Report identifies six alternative- to-incarceration program models?
Washington, DC — The Sentencing Project released a report that identifies six alternative to youth incarceration program models that consistently produce better public safety outcomes at a fraction of the cost.
“The evidence is clear that incarceration is a failed strategy for reversing delinquent behavior, damages young people’s futures, and disproportionately harms youth of color,” said Richard Mendel, Senior Research Fellow at The Sentencing Project and author of , Effective Alternatives to Youth Incarceration: What Works With Youth Who Pose Serious Risks to Public Safety.
The six models that have demonstrated effectiveness include (1) credible messenger mentoring programs; (2) advocate/mentor programs; (3) family-focused, multidimensional therapy models; (4) cognitive behavioral therapy; (5) restorative justice interventions; and (6) wraparound programs. The report highlights case studies. Some examples include:
In the year after enrolling in New York City’s credible messenger mentoring program, 77% of participants remained arrest-free and just 11% were arrested for a felony.
In Baltimore, 98% of the 352 young people served by Roca’s cognitive behavioral treatment and mentorship model had a history of prior arrests, but only 28% were arrested during their first two years in the Roca program. And 95% of participants were not incarcerated for a new offense during their first two years.
A 2021 study of a restorative conferencing diversion project in San Francisco, which worked with 13-17-year-olds accused of felonies such as burglary and assault, found that restorative justice conferencing reduced participants’ rearrest rate by 33% in the year after enrollment, compared to peers in a randomly assigned control group who were prosecuted in court.
The report details characteristics needed to make these and other alternative-to-incarceration programs successful.
The number of youth in correctional custody remains far too large. Many significant opportunities remain for state and local youth justice systems to further reduce reliance on incarceration in ways that protect the public and enhance young people’s well-being.
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