TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Juvenile Justice Commission acting Executive Director Jennifer LeBaron have announced the release of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative 2021 annual data report. Since 2019, all 21 New Jersey counties have participated in this statewide reform initiative led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which was implemented in phases in New Jersey beginning in 2004 and has led to dramatic reductions in juvenile detention center populations, changing the face of youth justice in the state of New Jersey, according to a Dec. 13 press release from the state.
As detailed in the JDAI 2021 report, comparing the year prior to JDAI implementation in each site to the current data across sites, the average daily population of juvenile detention centers decreased by 73.9 percent, resulting in 9,053 fewer youths admitted to detention annually, and tens of thousands of fewer young people admitted to detention since the implementation of JDAI. Youths of color have accounted for almost 90 percent of this drop. Adjusting for changing demographics in the general youth population, the overrepresentation of youths of color in detention has decreased by more than 5 percentage points since the implementation of JDAI in New Jersey. The number of girls in detention has decreased by almost 64 percent across the 21 counties, resulting in 64 fewer girls in secure detention on any given day.
“The transformation of New Jersey’s youth justice system is nothing short of remarkable and, as a result, New Jersey continues to be a national model for reform,” Platkin said. “Even with these successes, New Jersey’s youth justice reform continues, with a specific focus on minimizing racial disparities throughout the youth justice system, increasing opportunities for the diversion of low-level offenders into community-based programs where they can obtain needed services, and the strengthening of partnerships between schools, the youth justice system and other stakeholders.”
JDAI was developed in response to national trends reflecting a drastic increase in the use of secure detention for youths despite decreases in youth arrests, and the resulting overcrowding of youth detention centers nationwide. The goal of this systems-change initiative is to create more effective and efficient processes surrounding the use of detention. To that end, JDAI works to reduce the number of young people unnecessarily or inappropriately held in secure detention, while maintaining public safety and ensuring youths appear for scheduled court dates. JDAI also works to redirect resources toward successful reform strategies and to improve conditions of confinement in detention facilities for those youths who require this most secure level of supervision.
“We know from research and direct experience that incarceration is one of the strongest predictors that a young person will have continued involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Juvenile Justice Commission is committed to increasing opportunities for the diversion of youth into community-based programs where they can obtain needed services,” LeBaron said. “JDAI has proven to be a springboard for broader juvenile justice system change, allowing New Jersey to focus on tackling racial disparities in a collaborative and data-driven way, and leading to substantial reductions in commitments to the JJC. There is more work to be done, but JDAI has created the foundation for further youth justice reform.”
“The Judiciary’s work with the Juvenile Justice Commission and other key stakeholders has helped juveniles access the services and support systems they need as they approach adulthood,” said Glenn A. Grant, administrative director of the courts. “By expanding the use of alternative programs rather than detention, we are seeing outcomes for juveniles that are fair and reasonable regardless of race or gender. This decades-long collaboration to detain only the highest-risk juveniles while decreasing detention for the lowest-risk juveniles has advanced New Jersey’s efforts to increase positive outcomes for youth who become involved in the juvenile justice system.”
Youths who are placed in detention-alternative programs receive services in their communities. Last year, just 5.5 percent of youths were discharged from a detention-alternative program as the result of a new delinquency charge. Furthermore, Uniform Crime Report figures indicate that in 2020 — the most recent year for which the Uniform Crime Report is available — juvenile arrests were down in all 21 sites as compared to each site’s pre-JDAI year, for a total reduction of 83.3 percent. Arrests for the more serious “index” offenses are down 81 percent.
The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative 2021 annual data report can be read at tinyurl.com/2b3u2z3p.
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