Youth Justice

Child Trends partners with policymakers, practitioners, advocates, and youth to conduct research and evaluation and provide technical assistance that support meaningful transformation in youth justice. Our work spans the full continuum of care—from prevention and diversion to confinement, reentry, and community reintegration—and is grounded in rigorous methods, youth-centered practices, and a practical understanding of how systems operate.

Help federal, state, and local agencies reimagine youth justice systems to be more fair, developmentally appropriate, and community-centered.

Our applied research and evaluation help systems understand what’s working, where challenges remain, and how to strategically advance reforms. Our evaluation of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice’s reentry reform efforts examined the implementation and outcomes of reforms developed under the federal Second Chance Act—part of Virginia’s transformational plan to reduce reliance on incarceration and improve outcomes for youth returning to their communities.

Build robust data infrastructures that support continuous learning, accountability, and transparency.

Drawing on advances in data science and implementation research, we equip partners with tools to measure youth outcomes and system performance. Our Juvenile Justice Financing Study, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, featured the first multi-state, mixed-methods assessment of how juvenile justice systems are financed across states and localities and provided policymakers and administrators critical insight into funding structures, expenditure patterns, and opportunities to shift resources toward more effective, community-based responses. We ensure that data not only inform decision making but also build public trust and strengthen outcomes.

Transform youth justice for authentic and sustained engagement with those directly impacted by the system.

We prioritize lived experience via meaningful collaboration with youth, families, community leaders, and system staff to inform every stage of research and reform. Our Youth Participatory Action Research study on safety and violence in Washington, DC engages cohorts of youth researchers in developing community-informed strategies for violence intervention. These findings were shared by our youth researchers via in-person and virtual community data walks to facilitate community dialogue.

Translate complex research into accessible, action-oriented tools that support policy implementation and program improvement.

Our toolkits, policy briefs, implementation guides, and other resources equip agencies with practical, research-backed strategies and ensure that the latest evidence reaches those who shape practice. As a partner in the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC), we ensure that state education agencies receiving Title I, Part D funding are equipped with data dashboards and resources to support educational continuity for youth in juvenile justice and child welfare systems.