Data collected through the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program and OJJDP's Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement demonstrate that there have been large declines in juvenile arrests and confinement in recent years. The goal of this study is to explore and test whether state-level juvenile justice policy changes were associated with these declines, as well as other justice system processing outcomes. To do this, the study will:

• Review publically available information to identify indicators of state-level juvenile justice policy changes.
• Explore whether there are measures for juvenile crime, justice system processing, and confinement for those states available from national data collection programs.
• Interview key state officials, agency directors, and juvenile justice leaders to better understand the context of policy changes and their possible effects on juvenile incarceration rates.
• Analyze the bivariate and multivariate relationships between all policy change indicators and justice measures.
• Compile and disseminate project findings.

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