Using Research to Reduce Incarceration as a Disposition

Recent policy research offers rich opportunities for reducing the use of incarceration as a “sentencing” disposition. It makes arguments much more compelling; helps courts and other juvenile system professionals to see beyond their normal horizons; and gives you support for points you wanted to make anyway. (Adolescent development, problems with group care, facility abuses in your jurisdiction, importance of education, need to address trauma, absurd costs of incarceration versus things that work, etc.) This presents some low tech, achievable suggestions for using policy research and reports in daily practice and affecting change in your jurisdiction: