Projects & Evaluations

Current Projects

Evidence-based Nebraska

 JJI is working with the Nebraska Crime Commission to implement legislative mandates related to the Community-based Juvenile Services Aid fund, including establishing consistent data collection and conducting program evaluations.

State of Nebraska Victim Assistance Strategic Plan

JJI is partnering with the Nebraska Crime Commission to complete Nebraska’s Victim Assistance Strategic Plan. The strategic plan will identify statewide priorities and gaps in services for all types of crime victims.

Juvenile Justice Community Planning

JJI periodically provides training sessions for juvenile justice community planning teams across the state. Topics include collective impact, team formation and collaboration, data, priority and strategy development, and individualized plan assistance. 

Justice by Geography

JJI is partnering with UNL Law & Psychology to teach Justice by Geography, a course that pairs student interns with rural juvenile justice agencies. Students learn about program evaluation and have the opportunity to do program evaluation work with their agency. The course culminates in a student presentation.

Juvenile Diversion Training

JJI is assisting the Nebraska Crime Commission with a diversion training series focused on evidence-based approaches and providing diversion in an equitable fashion across the state. 

Juvenile Justice Policy

JJI provides consultation and guidance regarding juvenile justice research in order to inform leaders and policymakers of current trends and needs in the juvenile justice system.

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative

JJI continues to research and evaluate diversion services and alternatives to ensure positive outcomes for youth involved in the system, as well as assist in ongoing maintenance and development of the juvenile diversion case management system.

  • Juvenile Diversion
  • Juvenile Diversion Case Management System


Completed Projects

Evidence-based Programming in Nebraska – What Works?

 JJI worked with the UNL Law & Psychology program to develop and implement an assessment tool to determine where community-based aid programs fall on the continuum of evidence-based practices.

Evaluation of the Probation Risk Assessment Instrument

JJI examined and analyzed the use of the Nebraska Risk Assessment Instrument, specifically consistency in decision making, youth and public safety outcomes and impact on disproportionate minority confinement.

Three Year Juvenile Justice Plan

JJI worked with the Nebraska Crime Commission to gather and analyze stakeholder feedback regarding priorities for Nebraska’s Three Year Comprehensive Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Plan 2015-2018. 

Juvenile Reentry

The Juvenile Reentry project provided a range of reentry services for youth reentering Lancaster County from detention facilities. One program component included university- and community-based mentors who assisted youth with the transition back to the community, with the ultimate goal of reducing recidivism.

  • Mentoring Juveniles after Detention
  • Evaluation of Juvenile Reentry Efforts
  • Rural Futures Institute: Mentoring Youth Returning to Rural Areas

The Lancaster County Juvenile Reentry Project - Follow-up Report
The Lancaster County Juvenile Reentry Project - Final Report

JJI assisted the Lancaster County Reentry Team in establishing a baseline of needs for youth reentering the community after placement at a youth rehabilitation treatment center. Goals included determining gaps in services and establishing baseline recidivism rates.

Youth Reentering Lancaster County After Commitment to a State Youth Rehabilitation Center

Juvenile Services Comprehensive Community Planning

JJI developed a comprehensive manual to assist counties and communities in developing a collaborative and purposeful community planning process, as well as an effective plan for addressing juvenile justice needs.

Juvenile Services Comprehensive Community Planning User Manual

Assessing Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC)

JJI has performed several DMC assessments with the goal of identifying factors that contribute to disproportionate minority contact so that juvenile justice system stakeholders can design appropriate intervention strategies.

Lancaster County Early Identification and Assessment

JJI evaluated the Lancaster County early identification and assessment process, which was designed to ensure youth were matched to an appropriate early intervention and screen eligible youth out of the juvenile justice system. JJI evaluated whether the early assessment program was effective in reducing recidivism.

Lancaster County Truancy Evaluation

JJI evaluated the Lancaster County truancy diversion program, which was developed to address growing truancy problems.

Evaluation of Lancaster County Truancy Diversion Program – Final Evaluation

Juvenile Diversion Case Management System

JJI developed the juvenile diversion case management system in conjunction with the UNO College of Information Science and Technology and the Nebraska Crime Commission. The system allows for consistent and uniform data reporting across diversion programs, while providing stakeholders with valuable data about diversion processes and outcomes.

Evaluating Community-Based Alternatives

JJI was contracted to evaluate juvenile detention alternatives in Lancaster County, including alternative effectiveness and use of/fidelity to evidence-based models.

Evaluation of Lancaster County Alternatives to Juvenile Detention