Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative
In 2004, the Washoe County Department of Juvenile Services was selected as a Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) site by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
The JDAI objectives are to:
- Eliminate the inappropriate or unnecessary use of secure detention;
- Minimize re-arrest and failure-to-appear rates pending adjudication;
- Ensure appropriate conditions of confinement in secure facilities;
- Redirect public finances to sustain successful reforms; and
- Reduce racial and ethnic disparities.
The strategies to achieve JDAI objectives include collaboration, use of accurate data, use of objective admissions criteria, new or enhanced alternatives to detention, case processing reforms, implementing new practices for responding to probation violations, reducing racial disparities, and improving conditions of confinement.