Glossary Terms and Definitions
- Adaptation
- The degree in which evidence based intervention is modified during implementation stages to suit the demands of the setting/population.
- Aggression
- It is intentional use or threat of harmful behaviors against another person.
- Buy-In
- Refers to garnering support from various stakeholders to implement programs or practices successfully.
- Core Components
- The most fundamental and vital components of an intervention (core intervention components) or the most fundamental components of an implementation program.
- Criminogenic needs of youth
- Refer to characteristics of the youth that, when changed, are associated with changes in risk of reoffending.
- Disproportionate minority contact (DMC)
- Refers to rates of contact with the juvenile justice system among juveniles of a specific minority group that are significantly different from rates of contact for white non-Hispanic juveniles.
- Divergence
- Occurs when those implementing a program choose to change certain elements of the program.
- Diversion
- A term used to describe intervention approaches that redirect youths away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system, while still holding them accountable for their actions and ensuring public safety. The goal of diversion is to remove youths as early in the juvenile justice process as possible to avoid later negative outcomes associated with formal processing (such as increased odds of recidivism, stigmatization/labeling, and increased criminal justice costs).
- Evidence-based Programs/Practices
- The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence, generally obtained through high quality outcome evaluations.
- Fidelity
- The degree to which a program's core services, components, and procedures are implemented as originally designed.
- Goals
- The primary aims of a program (that is, what a program should achieve). Goals identify the program's intended short- and long-term results.
- Implementation
- Refers to putting to use or integrating evidence based interventions within a setting with specified set of activities designed to put into practice an activity or program.
- Implementation Team
- Core set of individuals responsible for guidance throughout the entire implementation process. This team ensures support for and fidelity of the intervention, increases readiness, monitors outcomes, and addresses barriers.
- Meta-analysis
- The systematic quantitative analysis of multiple studies that address a set of related research hypotheses in order to draw general conclusions, develop support for hypotheses, and/or produce an estimate of overall program effects.
- Needs assessment
- Systematic process to acquire an accurate, thorough picture of a youth’s strengths and areas of vulnerability. The process is utilized to identify and prioritize treatment goals, develop a treatment plan, determine the appropriate level of supervision, and allocate funds and resources for services.
- Net widening
- Refers to the idea that many youths who commit minor offenses would probably have been released from the system, prior to the implementation of diversion programming. However, once diversion is put into place, more youths may be brought into contact with the justice system and required to attend programs or services.
- Objectives
- Derived from the program goals and lay out the steps to achieve these goals. Objectives are more specific than goals.
- Outcome evaluation
- A formal study that seeks to determine if a program is working. An outcome evaluation involves measuring change in the desired outcomes (e.g., changes in behaviors or changes in crime rates) before and after a program is implemented, and determines if those changes can be attributed to the program.
- Partial Implementation
- Occurs when only part of the original program is implemented. The content of a program does not change, but only a portion of the program as it was designed is implemented.
- Petition
- A document filed in juvenile court alleging that a juvenile is a delinquent and asking that the court assume jurisdiction over the juvenile or asking that an alleged delinquent be waived to criminal court for prosecution as an adult.
- Petitioned (formally handled) cases
- Cases that appear on the official court calendar in response to the filing of a petition or other legal instrument requesting the court to adjudicate the youth delinquent, or waive the youth to criminal court for processing as an adult.
- Preadjudication
- The period before the judicial determination (judgment) that a juvenile is responsible for the delinquency or status offense that is charged in a petition or other charging document..
- Pre-implementation stage
- Includes every step and decision that is made before actually implementing an evidence-based program or practice.
- Process evaluation
- A study that seeks to determine if a program is operating as it was designed to. Process evaluations can be conducted in a number of ways, but may include examination of the service delivery model, the performance goals and measures, interviews with program staff and clients, etc.
- Program Champion
- Someone who helps get support from the community and other stakeholders, and serves as a go-to person for any questions and concerns. A program champion can also provide support and motivation before and during the program’s implementation.
- Program fidelity
- The degree to which a program's core services, components, and procedures are implemented as originally designed..
- Program fit
- The degree of compatibility between a program and the local context in which it is delivered. To ensure program fit, an intervention may be tailored to the community’s culture, needs, resources, and implementation capacity.
- Restorative justice
- A theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. Practices and programs reflecting restorative principles will respond to crime and delinquency by 1) identifying and taking steps to repair harm, 2) involving all stakeholders, and 3) transforming the traditional relationship between communities and government in responding to crime and delinquency.
- Risk/needs assessment
- Are standardized tools that help practitioners estimate a youth’s risk of recidivism and identify other factors or needs that, if treated and changed, can reduce the youth’s likelihood of committing another offense.
- Stakeholder
- A person, group, or organization that has a stake in the success of a program. Stakeholders may include members of the target population or organizations providing services to that population, or may not work directly with the population at all but nonetheless has an interest in the success of a program.
- Sustainability
- The long-term survival, success and continued effectiveness of an intervention. Sustainability describes to what extent a program or practice can deliver intended benefits over an extended period of time.
- Therapeutic jurisprudence
- Attempts to combine a “rights” perspective (which emphasizes justice, rights, and equality issues) with an “ethic of care” perspective (which emphasizes care, interdependence, and response to need). The focus is on using a problem-solving, treatment-focused approach in a non-adversarial forum to address youths’ problem behaviors.
- Violence
- The use or threat of physical force or power against another person, group, or community.
