Louisiana's Systemwide Reform

Louisiana’s Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ) will address the problems associated with practitioner drift and improve treatment solutions for youth. OJJ will hire a reform coordinator to bring system reform under one umbrella and procure an experienced subgrantee to conduct a system review. The review will be designed to eliminate practitioner drift in favor of standardized processes, based solely on scientifically derived alleviations for criminogenic risk; educate staff through a series of implementation steps and hands-on training; implement a sustainability plan to promote institutional memory and consistent application; and, optimize resources for all regions of Louisiana, eliminating spending on unnecessary programming. The program aims to develop clear guidelines by analyzing process and standardizing decision-making; improve data collection and analysis practices, as well as use of data to determine treatments and measure progress; enhance decision-making; and, eliminate waste and redeploy financial resources and partner agencies to create better connections to high poverty areas. Program deliverables include staffing enhancements, multiple hands-on trainings, a complete system review and report, and coaching. This statewide program will benefit adjudicated youth and enhance public safety in communities across Louisiana.