Many juvenile probation agencies and courts are oriented around monitoring youth’s compliance with probation conditions. These conditions can set up youth for failure and perpetuate system inequities rather than contribute to youth’s success and community safety.
For example, approximately 16 percent of youth who are detained and 12 percent committed to state custody nationwide are detained or committed due to a technical violation of supervision conditions.
The Toolkit
This toolkit is based on a research review and more than 30 listening sessions with stakeholders across an array of disciplines, as well as with youth and families, on juvenile probation conditions and enforcement. It is designed to spark reflection and discussion by detailing key themes from the listening sessions, self-assessment questions, and a continuum of reform options.
We recommend establishing a working group to use the toolkit together with the goal of adopting a concrete action plan for reform. We suggest you engage with the materials in the following order:
Section 1: Reasons to Question, Questions to Ask
This section of the toolkit includes three modules that can help you assess whether your current approaches to juvenile probation conditions and enforcement effectively promote youth behavior change, accountability, and equity. We recommend you start by watching the videos. Then review the reasons and questions to assess your current policies and practices and begin to identify opportunities for improvement.
Section 2: Solutions to Explore
This section of the toolkit includes two modules that can help you identify and come to consensus on condition setting and enforcement policy and practice improvements. Review a continuum of potential reform options and determine which strategies are best for your agency, court, and system.
Access the complete toolkit content in PDF form here.
