New Initiatives Improve Ohio’s Juvenile Justice Outcomes
The ‘status quo’ can be a barrier to progress. Moving out of the comfort zone can promote innovation and generate outcomes. This is especially true when it comes to juvenile justice.
Ohio recognized this when it came to reforming its juvenile justice system. In 1993, it created RECLAIM Ohio (Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to the Incarceration of Minors) in an attempt to get courts to use community-based programs “to meet the needs of each juvenile offender or youth at risk of offending.” By providing funding incentives, in the first pilot year alone, it had a 42.7% drop in commitments.
