Projects.All projects in the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab are designed to improve juvenile justice policy and practice to produce better outcomes for youth and communities. Projects span a variety of areas—from more traditional forensic psychology research on adolescents’ legal decision-making capacities to translational research focused on developing effective juvenile justice policies and practices. Further, they range from evaluations of new and existing juvenile justice policies and programs to implementation science projects replicating best practices in juvenile justice.
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Evaluating the Philadelphia Police School Diversion ProgramCollaborating with multiple city agencies, the JJR&R Lab has conducted a longitudinal evaluation of the Diversion Program. Results indicate that this program has reduced the annual number of school-based arrests in Philadelphia by 84% and produced a significant reduction in 2-year recidivism rates for diverted youth relative to a matched group of arrested youth.
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Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Graduated Response in Juvenile ProbationCollaborating with more than 150 counties across the country, the JJR&R Lab uses research to help jurisdictions restructure their juvenile probation systems to facilitate youths' successful completion of court supervision and positive youth development.
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Evaluating the Youth/Law Enforcement DMC CurriculumThe JJR&R Lab conducts research to evaluate the impacts of the Pennsylvania Disproportionate Minority Contact Youth/Law Enforcement Curriculum, a training that brings officers and young people together to improve relationships and foster safe and positive interactions in the community.
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Creating a Positive School Safety CurriculumThe JJR&R Lab is creating, implementing, and evaluating a 16-session coaching manual and training series to teach school officers empirically based, procedurally just, and trauma-informed practices.
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Establishing Economic JusticeCourt-ordered restitution payments to victims can present a major obstacle to youths' abilities to complete their court involvement--with disproportionately negative impacts on low-income youth and youth of color. The JJR&R Lab is partnering with the Philadelphia DA's Office to evaluate alternatives to youth-paid restitution to remove this economic hurdle for youth and help victims receive their money more quickly.
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Judicial Confinement and Release Decisions: Covid-19To protect youth confined in justice facilities from COVID-19 health risks, the Lab is collaborating with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to 1) synthesize available research on risk assessment/reduction and judicial decision making and 2) disseminate a research-grounded strategy to support judges and probation officers in safely releasing more youth from confinement during the pandemic and beyond.
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Developing and Evaluating an Anger Management Intervention for GirlsThe lab created the Juvenile Justice Anger Management (JJAM) Treatment for Girls, a manualized 16-session group treatment. Results of a randomized controlled trial revealed JJAM significantly reduced anger and aggression among girls in residential placement. JJAM was included as a "promising program" on NIJ's CrimeSolutions.org site and in OJJDP's Model Programs Guide.
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Training and Technical Assistance
Beyond research, the Juvenile Justice Research and Reform Lab provides training and technical assistance in each of its core project areas to help juvenile justice stakeholders enhance system effectiveness and fairness, evaluate programs and policies, and generate better outcomes for youth and communities.
