Funded and supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, several communities across the US have undertaken deep-end reform designed to safely and significantly reduce juvenile out-of-home placement, especially for youth of color. From 2013 through 2018, the Casey Foundation funded a developmental evaluation of this reform to better understand what worked well, what could be improved, and lessons for the field. During the evaluation period, 12 local jurisdictions across the US pursued deep-end reform, receiving grants and tailored, technical assistance from the Foundation. They pursued a range of deep-end reform activities including improving probation practices, enhancing decision-making throughout the juvenile justice system, expanding diversion and service options, and increasing youth and family engagement.

Researchers from the Urban Institute and Mathematica collaborated on the evaluation to develop and answer questions about the reform using a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data collection approach. The evaluation team documented its findings in a summary report, four briefs (one each on improving data capacity, advancing probation reform, engaging youth and families, and pursuing racial and ethnic equity and inclusion), a journal article (published in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice) on transforming juvenile probation through culture change, and technical appendixes documenting sites’ deep-end reform activities and describing the evaluation’s methods.

Keeping Youth Out of the Deep End of the Juvenile Justice System

Pursuing Racial and Ethnic Equity and Inclusion: A Deep-End Reform Brief

Advancing Probation Reform: A Deep-End Reform Brief

Engaging Youth and Families: A Deep-End Reform Brief

Activities to Improve Data Capacity: A Deep-End Reform Brief

Technical Appendixes:

Technical Appendixes for Keeping Youth Out of the Deep End of the Juvenile Justice System (421.98 KB PDF)

These technical appendixes were updated on September 25, 2020. “St. Louis County, Missouri” was corrected to “St. Louis City, Missouri” in figure A.1 on page 2.