Best Implementation Practices: Disseminating New Assessment Technologies in a Juvenile Justice Agency

• NCJ Number: 215842
• Journal: Crime & Delinquency Volume: 52 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2006 Pages: 135-158
• Author(s): Douglas Young; Karl Moline; Jill Farrell; David Bierie
• Date Published: January 2006
• Length: 24 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Maryland Dept of Juvenile Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes and assesses efforts in Maryland’s juvenile justice system to close the assessment technology gap in the development and implementation of an integrated assessment system to assist in case processing decisions.

Abstract

Today, the science of assessment is moving forward and into everyday practice. New assessment technologies are designed to assist decisionmaking within the juvenile justice system. Specifically, they assist with important case processing decisions when handling youth referrals. However, the adoption and implementation of these new assessment tools has lagged behind in their development. This article describes the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services’ building of an integrated assessment system. The department developed three assessment tools: Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (D-RAI), the intake screen for case forwarding, and the placement assessment at disposition (PAD) for youth who were adjudicated. In each case, evidence-based instruments have been developed and are now implemented in some or all of the State. The article describes the strategies that were developed and employed to facilitate the adoption and implementation of these assessment tools at the field level within the department. A number of lessons were learned from the process of developing and implementing these assessment tools in Maryland’s juvenile justice system. First, decisions about whether to develop new assessments or employ or adapt off-the-shelf assessments need to be made early and supported consistently by agency administrators and researchers. Secondly, it is necessary for internal and external stakeholders to be involved early and continuously in the process. Thirdly, researchers must identify and assess existing practices by working with all levels of the organization. Fourthly, plans for development and implementation must take current practices and local work culture and climate into account. Lastly, there is a crucial need for documentation and close monitoring of implementation. Tables, references