?...................................................................... |__|__| Days 

d. used crack or other forms of cocaine (smoked rock, freebase)?.....|__|__| Days 

e. used speed, methamphetamine, or other stimulants (crystal, ice, 

glass, Adderall, Biphetamine, Benzedrine, Concerta, Dexedrine, 

Methylphenidate, Mixed Salt Amphetamine or Ritalin, Desoxyn 

or other forms of methedrine)?.......................................................|__|__| Days 

f. used heroin (alone or mixed with other things)?.......................|__|__| Days 

g. used OxyContin, street methadone or other opiates (such as 

codeine, Darvocet, Darvon, Demerol, Dilaudid, Karachi, Oxys, 

Percocet, Propoxyphene, morphine, opium, Talwin or Tylenol 

with codeine?................................................................................. |__|__| Days 

h. used any other drugs? (Please describe below)..............................|__|__| Days 

v. _________________________________________________ 

Examples of Other Drugs include: 

• Inhalants like gasoline, lighter fluid, white out or markers 

• PCP, LSD, ketamine or special K, mushrooms, or other hallucinogens, 

• anti-anxiety drugs like Valium or Xanax, tranquilizers, ecstasy, 

• downers, sleeping pills, barbiturates or other sedatives like Dalmane, 

Donnatal, Doriden, Flurazepam, GHB, Halcion, liquid ecstasy, 

methaqualone, Placidyl, Quaalude, Secobarbital, Seconal, Rohypnol or 

Tuinal 

• still other drugs like amyl nitrate, cough syrup, nitrous oxide, NyQuil, 

SU5. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you been in a detention, 

jail, residential treatment program, hospital or other place where you 

could not use alcohol, marijuana or other drugs? (Use 0 for none).......... |__|__| Days 

YS 1.1.9 14 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

CV. Crime and Violence 

The next questions are about crime and violent behavior. 

Using Card R... 

Past Month 2 to 3 Months Ago 4 to 6 Months Ago 7 to 12 months Ago 1+ Years Ago Never 

5 4 3 2 1 0 

CV1. When was the last time you... 

a. had a disagreement in which you pushed, grabbed or shoved someone?...... 5 4 3 2 1 0 CVScr b. took something from a store without paying for it?....................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

c. sold, distributed or helped to make illegal drugs?.......................................... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

d. drove a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs?.......... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

e. purposely damaged or destroyed property that did not belong to you?.......... 5 4 3 2 1 0 

f. were involved in the juvenile justice system, such as jail or prison, 

detention, probation, parole, house arrest or electronic monitoring?............. 5 4 3 2 1 0 

[IF CV1f IS LESS THAN 4, GO TO CV3] 

Please answer the next questions using the number of days. 

CV2. During the past 90 days, on how many days have you been... 

a. on probation or parole?...................................................................|__|__| Days 

b. in juvenile detention or jail?........................................................... |__|__| Days 

d. on house arrest or electronic monitoring?...................................... |__|__| Days 

CV3. During the past 90 days, on how many days did you have an argument 

with someone else in which you swore, cursed, threatened them, threw 

something, or pushed or hit them in any way?............................................ |__|__| Days 

IAS CV4. During the past 90 days, on how many days were you involved in any 

activities you thought might get you into trouble or be against the law, 

besides drug use?......................................................................................... |__|__| Days [IF 0, GO TO CV4b] 

CV4a. On how many of these days were you involved in these activities (you 

thought might get you into trouble or be against the law)... 

1. in order to support yourself financially?.........................................|__|__| Days 

2. in order to obtain alcohol or other drugs?.......................................|__|__| Days 

3. while you were high or drunk?.......................................................|__|__| Days 

CV4b. During the past 90 days, how many times have you been arrested and 

charged with breaking a law? (Please include status offenses, but do not 

count minor traffic violations.)....................................................................|__|__|__| Times [IF 0 GO TO Z1] 

CV4b1. How many of these times were for truancy, curfew violations, 

underage drinking, or other status offenses because you were under age 18?........ |__|__|__| Times 

YS 1.1.9 15 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

Z. End 

Thank you! That is all of the questions we have for you at this time. 

(Please enter the current time in Z1. If you took any breaks, please make sure that you record about how many 

minutes total it took you to do the assessment without including the time for the breaks. If continuing survey on 

another day, record the time for the first day in Z1d and record the total time in XADMh1a-d.) 

Z1. What time is it now?....................................................................................|__|__| : |__|__| 

Time (HH:MM) 

b. Is it AM or PM................................................................................|_____| 

AM/PM 

c. How many breaks did you take today?...........................................|__|__| 

Breaks 

d. Not counting breaks, how long did it take you to finish this?........|__|__|__| 

Minutes 

Z2. Are there any other special issues we need to know about to help you 

(or help you come to treatment)? Do you have any additional comments or questions? 

v1. _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 16 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

For Staff Use Only 

XADM. Administration 

Please document the following aspects of how the survey was administered. If there are more detailed comments 

elsewhere in the document, please be sure to summarize them in the additional comments section in XADMj or at 

least say where we can find them. 

a1. How were the questions administered? Yes No 

a. Self-Administered (SA)..................................................................1 0 

b. Orally Administered by staff (ORS)...............................................1 0 

c. Orally Administered by others (ORA)........................................... 1 0 

z. Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................1 0 

v. _________________________________________________ 

a2. What was the mode of administration? Yes No 

a. Done with Pen and Paper (PAP).....................................................1 0 

b. Done on Computer (COMP)...........................................................1 0 

c. Done on Telephone (TEL)..............................................................1 0 

z. Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................1 0 

v. _________________________________________________ 

b. What was the primary language in which it was conducted (LNG)? 

English using the English Instrument.............................................1 

Spanish using the English Instrument............................................ 2 

Other combinations/languages (Please describe)..........................99 

v. _________________________________________________ 

c. Were there any indications that the client might have learning disabilities 

that would interfere with his or her ability to respond or participate in 

treatment or, in general, indications of developmental disabilities 

(IDD)? 

No/none (NO)................................................................................. 0 

Minimal (MIN)............................................................................... 1 

Moderate (MOD)............................................................................2 

Major (MAJ)...................................................................................3 

e. Was there any evidence of the following observed participant 

behaviors? (OPB) Yes No 

1. Depressed or withdrawn (DEP)......................................................1 0 

2. Violent or hostile (VIO) .................................................................1 0 

3. Anxious or nervous (ANX)............................................................ 1 0 

4. Bored or impatient (BOR).............................................................. 1 0 

5. Intoxicated or high (INT)............................................................... 1 0 

6. In withdrawal (WIT) ......................................................................1 0 

7. Distracted (DIS)..............................................................................1 0 

8. Cooperative (COP)......................................................................... 1 0 

YS 1.1.9 17 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youth Survey Follow-up 

For Staff Use Only 

g. What was the participant's location during the assessment? (LOC) 

Treatment unit (Tx)........................................................................ 1 

Specialized intake unit (INT)......................................................... 2 

Correctional setting (COR).............................................................3 

School (SCH)..................................................................................4 

Employment or work setting (EMP).............................................. 5 

Home (HOM)................................................................................. 6 

Probation or Parole Office (PPO)...................................................7 

Welfare or Child Protection Agency (WCP)..................................8 

Research Office or Setting (RES)...................................................11 

Evaluation Liaison or other court office................................12 

Other (OTH) (Please describe)......................................................99 

v. _________________________________________________ 

g1-5. Were there any problems providing a quiet, private environment? (PRI) 

Yes No 

1. Noise or other frequent distractions (DIS)..................................... 1 0 

2. Divided attention or frequent interruptions (DIV)......................... 1 0 

3. Other people present or within earshot (EAR)............................... 1 0 

4. Police, guards, social workers or other officials present (OFF)..... 1 0 

5. Speaker or telephone call monitoring (MON)................................1 0 

h1. Was administration done over multiple days? (MUL)................................ 1 0 

[IF NO, GO TO XADMj] 

a. What is the final revision date (mm/dd/yyyy)?................. ............ |__|__| / |__|__| / |__|__|__|__|

 Month Day Year 

b. What is the total number of breaks across all sessions and days? 

(Include "1" for break in between multiple sessions.).............. |__|__| 

c. What is the total number of minutes spent doing the survey 

across all sessions and days?.......................................................... |__|__|__| 

d. What is the Staff ID [XSID] of the person finishing the 

survey?....................................................................................... |__|__|__|__|__|__| 

j. Do you have any additional comments about the administration of the assessment or things that 

should be considered in interpreting this assessment (AC)? 

Be sure to document any critical collateral information that you think should be considered 

during interpretation (or cross-reference where it is documented). 

v1. _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________

 _________________________________________________ 

YS 1.1.9 18 05/18/2018 

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
           

                               

                           

                         

                             

                             

                            

                         

                       

                                       

                                 

                                       

                                

                                 

   

          

       

         

         

             

             

         

       

         

               

                   

         

               

         

       

         

       

Appendix E. JDTC Evaluation Timeline

Task Start End

Project start up 11/29/17 05/01/18

Court Self‐Assessment (#1) 04/01/18 10/31/18

Interim Report #1 04/08/18 07/31/18

Youth Recruitment and Consent 06/11/18 04/30/20

Youth Survey: Baseline data collection 06/11/18 04/30/20

Record Abstraction Data Submission (quarterly) 09/15/18 08/31/20

Analysis of Data 10/01/18 10/31/20

Site Visits 10/23/18 08/31/19

Interim Report #2 11/01/18 02/28/19

Youth Survey: 6 month data collection 12/11/18 08/31/20

Send Feedback Reports and Data to Sites (quarterly) 02/01/19 09/31/20

Interim Report #3 04/08/19 07/31/19

Youth Survey: 12 month data collection 06/11/19 08/31/20

Interim Report #4 11/01/19 02/28/20

Court Self‐Assessment (#2) 01/01/20 08/31/20

Interim Report #5 04/08/20 07/31/20

Produce Presentations and Manuscripts 02/31/19 10/31/20

The first 6 months are devoted to project start up including the development, submission and approval

of the research design and the IRB application, setting up the electronic infrastructure, development of

the Youth Survey, Court Assignment Report, and data collection protocols, conducting an evaluability

assessment of all sites, conducting an all‐site, in‐person training, and developing an on‐line training for

staff turnover. Biannual reporting to funders begins in the summer of 2018. The first Court Self‐

Assessment begins in April 2018, with data collection taking several months (through October 2018).

Youth recruitment and consent begins in June 2018 with youth survey administration beginning

immediately thereafter and records abstraction data being submitted shortly thereafter in September

2018. Analysis of the first Court Self‐Assessment begins in the fall of 2018, or as soon as sites return the

forms. Analysis of youth data begins (records and survey) in the fall of 2018, with quarterly reports

delivered to sites starting in early 2019. Site visits to each site will occur once, beginning in the fall of

2018 through the summer of 2019. The second Court Self‐Assessment begins in early 2020. Findings will

be presented at conferences an articles will be submitted for publication starting in the spring of 2019.

This resource was prepared by the author(s) using Federal funds provided by the U.S. 

Department of Justice. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not 

necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.