Lessons Learned in Washington State: Implementing and Sustaining EvidenceBased Juvenile Justice Prog

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Lessons Learned in Washington State
Implementing and Sustaining Evidence-Based
Juvenile Justice Programs

• Minnesota Juvenile Justice Forum
• June 19, 2008
• Elizabeth K. Drake
• Washington State Institute for Public Policy
• www.wsipp.wa.gov
• ekdrake_at_wsipp.wa.gov
• 360.586.2767

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Washington State Institute for Public Policy

• Created in 1983 by the state Legislature
• Mission Carry out non-partisan research on
  projects assigned either by the legislature or
  the Institutes Board of Directors.
• 8 legislators
• 4 higher education provosts or presidents
• 4 state agency directors

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Overview
Research

• Presentation Outline
• Discuss Washington States experience with
  evidence-based juvenile justice programs

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Overview
Research

• Juvenile Justice System in WA
• Determinate sentencing since 1977
• Current offense
• Criminal history
• Decentralized system
• County - juvenile court, detention, probation
• State - juvenile correctional institutions,
  parole distributes state funds to counties
  (Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, JRA)

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Overview
Research

• Evidence-Based Initiative
• Intensive probation program in 1995.
• Institute conducts outcome evaluation and results
  are not good.
• Community Juvenile Accountability Act (CJAA) was
  passed in 1997.
• Goal Reduce crime, cost-effectively, by
  establishing research-based programs in the
  juvenile court.

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Overview
Research

• CJAA
• A CJAA committee was established.
• Institute examined literature to identify
  programs that reduce recidivism.
• Meta-analysis
• Four CJAA programs were selected.
• Functional Family Therapy (FFT)
• Aggression Replacement Training (ART)
• Coordination of Services (COS)
• Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST)

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Overview
Research

• Assessment
• The Institute worked with Juvenile Court
  Administrators to develop the WA State Juvenile
  Court Assessment
• Assessment
• Measures risk and protective factors.
• Classifies youth as low, moderate, or high risk
  for reoffense.
• Screens youth for program eligibility.
• Program implementation began in 1999.

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Research
Overview

• Two Types of Research
• Meta-analysis
• Combines the results of many studies.
• Studies must meet a standard of rigor.
• Results of meta-analysis produce an effect size.
• Outcome evaluation
• Valid comparison group.
• Intent to treat (not just completers).

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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Research
Overview
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Program (Competent Therapists)
30
32
25
Control
27
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25
Program (Not Competent Therapists)
20
Recidivism Rate
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15
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10
5
1
3
0
FFT
ART
COS
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Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Lessons Learned
Research
Overview

• Experts
• Statewide quality assurance steering committee
• Statewide program experts
• Regional consultants
• Training
• On-going consultation, feedback, and training
• Assess therapists level of competent program
  delivery

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Costs Benefits
Quality Assurance
Lessons Learned
Research
Overview

• Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce
  Future Prison Construction (2006)
• Study options to stabilize future prison
  populations.
• Study the net short-run and long-run fiscal
  savings to state and local governments of
  implementing
• evidence-based treatment human service and
  corrections programs and policies, including
  prevention and intervention programs
• Project total fiscal impacts under alternative
  implementation scenarios.

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Costs Benefits
Quality Assurance
Lessons Learned
Research
Overview

• Evidence-Based Programs for Juvenile Offenders
  Selected Results

Expected Change In Crime ( of EB Studies)
Benefits Minus Costs (per-person, life cycle)
Juvenile Program
FFT -18.1 (7) 49,776
MDTFC (foster care) -17.9 (3) 88,953
ART -8.3 (4) 23,015
Restorative Justice (low risk)
-8.0 (21) 8,702
MST
-7.7 (10) 17,694
Intensive Probation (surveillance) 0.0
(3) -1,650
Scared Straight 6.1(10) -17,470
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Costs Benefits
Quality Assurance
Lessons Learned
Background
Research

• What Does This Mean?
• Many juvenile justice options produce favorable
  long-run economic returns.
• Reduce need for up to two prisons if an
  aggressive portfolio of evidence-based options
  were implemented.
• In 2007, the Legislature expanded funding for
  evidence-based programs.
• 26.2 million
• One future prison eliminated from agenda.

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Lessons Learned
Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Research
Overview

• Research
• Select programs scientifically shown to work.
• Conduct a valid outcome evaluation.
• Assessment
• Develop an assessment to identify appropriate
  program for each youth.
• Quality Assurance
• Implement standards to ensure adherence to the
  model.

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Lessons Learned
Quality Assurance
Costs Benefits
Research
Overview

• Costs and Benefits
• Determine if the investment produces positive
  returns to taxpayers.
• People
• Develop relationships with stakeholders.
• People make decisions, not reports.

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Juvenile Justice History in WA
1995

• Intensive probation program funded.
• Intensive probation outcomes are not good.
• Determine if evidence-based programs exist that
  can be implemented in Washington State juvenile
  courts.
• Move funding from intensive probation to
  evidence-based programs in juvenile courts
  Aggression Replacement Training (ART) and
  Functional Family Therapy (FFT).
• Preliminary evidence-based program outcomes are
  positive and emphasize competent delivery (Doc.
  No. 02-08-1201).
• Develop adherence and outcome standards for
  evidence-based programs.
• Cost-benefit analyses of prevention and
  intervention programs beyond juvenile offenders.

1996
1997
1998
2002
2003
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Juvenile Justice History in WA (contd)

• Outcome evaluation of Washington States
  research-based programs for juvenile offenders.
  ART, FFT, COS.
• Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early
  Intervention Programs for Youth - 6 outcomes of
  interest.
• Reinvesting in Youth legislation State
  reimburses counties for implementing
  evidence-based programs.
• Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce
  Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice
  Costs, and Crime Rates.
• Expanded Funding for evidence-based programs
  ART, FFT, MST, COS, MDTFC, FIT, Restorative
  justice for low risk offenders, and drug courts.
• Working on increasing the number of youth served
  by evidence-based programs and tracking agency
  implementation of expansion dollars.

2004
2006
2007
Today
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Institute Reports of Interest

• Aos, S., Lieb, R., Mayfield, J., Miller, M.,
  Pennucci, A. (2004). Benefits and costs of
  prevention and early intervention programs for
  youth.
• Aos, S., Miller, M. Drake, E. (2006).
  Evidence-based public policy options to reduce
  future prison construction.
• Barnoski, R. (1999). The Community Juvenile
  Accountability Act Research-proven interventions
  for the juvenile court.
• Barnoski, R. Aos, S. (2004). Outcome
  evaluation of Washington States research-based
  programs for juvenile offenders.
• Barnoski, R., Aos, S. Lieb, R. (2003).
  Recommended quality control standards Washington
  State research-based juvenile offender programs.

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