Citation

Harris PW, Lockwood B, Mengers L, Stoodley BH. J. Juv. Justice 2011; 1(1): 1-16.

Affiliation

Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Monmouth University, West Long Branch, New Jersey, USA; Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, Braintree, Massachusetts, USA; Maine Department of Corrections, Augusta, Maine (phil.harris@temple.edu)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, In Public Domain (U.S. Department of Justice OJJDP), Publisher CSR)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Clear communication of program outcomes and system performance in juvenile justice is often hampered by the lack of standard definitions and inconsistent measurement, especially in relation to recidivism. In juvenile corrections, developing knowledge of best practices and effective programs, and obtaining support for the replication of evidence-based programs, depends heavily on an agency’s ability to present performance data clearly and consistently to policy makers. To bring greater consistency and clarity in the use of recidivism as an indicator of system performance, the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), the national organization of state juvenile correctional chief executive officers (CEOs), developed standards for defining and measuring recidivism in 2009. This article presents these standards and describes their development and rationale in juvenile justice.