This report — the ninth installment in a series devoted to revolutionizing detention programs and practices in America—focuses on three detention populations that can easily slip through the cracks during comprehensive reforms. It is packed with options and action steps for sites interested in creating a fairer, more efficient detention system for America’s children (probation violators, post-adjudication detainees and youth with warrants included).
Among the eight lessons learned from Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) sites: Be patient — and persistent — when rolling out reforms for special detention cases; put your policies and procedures in writing; and base all of your decisions on solid data.
As part of their quest to create a fairer, more efficient detention system for all of America’s youth, Annie E. Casey experts have identified three groups that need special treatment and solutions. They are: 1) minors with warrants; 2) juveniles who’ve violated the terms of their probation; and 3) adolescents who are detained post-adjudication.
Interested in enhancing how your system handles special detention cases? This report is your cheat sheet for getting it right. It includes three tables — one for each case type identified — that list common hurdles and corresponding solutions that sites may encounter when rolling out reforms.
When JDAI sites set out to improve how their systems handled juvenile warrant cases, their roadmaps to reform included six actions: 1) analyze the current caseload; 2) ensure that these individuals didn’t skip the risk screening process; 3) recognize that not all warrants are equal; 4) provide appropriate alternatives to detention; 5) clear the backlog of invalid warrants; and 6) boost the chances of minors showing up for their court dates as scheduled.
Officials in Cook County, Illinois, were automatically detaining many minors who posed little risk to society. The reason? Warrants stemming from missed court dates. To resolve this issue, the officials created an arraignment court that reduced wait times for initial hearings. They also launched a court notification program to remind youth when and where they needed to appear for their next hearing. These two steps spurred a dramatic drop in the number of court appointments missed.
Do you know who is sleeping in your detention beds? When officials in Cook County, Illinois, and Multnomah County, Oregon, stopped and looked at their data, they discovered that juvenile probation violators — often low-risk occupants — were utilizing 20 to 35% of their available detention space.
Detention reform isn’t always complicated. One easy way to stop detaining low-risk minors who have committed a technical probation violation: Adopt a no-detention policy for these youth.
Automated systems, streamlined forms and adequate administrative support can work wonders in eliminating unnecessary detention delays and tightening the wait window between adjudication and disposition. Another option? Fast tracking juvenile court dispositions.
Juveniles can languish in detention while awaiting a court-ordered placement. Sites can address this by establishing time limits for both pre- and post-disposition stays in detention.
