NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

JUSTICE SYSTEM REFORMS - COMMUNITY-BASED ALTERNATIVES TO YOUTH INCARCERATION INITIATIVE (CBAYI): IN LATE 2022, NICJR WAS CHOSEN TO SERVE AS THE TA PROVIDER FOR THE OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION (OJJDP) CBAYI INITIATIVE. NICJR AND ITS PARTNER CATALYZE JUSTICE HOSTED A SEVEN-MONTH COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM 11 JURISDICTIONS TO LEARN ABOUT EFFECTIVE MODELS FOR INCREASING COMMUNITY-BASED ALTERNATIVES TO YOUTH INCARCERATION. NICJR AND CATALYZE JUSTICE ALSO HOSTED A MARCH 2024 SITE VISIT TO NEW YORK CITY, WHERE PARTICIPANTS VISITED INNOVATIVE YOUTH FACILITIES AND HEARD FROM COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS. AS AN EXTENSION OF THIS WORK, NICJR ALSO DEVELOPED A BRIEF HIGHLIGHTING INNOVATIVE PRACTICES TO SUPPORT JURISDICTIONS LOOKING TO MINIMIZE THE USE OF JUVENILE DETENTION AND SECURE RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENT. NICJR ALSO PROVIDED SOME LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL TRAINING AND TA TO SITES. FOR EXAMPLE, NICJR COMPLETED SITES VISITS TO PUERTO RICO AND HAWAII TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND DEVELOPED A MEMO FOR THE NEW ORLEANS OFFICE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE THAT PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS ON ALLOCATION OF $4.45 MILLION IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUNDING FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE PROGRAMMING AND SERVICES. NEIGHBORHOOD OPPORTUNITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD (NOAB): IN FY24, NICJR CONTINUED TO GROW AND REFINE THE OAKLAND NOAB. AS OF JUNE 2024, THE PROGRAM HAD RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 108 REFERRALS FROM THE OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT AT THE POINT OF ARREST IN LIEU OF SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT AND ANOTHER NINE REFERRALS FROM OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE OR OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. NOTABLY, AT THE END OF CY23, OVER 90% OF YOUTH REFERRED TO THE NOAB HAD PARTICIPATED IN NOAB HEARINGS AND ADHERED TO THEIR SERVICE PLANS, AND MORE THAN 65% OF NOAB PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE REFERRED MORE THAN A YEAR AGO EITHER COMPLETED OR WERE STILL ENROLLED IN A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. NICJR ALSO CONTINUED TO PARTNER WITH THE AMERICAN INSTITUTES OF RESEARCH, WHO IS CONDUCTING A RIGOROUS, MIXED-METHODS, FOUR-YEAR EVALUATION OF NOAB'S PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES AND A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF PROGRAM IMPACTS. NICJR WILL UTILIZE THESE FINDINGS TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN THE NOAB MODEL AND INFORM THE BROADER FIELD OF JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM. IN LATE 2023, THE OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION (OJJDP) CHOSE NICJR AS ONE OF FOUR YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM (YVPP) AWARDEES. THIS $250,000, THREE-YEAR AWARD WILL SUPPORT NICJR'S WORK TO STRENGTHEN NOAB IN OAKLAND, ALLOW NICJR TO PROVIDE TA TO OTHER BAY AREA COMMUNITIES AS THEY ESTABLISH THEIR OWN NOABS, AND WORK TOWARD BUILDING A MORE REGIONAL APPROACH TO NOAB ACROSS SITES. ADVOCACY: NICJR IS FUNDED BY THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT TO CARRY OUT ADVOCACY WORK FOCUSED ON JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM IN CALIFORNIA. WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS GRANT, IN FY24, NICJR CONTINUED TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN SEVERAL ADVOCACY COALITIONS THAT BRING TOGETHER GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, ADVOCATES, AND IMPACTED INDIVIDUALS TO WORK TOWARD JUSTICE REFORM. NICJR ALSO MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN A MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECT ENTITLED JUST AND SAFE THAT WILL SUPPORT ADVOCACY EFFORTS IN CALIFORNIA AND BEYOND. NICJR HAS NOW ANALYZED CALLS FOR SERVICE AND POLICE STAFFING AND BUDGET DATA FOR 10 CALIFORNIA CITIES AND 11 ADDITIONAL CITIES THROUGHOUT THE US. NICJR ALSO BEGAN TO ANALYZE STAFFING, BUDGET, AND OTHER DATA FOR A MIXTURE OF ADULT AND JUVENILE SUPERVISION AGENCIES ACROSS THE US. IN ADDITION TO THESE ANALYSES, NICJR COMPLETED MUCH OF A THOROUGH LITERATURE REVIEW HIGHLIGHTING PROVEN AND PROMISING ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM STRUCTURES THAT CAN INCREASE COMMUNITY SAFETY AND REDUCE VIOLENT CRIME, IN LINE WITH NICJR'S REDUCE, IMPROVE, REINVEST FRAMEWORK. AS AN INITIAL STEP TOWARD DISSEMINATING RESULTS, NICJR DEVELOPED A BREAKOUT REPORT FOR OAKLAND AND ALAMEDA COUNTY THAT WAS RELEASED IN EARLY 2024.