By Johanna Lacoe and Leah Sakala, Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, April 13, 2020
Almost all youth who interact with the juvenile justice system have contact with juvenile probation staff. Juvenile probation officers (POs) often conduct intake interviews with youth and make recommendations to judges about diversion, case processing and out-of-home placement. Typically, POs play a big role in the lives of youth placed on probation following adjudication. They meet with youth regularly, reconnect them to school if necessary, and ensure youth meet the conditions of their probation agreement.
However, many jurisdictions are reconceptualizing and reforming these traditional ways juvenile justice systems interact with young people. Because juvenile probation plays a central role in the juvenile justice system, reform efforts require buy-in from leadership and staff of juvenile probation agencies.
Building on the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), which aims to reduce the number of youth in detention across the country, the Foundation’s Deep-end Initiative seeks to reduce out-of-home placements, particularly for youth of color, by catalyzing reforms within juvenile justice systems. In our evaluation of the deep-end initiative between 2014 and 2019, the Urban Institute and Mathematica focused on the central role of juvenile probation leadership and staff in these efforts.
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