NCJ Number
223171
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 70 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2008 Pages: 84,85,92
Date Published
June 2008
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the features of the Alaska Division of Juvenile Justice's (DJJ's) multifaceted system improvement effort launched in 2003.
Abstract
Two factors helped set the stage for the change effort: A Federal appropriation that allowed DJJ to implement a new comprehensive juvenile offender management information system, and new and emerging DJJ leaders who were determined that objective assessment instruments and quality-assurance procedures would be used to test and improve agency policies and practices. The first major system improvement was the adoption of a new detention assessment instrument that examines a juvenile's immediate and past delinquency history. The next major system improvement was the adoption of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS). The YLS was determined to be most useful at the postadjudication stage, in order to determine how best to match and manage correctional services to each youth's needs. The search is underway for a screening tool that is appropriate for the intake stage of case processing. Some features of organizational style have facilitated change within DJJ; for example, DJJ has a number of avenues for communication. One communication innovation was the establishment of a monthly teleconference in which randomly selected staff from around the State speak with the agency's top three administrators about any topic that concerns them. Another organizational feature that enhances change is its integration of all phases of juvenile processing under the same agency. Intake, probation, detention facilities, secure treatment programs, and aftercare are all administered by one agency. Some lessons DJJ has learned about change management are that there can never be too much communication; line staff must be involved at all phases of change planning; there must be realistic expectations for implementation; and the evaluation plan must be established at the beginning. 1 note