Michael Thompson, Director

Council of State Governments Justice Center

July 28, 2014 Washington, D.C.

Measuring and Using Juvenile Recidivism Data to Inform Policy, Practice, and Resource Allocation

Council of State Governments Justice Center  | ‹#›

Dramatic Progress But More Work Needed 

*Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

*Juvenile Arrest Rates for All Crimes, 1980-2011, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Declines in State Commitment Rates

(1997-2011)

National Avg.

Connecticut

Georgia

Mississippi

Rhode Island

Tennessee

National Arrests Per 100,000 Juveniles Ages 10-17 (1980-2011)

-51% Decrease From Peak

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Most states are not sufficiently tracking recidivism data for youth under the custody of their state juvenile correctional agency

Does your state track recidivism for youth in state custody?

Yes

No

Technical violations of parole

Re-arrests

Needs

Risk level

Length of stay

Program

 Locale

Offense

Of the 39 states, how many track recidivism in more than one form of contact with the justice system?

Of the 39 states, how many analyze recidivism according to?

11

12

12

21

23

23

31

29

24

Into adult criminal justice system

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11

Key Recommendations

Measure recidivism for all youth involved with the juvenile justice system, considering the multiple ways they may have subsequent contact with the justice system

Develop and maintain the infrastructure necessary to collect, analyze, and report recidivism data

Make recidivism data available to key constituents and the general public

Analyze recidivism data to account for youth’s risk levels, as well as other key youth characteristics and variables

Use recidivism data to inform juvenile justice policy, practice, and resource allocation

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Michael Thompson, Director

Council of State Governments Justice Center

July 28, 2014 Washington, D.C.

Core Principles for Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Council of State Governments Justice Center  | ‹#›

How to Use the White Paper

Develop a full understanding of what works

Integrate distinct improvement strategies

Operationalize these principles with fidelity to the research

Assess current efforts and measure progress towards improvement

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Principle 1

Base supervision, service, and resource allocation decisions on the results of validated risk and needs assessments.

Core Principles

Principle 2

Adopt and effectively implement programs and services demonstrated to reduce recidivism and improve other youth outcomes, and use data to evaluate the results and direct system improvements.

Principle 3

Employ a coordinated approach across service systems to address youth’s needs. 

Principle 4

Tailor system policies, programs, and supervision to reflect the distinct developmental needs of adolescents.

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White Paper and Issue Brief in Action

Piloting issue brief  recommendations to help state systems track  recidivism and use this data to guide system decisions and hold agencies accountable. 

UT

PA

TN

KS

NE

Piloting white paper checklists to help state systems assess and strengthen policies and practices to improve outcomes for youth 

NE

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Michael Thompson, Director

Council of State Governments Justice Center

July 28, 2014 Washington, D.C.

Texas Juvenile Outcome Study

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Dramatic Decline in Youth Committed to State Incarceration in Texas
| 2007 Legislature                                                             |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| No commitment for misdemeanor offenses; $60 million in new community funding |
| 2011 Legislature                                                                                                    |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Merge former TX Youth Commission and TX Juvenile Probation Commission into Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) |

Total Texas Admissions to State Facilities (FY 2002 – FY 2012)
| 2009 Legislature                                                                                           |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| $45 million for Commitment Reduction Program with incentive funding for counties and community supervision |

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High State-Wide Recidivism Rates: Impact of Reforms on Recidivism a Significant Concern

Re-Arrest Rate

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High State-Wide Recidivism Rates (continued)

Incarceration Rate

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Reforms Shifted Funding from Incarceration to Community-Based Interventions

2004-2005 Biennial Budget

2014-2015 Biennial Budget

Average Daily Population in

State Correctional Facilities:4,910

Average Daily Population in

State Correctional Facilities:1,066

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$289.9 Million

$327.2 Million

$472.1 Million

$260.7Million

Texas Juvenile Justice Study Questions

To what extent were the policy reforms effective in reducing the number of youth in state-run correctional facilities? 

Are recidivism rates lower for the types of youth who used to be incarcerated in state correctional facilities, but who today are diverted from such incarceration settings?

How do recidivism rates compare from one community-based intervention to the next?  

What might explain variations in recidivism rates among similar youth placed in under community supervision?

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Most Extensive Data in the Country for the Study
| Incorporates Data From:                                                                                          |                                                                |                                                 |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
| Texas Department of Juvenile Justice – Case Records of Juveniles and State and County Expenditures Data          | Texas Department of Public Safety                              | County Probation Departments                    |
| Population characteristics include demographics, County Placement, Program Participation, Referral / Disposition | Arrest trend data and criminal history files for each juvenile | Practices in eight county probation departments |

487,602 Youth and 850,434 Records Tracked

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Juveniles Released from Secure State Facilities

Juveniles Placed on Deferred Prosecution or Probation Supervision

2005

2013

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December 2014 release will have major impact 

both in Texas and nationally

Texas legislature will examine study findings in January 2015 and use results to inform major policy decisions

Study will guide national conversation as states who have reduced number of kids in secure confinement seek to understand better what policies and investments are effective in reducing subsequent contact with juvenile justice system

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Thank You

The presentation was developed by members of the Council of State Governments Justice Center staff. The statements made reflect the views of the authors, and should not be considered the official position of the Justice Center, the members of the Council of State Governments, or the funding agency supporting the work. Citations available for statistics presented in preceding slides available on CSG Justice Center web site.

Join our distribution list to receive CSG Justice Center project updates!

www.csgjusticecenter.org/subscribe

For more information, contact Josh Weber (jweber@csg.org)

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