New Mexico

2008 MSI CPI Bernalillo County Participant

Contact:

Greg Nelson, Programs Director - Children Youth and Families Deprt-Juv. Justice Services

Capstone Description:

Original Project - Develop parenting programs and install nurses as a part of the county parole and probation unit.

*Note* A year into the project, Greg learned that there is a greater system issue with juvenile justice program and services in New Mexico as a whole, and that there is an inability to adequately measure a program's effectiveness. Therefore, Greg changed direction of his Capstone Project to develop a more effective outcome-driven and performance-based system for the juvenile justice system.

Capstone Update (2012):

Greg had applied to an OJJDP grant to propose a two-year project aiming to develop standards of juvenile justice services available to delinquent and adjudicated youth, from their first contact with law enforcement through post-commitment. This standard mirrors the development, implementation, and accountability used by the Administration for Children and Families for its Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). In 2012, Greg has completed the OJJDP grant, developed the Juvenile Justice Service Review Tool (JJSR), and conducted research on the JJSR tool. The results showed that JJSR can provide both qualitative and systemic measures of the department's effectiveness to operationalizing its reform initiatives.