ABSTRACT
This chapter considers few models for change in the organization of juvenile justice services at the state level and in one case at the local level. The juvenile court was granted exclusive jurisdiction over individuals below the age of 18 who were charged with violating laws in most states. The court also had jurisdiction over decision making regarding abused and neglected children. State leadership and managerial action have produced dramatic reductions in public state correctional institutions for juveniles. An evaluation by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) few years later reported more positive outcomes for youth in the community-based open programs than had been achieved in the large institutional facilities. There are four key elements of the program: case management including the family, decentralized small residential facilities, a peer-centered treatment model, and a positive treatment-centered environment. States provide financial incentives to local jurisdictions to reduce incarceration of juveniles in state facilities.
