Transforming Youth justice through professional and leadership development: A process evaluation

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the juvenile justice system has undergone massive reform efforts. In Connecticut, the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee (JJPOC) has situated the state as a leader in juvenile justice reform. As reform continues, strong and educated leadership is needed to successfully implement system-wide reforms. The present study evaluated a nine-month professional and leadership development program designed for mid-level managers working at youth-serving organizations in Connecticut. The program was first implemented in 2015, shortly after the establishment of the JJPOC in 2014, to build the capacity of current and aspiring justice reformers. The program has since successfully graduated 141 professionals educated in areas such as brain development, results-based accountability, and juvenile justice policy. Guided by selected dimensions of the RE-AIM framework, this evaluation aimed to evaluate outcomes of the program's implementation process. Reach was evaluated by determining what populations the program engages, implementation was evaluated by determining what relevant topics participants are educated on, and effectiveness was evaluated by determining if participants exhibit capacity to identify issues and implement interventions during training. A content analysis of program records was completed for each RE-AIM dimension among the nine cohorts. Analysis revealed that the program reaches the desired population, implements relevant topics with fidelity and considers adaptations as state reforms progress, and effectively trains participants to exhibit capacity for youth justice reform. Implementation strategy recommendations include reinstituting prior session topics, yearly curriculum review, targeted recruitment for certain participant groups, and systematic program recordkeeping.