Resident Involvement in Community Change The Experiences of Two Initiatives Involving people in local neighborhood change creates problems as well as better solutions, as this report demonstrates through an examination of Casey's Plain Talk and Community Change for Youth Development philanthropy projects. Read More
Consider the Alternatives planning and implementing detention alternatives This report urges juvenile justice officials to abandon detention’s standard all-or-nothing approach in favor of a new option: A continuum of alternatives that maintains public safety, cuts costs and reduces overcrowding — all while offering more efficient, appropriate services to America’s youth. Consider the Alternatives is part of a multi-year, multi-site project conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Called the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), the project aimed to do just what its name suggests: Identify more effective, efficient alternatives to juvenile detention. Read More
Effective Language for Communicating Children’s Issues This report addresses the media’s depictions of children’s issues and outlines the effective use of strategic communications to change the way these issues are framed in order to support policy and outreach work. Read More
Controlling the Front Gates Effective Admission Policies and Practices This report is packed with examples and suggestions to help jurisdictions to make fair, efficient and rational decisions about the detention center admission process. It is part of a series that shares lessons learned from a multi-year, multi-site project conducted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Called the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), the project aimed to do just what its name suggests: Identify more effective, efficient alternatives to juvenile detention. Read More
Collaboration and Leadership in Juvenile Detention This report explores the roles of teamwork and leadership in advancing complex detention reform. It shares the journeys, regrets and field-tested tips of sites participating in Casey's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Read More
Planning for Juvenile Detention Reforms A Structured Approach This planning approach is designed to help jurisdictions gain an accurate understanding of their own detention policies, practices and problems. Its structured planning model has been tested and refined at various sites over a five-year period, and it makes reference to a variety of solutions to juvenile detention problems. Read More
The Eye of the Storm Ten Years on the Front Lines of New Futures This report candidly recalls Casey’s first attempt at system reform efforts at the community level. Through reflections from two of the leaders, the truth about this failed attempt becomes apparent along with the lessons that carried forward in Casey’s future community change work. Read More
Overview: The JDAI Story Building a Better Juvenile Detention System Th is publication provides an overview of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), a multi-million dollar, five year, five-site experiment designed to streamline and rationalize local juvenile detention systems. Read More
Ensuring That Adoptions Succeed is in Everyone's Best Interest Failed adoptions are an increasing trend, and result in trauma to the children who are directly affected. This article makes the case for pre- and post-adoptive services to improve the likelihood of successful adoptions. Read More
Plain Talk The Story of a Community-Based Strategy to Reduce Teen Pregnancy This is the story of how five different communities worked to protect local youth from the risks of early sexual activity. It is a narrative rooted in community organizing and empowerment that began in 1993 —with a $5 million, four-year commitment from the Annie E. Casey Foundation — and unfolds into a rich collection of real-world hurdles, participant feedback, and been-there done-that advice. This is the story of Plain Talk. Read More
