The Department of Juvenile Justice Probation and Community Corrections Program provides supervision to delinquent youth in the community to help protect the public from juvenile crime.

Placement of this program within the Department of Juvenile Justice is consistent with its mission and is preferable to placement in the Department of Corrections or local government because it enhances consistency and provides a continuum of sanctions for delinquent youth throughout the state.

To improve the program, we recommend that the department

• use a systematic, research-based approach to initiating and discontinuing programs;
• reduce $275,310 and avoid $637,374 in costs annually by using consequence beds instead of residential programs to sanction youth for violation of probation;
• develop a funding methodology for juvenile assessment centers;
• improve accountability for treatment services by accurately tracking the number of youth assessed for, referred for, and receiving mental health and substance abuse treatment; and
• strengthen contract monitoring.