Innovation Brief: Effective Tools for Local/State Probation Officers
Published Dec 8, 2014, LSUHSC Institute for Public Health and Justice
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Since the creation of probation services involving youth offenders, juvenile probation has evolved with a fluctuating history involving both rehabilitation and enforcement roles. Even today, juvenile probation departments continue to vary significantly in their approaches. Some follow a more youth-oriented perspective while others mirror criminal justice methods more similar to adult probation practices. What remains constant are the lack of agreed upon best practices or models for probation practices. Seeking to better define effective probation practice and examine the associated outcomes, Louisiana probation departments, partnering with the MacArthur Models for Change initiative, reformed key practices that have resulted in demonstrable impacts to youth, families, and the juvenile justice system.
