Monitoring and Assessing the Effectiveness of Juvenile Justice Sanctions

OJJDP's Field Initiated Research and Evaluation (FIRE) Program funds research and evaluation that address how the juvenile justice system responds to juvenile delinquency. Research projects funded through this solicitation will seek answers to questions that will inform policy and suggest ways to enhance the juvenile justice system. As set forth in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended (Pub. L. No. 93-415, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq.), OJJDP may conduct research or evaluation in juvenile justice matters, for the purpose of providing research and evaluation relating to control of juvenile delinquency and serious crime committed by juveniles; successful efforts to prevent first-time minor offenders from committing subsequent involvement in serious crime; successful efforts to prevent recidivism; and the juvenile justice system. This program is authorized pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 3796ee et seq..

The goal of the proposed study by the Florida State University and Maxarth multidisciplinary research team is to help contribute to efforts to prevent and reduce delinquency and to promote public safety. To achieve this goal and contribute to the broader mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the study's specific objectives are: (1) to provide policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with empirical information and tools for monitoring and improving juvenile justice sanctioning processes and decisions, including the individual-level and community-level factors that influence these decisions; and (2) to assess the effectiveness of these sanctions in altering trajectories of offending among referred youth. Data will include approximately 1.2 million delinquency referrals in Florida from 2001-2009 and include individual-level information and processing and sanctioning decisions, as well as community-level information. This rich data source, which will be analyzed using recently developed advanced statistical techniques, creates a unique, cost-effective opportunity to fulfill these objectives. The short- and intermediate-term outcomes include the timely submission of all research-related products (e.g., progress reports, final report, research brief, detailed summary, data and syntax) in accordance with OJJDP's expectations for the depth, breadth, scope, and quality as well as the pertinence of all deliverables.

CA/NCF