State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Juvenile Justice & Youth Development

Publications

Publishing documents on juvenile justice topics increases the awareness and understanding of juvenile justice issues and programs.  Below is a listing of titles published by the Office of Policy and Management and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.  Click on the title for a summary of each publication and to download the entire document.

TOP of pageYouth Development

TOP of pageSchool Attendance

TOP of pagePolice and Youth

TOP of pageJuvenile Justice System Improvement

Evaluation of Police and Youth Program, May 2015. Prepared by the Center for Applied Research in Human Development, this report covers three years of Police and Youth Program projects using pre- and post-tests of both police officer and youth participants.

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TOP of pageChildren, Youth and the Police, Recommended Policies and Procedures, Revised 2015. Connecticut General Statutes 7-294y requires that each police department establish a written policy regarding the handling and processing of juveniles. The JJAC developed this document to assist police departments in developing such a policy. The report was first published in 1991 and was revised in 1995, 1997, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2015.

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TOP of pageA Second Reassessment of Disproportionate Minority Contact in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, May 2009.  The JJAC funded this research study to determine 1) what differences, if any, exist in decisions made for Black, Hispanic and White juveniles who are processed for similar types of offenses as they move through the juvenile justice system; 2) if observed differences remain when controlling for offender and offense characteristics; and 3) if the system has improved in those areas found to be problematic in the two prior studies.  The report includes JJAC recommendations for action to address disproportionate minority contact (DMC).  The study was conducted by Spectrum Associates Market Research Incorporated and covers the time period of 2005-2006.  For more information about Disproportionate Minority Contact in Connecticut's juvenile justice system, visit the DMC page.

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TOP of pageA Fourth Reassessment of Disproportionate Minority Contact in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, November 2017. This is the fourth study in the State of Connecticut that examines disproportionate minority contact in the State’s juvenile justice system.
The major goals for this DMC assessment study were to determine: 1) What differences, if any, exist in decisions made for Black, Hispanic, and White juveniles who are processed for similar types of offenses (e.g., Serious Juvenile Offenses, non-SJO felonies, misdemeanors, and violations) as they move through the juvenile justice system, 2) Whether observed differences remain when controlling for offender and offense characteristics or are neutralized by predictor variables.
The study assesses decisions made by the three components of the juvenile justice system: the police, the juvenile court, and the Department of Children and Families.
Final Recommendations from the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) are under discussion and will be added to the study document as soon as they become available.
TOP of pageThe Color of Justice Revisited Video (December 2017).  A follow-up to the 2013 CPTV documentary The Color of Justice, The Color of Justice Revisited explores what the State of Connecticut is doing to help decrease unequal treatment and what effect bias may have on influencing decisions made by police officers, prosecutors, judges, and the Department of Children & Families.
The Color of Justice Revisited offers a timely, candid examination of how attitudes, experiences, and stereotypes are impacting young people of color in Connecticut.
The Color of Justice Revisited is a Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) Partnership Production with the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.
The documentary may be viewed on the Connecticut Public Television website, at this link: https://cptv.org/colorofjustice/
TOP of pageAddressing Disproportionate Minority Contact Video, September 2008.  This video describes Connecticut's Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) studies and two key initiatives resulting from them: a training curriculum for patrol officers on interacting more effectively with youth and a management tool for identification of disproportionate incident reporting in residential facilities.  For more information about disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, view a report on Connecticut's most recent DMC study or visit the DMC page.
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TOP of pageEffective Police Interactions with Youth Video, September 2008.  The "Effective Police Interactions with Youth" training curriculum provides patrol officers with information to better understand youth behavior and with practical strategies for interacting with young people in positive ways.  The goal of the training is to reduce the likelihood that interactions between police officers and young people will have negative outcomes and/or result in police action, particularly for minority youth.  Certified police trainers teach officers about disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system (DMC) and adolescent development through a variety of training strategies including videos, class discussions, small group activities, and role playing.  For more information about disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, view a report on Connecticut's most recent DMC study or visit the DMC page.
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TOP of pageEffective Police Interactions with Youth: Training Evaluation, September 2008.  This document provides a full report of the evaluation of the Effective Police Interactions with Youth patrol officer training curriculum funded by the JJAC. The purpose of this curriculum is to reduce the likelihood that interactions between police officers and young people will have negative outcomes and/or result in police action. Certified police trainers taught officers about disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system (DMC), adolescent brain development and police/youth relations through a variety of instructional techniques including slide presentations, video clips, class discussions, small group activities, and individual activities. The evaluation involved administering pre-test, post-test and follow-up surveys to patrol officer trainees and a control group of officers to assess for significant change in their level of knowledge about and attitudes toward youth following the one-day training. This report was prepared by the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research in Human Development.
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TOP of pageRecommendations for Improving School Attendance in Connecticut, June 2009.  This position paper expands on the one published in October 2004 and August 2008 and outlines recommendations of the Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance (the Consortium) for making attendance an explicit priority in Connecticut at the state and local levels.  The recommendations were developed with input from Consortium members representing 28 local school districts and nine state agencies concerned with education, child welfare, and juvenile justice.  The document describes six recommended actions for improving attendance that target local school districts, the State Department of Education, and the Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance.  Follow this link for information on Joining the Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance.
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TOP of pageStudent Attendance Data: Key Findings, 2006-2007 School Year, August 2008.  A product of the Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance (the Consortium), this report summarizes key findings from the collection and analysis of student attendance data from Consortium school districts.  Two key measures of attendance used in the report are average daily attendance and the percentage of students attending less than 90% of the time.  The report provides aggregated results for the 25 districts participating in the Consortium in 2006-2007 and highlights patterns of attendance by grade- and school-level and across various student populations.  Follow this link for information on Joining the Connecticut Consortium on School Attendance.

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TOP of pageStudy of Juvenile Transfers in Connecticut 1997 to 2002, Final Report, September 2006. This final report provides information on juveniles transferred to adult court in Connecticut for the six-year period of 1997 to 2002.  It presents transfer rates, characteristics of juveniles transferred, sanctions imposed, information from system practitioner interviews, detailed information on B felony cases, and recommendations for action from the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.  This study was conducted by Eliot C. Hartstone and Dorinda M. Richetelli of Spectrum Associates Market Research Incorporated.
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TOP of pageNeighborhood Youth Center Program Evaluations.  The Office of Policy and Management contracted with the Center for Applied Research in Human Development at the University of Connecticut to conduct four evaluations of the neighborhood youth center programs which were published in June 2009, October 2007, June 2006, March 2004, and July 2001.   

Youth Involvement Practices: Are Youth Outcomes Better in Youth Development Programs That Embrace Youth Involvement Principles and Practices? October 2010. The study described in this report explores the link between youth involvement practices in youth development programs and youth outcomes at the program level.  In addition to youth outcome surveys, youth program staff completed leadership ratings of young people in their program and external raters ranked each youth development program in terms of its commitment to and success in implementing youth involvement practices.  Staff leadership ratings and external rankings were used as measures of youth involvement practices.

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2007-09 Process Evaluation Report: Governor's Urban Youth Violence Prevention Program, June 2009. This report provides details of a process evaluation that was conducted by the Center for Applied Research in Human Development (CARHD) at the University of Connecticut for the State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management. The process evaluation was conducted with 19 youth programs located in urban centers within Connecticut and consisted of several components. First, attendance data were collected from all of the programs involved in the evaluation. Second, data were collected from the youth at the programs on their perceptions of “supports and opportunities” present within the programs. Third, summaries of these perceptions were shared with the directors of the programs, who then worked on an improvement plan. Finally, one year after the initial data were collected, youth were re-surveyed to determine whether the improvement objectives had been achieved.  This report consists of several parts:

I.    An overview of the evaluation;

II.   Description of youth program operation and young people’s attendance data;

III.  Description of youth across the 19 programs;

IV.  Results of the process evaluation, for each program involved in the evaluation;

V.   A project summary.

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Process and Outcome Evaluation Report: 2005-07 Neighborhood Youth Center Program Evaluation, October 2007. This report covers 12 inner-city Neighborhood Youth Centers operating in Connecticut and funded with federal Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act, Governor's portion funds through the state Office of Policy and Management.  The outcome part of the evaluation looked at the impact of youth participation in their centers as related to the degree of social support the youth perceived to be available to them by center staff as well as the youth's abilities to make responsible choices and their self-reported levels of anxiety and well-being.  The process part of the evaluation collected attendance data from all centers and survey data from youth on their perceptions of "supports and opportunities" present in the centers.  Summaries of these perceptions were shared with center directors who then worked on a program improvement plan.  One year after the initial data were collected, youth were re-surveyed to determine whether the improvement objectives had been achieved.

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Process Evaluation Report: Neighborhood Youth Center Program Evaluation, June 2006. This process evaluation was conducted with 12 inner-city Neighborhood Youth Centers operating during 2003-2005 and consists of several components. Specifically, attendance data were collected from all of the centers involved in the evaluation. In addition, data were collected from youth at the centers on their perceptions of "supports and opportunities" present within the programs at the centers. Summaries of these perceptions were shared with the directors of the centers who then worked on a program improvement plan. One year after the initial data were collected, youth were re-surveyed to determine whether or not improvement objectives had been achieved. 

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Neighborhood Youth Center Program Evaluation, March 2004. This evaluation of the Neighborhood Youth Center Programs covered centers that were funded for July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003. The final report is divided into five parts. In Part One, the previous research on the components of successful community-based youth programs is reviewed. Part Two consists of a summary of the “process data” that were collected as part of the evaluation. Part Three consists of a summary of focus groups that were done with the parents of a select number of youth attending the Neighborhood Youth Centers. Part Four is a summary of the “outcome study” that was conducted as part of the evaluation, and Part Five consists of a summary of the entire evaluation.

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Neighborhood Youth Center Program Evaluation, July 2001. This report contains information about the evaluation process, research results, and summary findings with recommendations for future evaluations of Neighborhood Youth Centers funded by the Office of Policy and Management.

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TOP of pagePolice Working with Youth in Non-Enforcement Roles, Outcome Evaluation 2004-2005, June 2006. This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of the Positive Police Interaction with Youth program funded by the JJAC. This program provided funds for local public agencies to increase or enhance positive police interactions with youth outside of the traditional enforcement role. Examples include Police Explorers; police academies; and police-led athletic, skill training, or social events for youth. The evaluation involved administering pre-test and post-test surveys to youth who were engaged in youth development activities in the participating communities. This report was prepared by the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research.

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TOP of pageAssessing Outcomes in Child and Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook, Revised Edition, September 2005. In 2001 the JJAC funded the development of a Handbook to help managers and staff in youth programs to plan program evaluations and conduct their own simple evaluations, and to provide funders of youth programs a clearly defined set of positive youth developmental outcomes and indicators (instruments) for measuring those outcomes. This second edition of the Handbook has a completely updated selection of indicators which, for the first time, includes measures and instruments for use with children between the ages of 7 and 11. It is a product of the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research and the Office of Policy and Management.

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TOP of pageOutcome Evaluation of Programs Offering Youth Leadership Training, 2002-2004, April 2005. This report presents the results of a two-year evaluation of youth leadership activities within community youth development programs in Connecticut. Four different types of youth programs were included in the evaluation. Despite offering different programming content, all programs were required to provide youth with leadership opportunities. The participating programs included Combating Underage Drinking, Juvenile Review Boards, Youth Advisory Committees, and Title V: Delinquency Prevention. A youth leadership program was defined as one that offered young people supports and opportunities to participate actively in the planning, decision-making, and implementation of the programs in which they participated; and engaged youth in frequent and regular contact with adults who modeled responsible behavior and provided ongoing validation and support for youth's active involvement. Youth involved in leadership activities were contrasted with a comparison group of youth who participated in a variety of in-school or out-of-school activities that did not include leadership programming. Separate analyses of the different types of programs involved in the youth leadership evaluation are also presented. This report was prepared by the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research.

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TOP of pagePolice Working with Youth in Non-Enforcement Roles, Outcome Evaluation 2002-2004, April 2005. This report summarizes the results of a two-year evaluation of the Police Working with Youth in Non-Enforcement Roles program funded by the JJAC. Police worked with youth in a variety of contexts including Police Explorers, police academies, police-led athletics programs, police sponsored adventure activities, and School Resource Officers. Youth involved in police programs were contrasted with a comparison group of youth who participated in a variety of in-school or out-of-school activities that did not include working with police. Implications of the findings and recommendations for youth programs and future evaluation efforts are presented. This report was prepared by the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research.

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TOP of pageATTENDING TO ATTENDANCE: 2nd Annual Connecticut Conference on Improving School Attendance, Conference Proceedings, April 8, 2005. This compilation of handouts and presentation materials was distributed at the conference and includes information from the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, SIF, Chicago Public Schools and the Connecticut State Department of Education.

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TOP of pageA Statewide Capacity-Building Model for Positive Youth Development, April 2005.  This report describes the approach taken in the State of Connecticut to build the capacity of youth-serving organizations through the creation of the Connecticut for Community Youth Development (CCYD) project.  The project's goals and youth development approach are outlined, followed by an overview of the capacity building model's core principles, practices, and processes.  The four key components of the approach — funder connections, youth development training and technical assistance, youth program evaluation training and technical assistance, and community awareness — are presented, followed by an overview of the results and benefits of the model.
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TOP of pageRecommendations for Improving School Attendance in Connecticut, October 2004.  This position paper describes Consortium recommendations for making attendance an explicit priority in Connecticut at the state and local levels.  By collecting student-level attendance data from all districts, the State can raise awareness of the importance of regular school attendance and provide a means for tracking, analyzing and comparing local and statewide attendance results.
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TOP of pageConnecticut Consortium on School Attendance Summary Report: Fall 2001 – 2003, January 2004.  This report describes the activities of the Consortium during its first two years from November 2001 through December 2003.  It documents the context in which the Consortium was formed, describes the Consortium model, shares strategies for improving school attendance, and assesses the Consortium’s effectiveness as a model grant program.  It also summarizes the activities of the Consortium’s member school districts and includes an appendix of supporting materials.

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TOP of pageBefore and After School Activities in Connecticut’s Elementary and Middle Schools, September 2002.  The JJAC sponsored this research project to provide insights into before and after school activities available at the state’s elementary and middle schools, barriers to operating and accessing these activities, and opportunities for enhancing the activities in the future.  This document presents the findings of data analysis conducted by Spectrum Associates Market Research Incorporated during 1990 and again in 2001, and recommendations developed by the JJAC.

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TOP of pageTitle V Delinquency Prevention Program Evaluation, 1999-2002 Final Report, August 2002.  This report, funded by the JJAC, summarizes the third, and final, year results and evaluation activities for the Title V Delinquency Prevention Program Evaluation study.  The purpose of the evaluation was to analyze process and outcome data for six communities that were funded by the JJAC to conduct delinquency prevention projects.  The report includes a summary of specific evaluation issues for each project and an overall summary of evaluation results.  It was prepared by the University of Connecticut Center for Applied Research.

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TOP of pageReassessment of Minority Overrepresentation in Connecticut's Juvenile Justice System, June 2001.  The JJAC funded this research study to examine the extent to which minorities are overrepresented in the Connecticut juvenile justice system and compare these findings with a baseline study published in 1995.  The report includes JJAC recommendations for eliminating disparate treatment in the juvenile justice system based on race and ethnicity.  The study was conducted by Spectrum Associates Market Research Incorporated.  For more information about Disproportionate Minority Contact in Connecticut's juvenile justice system, visit the DMC page.

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TOP of pageMinimum Funding Requirements for Youth Programming, April 2000.  This document providers funders and policymakers with appropriate information and requirements for any youth program Request for Proposals, application kit, or program description.  It was developed by a collaboration of public and private youth funders involved with the Connecticut for Community Youth Development (CCYD) project.
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