Youth and Juvenile Justice

Choice Research Associates partnered with 2M Research in the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities/Juvenile Justice: Capacity-Building for Performance Measurement project.  CRA works collaboratively with 2M Research to provide subject matter expertise including helping to guide the process to conduct evaluability assessments, obtain data sharing agreements and Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, and advises on data collection forms and plan design.

In June of 2020, Choice Research Associates was awarded the contract to produce a research design for an evaluation of youth outcomes of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2021-2022 Shakespeare in American Communities/Juvenile Justice projects. Shakespeare in American Communities is a national theater program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest bringing performances and related educational activities to audiences across the country. This project involves conducting a targeted literature scan and preparing a research design.

Choice Research Associates was engaged by the Good Shepherd Mediation Program in Philadelphia, PA to examine the characteristics and recidivism rates of 4,023 youth referred to the Good Shepherd Mediation Program (GSMP) Juvenile Offender Diversion Program (JODP) and the Juvenile Offender Diversion Program (JODP) from 2008 to 2017. Youth in both JODP and YDVP are required to attend a conflict resolution workshop. This workshop is based on restorative-justice principles and designed to reduce recidivism. These programs offer at-risk and delinquent youth the opportunity to learn productive ways to manage conflict, control their anger, and make better decisions. The final report is available here.

Since 2012, Choice Research Associates has been awarded an annual grant from the District of Columbia Justice Grants Administration (JGA) to evaluate the Show Up, Stand Out (SUSO) Community-Based Truancy Reduction Project. This project involves conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the SUSO grant initiative designed to reduce truancy for youth from kindergarten through eighth grade through the provision of family case management services and/or engaging youth into participation programs in middle schools. This is a joint effort with project partners including Justice Grants Administration, District of Columbia's Public Schools.

In addition to conducting the evaluation, Choice Research Associates was asked to assist JGA with the development of an Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) enterprise data system. We provide training and technical assistance for integration of data from all community based organizations involved in the project, we monitor the data and oversee creation of ad-hoc and standard reports for ongoing evaluation efforts.

Through funding provided by the Justice Grants Administration, Choice Research Associates is providing technical assistance and evaluation services for two youth diversion programs conducted by the Department of Human Services The first program is the Parent and Adolescent Support Services (PASS) program, and the second is the Alternatives to Court Experience (ACE) Diversion program. Both programs are geared toward providing case management services to families of youth referred to DHS in response to truancy and/or juvenile justice system involvement.

In 2011 and 2012, Dr. Flower completed a secondary data analysis for the Baltimore County Local Management Board in support of their Disproportionate Minority Contact school referral project. School referral data were provided, coupled with school-level data from the Maryland State Department of Education. Questions answered included who was referred (by race and gender, including the Relative Rate Index), what were the charges (the types of charge overall and also by race and gender) along 3 levels of inquiry - county-wide, school level (Middle vs. High vs. Alternative schools) and by individual school. Additional analysis for the 2010-2011 school year data included exploring referrals by month, time or date, and among the top 6 high and middle schools, referrals by seriousness, race and gender. In 2012, Dr. Flower conducted analysis to observe differences in arrest from the 2010/2011 to the 2011/2012 school years. These differences were observed by gender, race, and by charge, county-wide and by level of school (middle versus high school).