[link removed] [[link removed]]
John,
Today, The Sentencing Project released a report [[link removed]] that identifies six program models that consistently produce better public safety outcomes than incarceration with far less disruption to young people’s healthy adolescent development at a fraction of the cost. When implemented with the full support of state and local youth justice systems, alternative-to-incarceration programs show compelling evidence of effectiveness even for youth who have committed serious offenses.
The six multifaceted intervention models that have demonstrated effectiveness as alternatives to incarceration for youth following adjudication include (1) credible messenger mentoring programs; (2) advocate/mentor programs; (3) family-focused, multidimensional therapy models; (4) cognitive behavioral therapy; (5) restorative justice interventions; and (6) wraparound programs. The report highlights case studies of their effectiveness. Some examples include:
*
New
York
City:
In
the
year
after
enrolling
in
NYC’s
credible
messenger
mentoring
program,
77%
of
participants
remained
arrest-free
and
just
11%
were
arrested
for
a
felony.


*
Baltimore
:
In
Baltimore,
98%
of
the
352
young
people
served
by
Roca’s
cognitive
behavioral
treatment
and
mentorship
model
had
a
history
of
prior
arrests,
but
only
28%
were
arrested
during
their
first
two
years
in
the
Roca
program.
And
95%
of
participants
were
not
incarcerated
for
a
new
offense
during
their
first
two
years.


*
San
Francisco
:
A
2021
study
of
a
restorative
conferencing
diversion
project
in
San
Francisco,
which
worked
with
13-
to
17-year-olds
accused
of
felonies
such
as
burglary
and
assault,
found
that
restorative
justice
conferencing
reduced
participants’
rearrest
rate
by
33%
in
the
year
after
enrollment,
compared
to
peers
in
a
randomly
assigned
control
group
who
were
prosecuted
in
court.
Effective Alternatives to Youth Incarceration [[link removed]] also details the essential characteristics needed to make these and other alternative-to-incarceration programs successful.
Despite a large drop over the past two decades, the number of youth in correctional custody remains far too large. Many significant opportunities remain for state and local youth justice systems to further reduce reliance on incarceration in ways that protect the public and enhance young people’s well-being. Pursuing these opportunities – ending the unnecessary, racially unjust, and often abusive confinement of adolescents – should be a top priority of youth justice reform nationwide.
Click to read the report [[link removed]]
Headshot of Liz Komar, Sentencing Reform Counsel at The Sentencing Project [[link removed]] Richard Mendel
Senior Research Fellow
Email: [email protected]
Donate [[link removed]]
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8th Fl
Washington, DC 20036
United States
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