Probation Can Be Done Another Way, the Great Pause Taught Us

We remember thinking just a few weeks before COVID-19 that everything was all just too much. There was too much on the schedule, we needed to be in three places at once, and everything and everyone was demanding our undivided attention.

probation: Teen boy playing basketball outdoors

JDAI Shifts Focus to Overhauling Probation, Increasing Diversion

When the Annie E. Casey Foundation launched the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) in the tough-on-crime era of the early 1990s, politicians were labeling teenage offenders “superpredators” and states were passing laws making it easier to prosecute kids as adults. Rates of juvenile detention were skyrocketing.

probation: Person selling tickets for sports event.

Probation Must Be Reformed Nationwide By Focusing on Incentives

Six months ago, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced policies to reduce the number of children sent to juvenile placement. One focus was reforming probation, even though it is often thought of as an alternative to placement.

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Listen to Crossover Girls Talk About Their Reality, Then Act

Recently, Rebecca Burney and Larson Binzer called for the voices of girls in the justice system to be heard. We extend their plea, adding the vitality of the voices of girls caught up not only in the justice system,

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Alameda County Probation Department Succeeds in Reducing Both Out-of-Home Placements, Racial Disparities

There is important new evidence that reducing out-of-home placements — while also reducing disparities for racial and ethnic minorities — is an achievable goal for the juvenile justice system. The removal of minors from their home, ostensibly for their rehabilitation, often results in additional difficulties in their schooling, future employment and overall well-being — especially if the placements exceed six months. When a youth is placed out of home, it can also be disruptive and detrimental to the entire family.