Juvenile Justice

DMC Reduction Strategies

Juvenile justice systems throughout the country are working to reduce DMC. Some have demonstrated success through:

  • Increased outreach to families, including translators to improve communication and reminder calls to reduce failures to appear for appointments and hearings.
  • Evening/weekend intakes and reporting to reduce failures to appear for appointments.
  • Bifurcated warrants and graduated sanctions to reduce detentions for probation violations.
  • Supervisory audits to ensure that objective decision-making tools are used correctly.
  • Independent expediters to review detentions regularly, explore alternatives, and reduce lengths of stay.
  • Interagency pretrial planning meetings to consider alternatives to detention.
  • Technical assistance to community-based programs to ensure their cultural competency and accessibility to minority youth and families.

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