The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative works by decreasing the number of youth offenders unnecessarily or inappropriately detained while reducing the number of youth offenders who fail to appear in court or who re-offend pending their sentence, and by redirecting public funds toward effective juvenile justice processes and public safety strategies.
Before the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, each police department had its own criteria for determining which youth offenders were brought to secure detention pending a court appearance. Frequently, low-risk offenders were mixed with high-risk offenders in secure detention facilities because there were no other community options for low-risk offenders.
Now the criteria is consistent no matter what law enforcement agency picks up youth offenders, and there are more options for corrections to supervise a youth offender pending court. High-risk youth offenders are still put in secure detention, while low-risk youth offenders are safely monitored by community-based alternative programs such as shelter/foster home placement, electronic home monitoring, global positioning or straight release to a parent or family member.