An evaluation of Massachusetts juvenile detention alternatives initiative program

In the 1990s concerns about the perceived increase in juvenile crimes across the United States resulted in calls for increased penalty of juvenile offenders.  The result, was an increase in the rate of detention among youths.  The US detains more juveniles than any other developed nation. The sheer volume of youths held in detention each year is a cause for concern.  Approximately 400,000 youths are admitted to detention facilities each year nationwide, and on any given night 26,000 are held in secured facilities. The ills associated with juvenile detention are well documented.  Youths in detention have a lower chance of graduating high school. Detention increases the chance of a youth committing later crimes. Detention is associated with negative long-term life outcomes. Further, there is evidence indicating that youths held in preventive detention pretrial are more likely to be sentenced to out-of-home placement if convicted of an offense. The inadequacies of detention facilities are additionally highlighted in their inability to address mental health issues believed to be prominent among the population of detained youths.

Given the various ills associated with juvenile detention there has been a move towards alternatives to detention.  One response, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) programs, a project of the Annie E. Casey foundation, has been around since 1992.  With programs in approximately forty states, JDAI aims to reduce detention for youth involved with the court system.  Evidence to date suggests these programs have been effective. However, most of the analyses are based on descriptive statistics before and after implementation of JDAI programs.  Using a quasi-experimental approach with data from 2008 to 2010 this paper examines the impact of the Massachusetts JDAI program on the length of time juveniles spend in detention pre-trial.