Evidence-based Nebraska Annual Report 2022-2023 Tier 1 Basic Program Evaluation

In fiscal year 2023 the Juvenile Justice Institute conducted a tiered-approach for Evidence-based Nebraska program evaluation of Community-based Aid (CBA) funded programs. The Tier 1 Basic Process Evaluation includes a simple program-level analysis of all funded programs in Nebraska. This report is laid out by program type and includes statewide information as well as demographic, process, and outcome measures. The report contains information on all programs funded during the reporting period by program type. Information on funded programs is broken down with one page for each program type reporting statewide data, and additional pages with tables reporting program specific data.

Adams County Diversion Evaluation

The Adams County Diversion program covers the 10th Judicial District in Nebraska which includes Adams, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, and Webster counties. Since 2005, Adams County Diversion has diverted 1,532 youth out of the juvenile justice system. The most common reason youth were referred to the program is included in this evaluation. The results in this evaluation are presented in two parts. The first part of the report includes quantitative data findings within the full program model and for each of the three models the program has used over time. In the second part of the evaluation, quantitative date is presented that includes a more in-depth look at the most current model used by the program.

Perceptions of Youth on Juvenile Diversion

For this brief, youth in three diversion programs in Nebraska were asked to participate in a survey about their experiences with their diversion programming, stigma they felt being in a diversion program, and their perceptions of the justice system. We then examined how all of this impacts successful completion of the diversion programs.

Annual Report 2020-2021: Juvenile Case Management System Definitions and Data Fidelity Project

This fiscal year, we conducted a Juvenile Case Management System Definitions and Data Fidelity Project (JDDF Project) which we discuss in more detail in this report. In addition to reporting on what we learned through the JDDF Project, we provide some insight into why programs may have received the results they did, and suggestions for improving data entry. We also looked at the missing data reports that programs received in FY 2018/2019 to see if data entry rates of required variables have improved.

School Interventionists: FY 2015-2020

This report examines school interventionists funded through the Community-based Aid grant in Nebraska.  Interventionists identify and coordinate behavioral or academic intervention for a student to address attendance issues, poor grades, lack of engagement, and/or behavior issues.  For this report, the JJI interviewed the currently funded interventionists, examined what youth are being referred to interventionists for, and the outcomes for these youth in both school and the juvenile justice system.

Restorative Justice Conferencing Programs: FY 2015-2020

This report examines restorative justice conferencing programs, also known as mediation centers, funded through the Community-based Aid grant in Nebraska. These programs aim to increase community engagement, reduce recidivism, prevent youth from moving deeper into the juvenile justice system, and produce greater community and/or victim satisfaction. The report also discusses how restorative justice programs work, and how factors like race/ethnicity, gender, and age affect aspects of these programs and youth outcomes.

Crisis Response Programs: FY 2015 - 2020

In this report, the JJI examined Community-based Aid-funded crisis response programs. Crisis response programs allow communities to react to crises when and where they happen. This report examines a variety of factors about crisis response programs and their efficacy. In it, the JJI examines how crisis response teams operate, how they work with law enforcement, how effective they are at keeping youth out of detention/hospitals, what sort of crises they respond to, and more.

Nebraska’s Community-based Aid Mental Health Services

For this brief, the JJI surveyed mental health practitioners from CBA-funded programs and collected data from the JCMS. We explain the connection between mental health symptoms and how deep a young person may be in the juvenile justice system. Additionally, we asked practitioners about common barriers to mental health services in the communities they serve, common criminogenic risk factors youth may have, and we examined how youth served by CBA-funded programs compare to youth from previous studies.

Evaluation of System Improvement Funding: FY 2019 - 2020

In this report, we examine the collective impact levels of community planning teams in CBA-funded system improvement programs in Nebraska. The study examines whether having system improvement funds helps strengthen communities, broaden representation in community planning teams, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for youth.

Reliability and Predictive Validity of Screener/Assessment Tools in Nebraska Juvenile Diversion

This report examines different screeners and assessment tools used by CBA-funded diversion programs in the state of Nebraska for reliability and predictive validity. We specifically examined the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS), the Nebraska Youth Screen (NYS), and the Arizona Risk-Needs Assessment (ARNA). We also tested predictive validity by both gender and race/ethnicity to examine their accuracy. The report also includes an appendix comparing additional tools that programs may consider using.

Annual Report 2019: Challenges and Strengths of Evidence-based Nebraska and Examining Youth Served by Community-based Aid Programs Funded in FY 15-16

As of 2019, the Evidence-based Nebraska project (EB-Nebraska) has been funded for four years. In this report, we first summarize EB-Nebraska, including the process for classifying programs into program types, building the Juvenile Case Management System (JCMS), training program staff on common definitions and entering data, and the ongoing process of improving the quality of data entered. Second, we examine the trajectory of youth who were served by Community-based Aid (CBA) funded programs in the first year of the project (FY 15/16).

Recruiting and Retaining Higher Risk Youth in Promotion and Prevention Programs FY 2018-2019

This report focuses on how Promotion/Prevention programs can best target higher risk youth and keep them interested in attending the program. JJI interviewed program coordinators and youth participants in order to gain insight into what strategies worked to recruit and retain youth, and what elements could be improved on. In order to maximize their impact, Promotion/Prevention programs need to pay attention to who they are attracting to ensure youth who are most likely to benefit from the program are being captured.

Drug Testing in Juvenile Diversion Programs

This Evidence-Based Practices Brief focuses on the effectiveness of drug testing in juvenile diversion programs. The JJI interviewed program staff and extracted data from JCMS or on-site if data was missing from JCMS in that program. The findings indicate that while drug testing does not negatively influence youth who do not use drugs, it does not positively impact outcomes for youth, either.

Annual Report FY 2016 to 2017

This report discusses the findings from all Community-based Aid Programs funded during the 2016-2017 Fiscal Year.

Nebraska Mentoring Programs 2015 to 2018

This report focuses on mentoring programs from 2015 to 2018 in the state of Nebraska, based on data entered into the Juvenile Case Management System. The findings indicate that the length of time that a youth is matched to a mentor is critical to the success of a mentoring program, and that gender similarity does not appear to impact match length. The age of a mentee is significant; the younger the mentee, the longer the match. When a mentor and mentee are of the same race/ethnicity, however, those matches have statistically longer match lengths than cross-race/ethnicity matches.

Annual Report FY 2015 to 2016 (Updated)

This report discusses the findings from all Community-based Aid Programs funded during the 2015-2016 Fiscal Year.

Please note the addendum found on page 50.