COVID-19 and Juvenile Probation: A Qualitative Examination of Emergent Challenges and Useful Strategies

• Author: Ashley Lockwood,Jill Viglione,Jennifer H. Peck
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00938548211046977
• Published date: 01 January 2023
• Date: 01 January 2023
• Subject Matter: SPECIAL THEMED SECTION: Transformative Areas in Juvenile Justice

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 2023, Vol. 50, No. 1, January 2023, 56 –75.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548211046977

Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions

© 2021 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology

56

COVID-19 AND JUVENILE PROBATION

A Qualitative Examination of Emergent Challenges

and Useful Strategies

ASHLEY LOCKWOOD

JILL VIGLIONE

JENNIFER H. PECK

University of Central Florida

The emergence of COVID-19 placed immediate pressure on the juvenile justice system to adapt to changes in case process-

ing and decision-making practices. Juvenile probation agencies were tasked with quickly altering their policies and practice

to abide by local public health measures. As probation supervision is the most common disposition in the juvenile justice

system, there is both an empirical and practical need to understand the impact that COVID-19 has on a variety of issues sur-

rounding the supervision and provision of services for juveniles. Using self-report survey data from juvenile probation direc-

tors across the United States, the current study examines (a) the biggest challenges faced by juvenile probation agencies

during the pandemic, (b) the strategies implemented in response to these challenges, and (c) the most pressing issues currently

facing the field of juvenile community corrections. Results have the potential to inform future agency decision-making when

adjusting juvenile probation policy and practice.

Keywords: juvenile probation; juvenile justice; COVID-19; community supervision

INTRODUCTION

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic immediately transformed the daily prac-

tices and policies of the juvenile justice system beginning in March 2020. To decrease the

spread of the virus among incarcerated justice-involved youth and correctional staff, gov-

ernment and juvenile justice agencies were tasked with reducing the population of youth

housed in detention and residential placement facilities. While reporting challenges make

it difficult to estimate national reductions, some states have clearly publicized these efforts

(e.g., Colorado, Georgia, and California; Amaro, 2020; American Civil Liberties Union,

2020; Kemp, 2020). For new referrals to juvenile court, administrators and agencies

AUTHORS’ NOTE: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for research, author-

ship, and/or publication of this article: This study was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation

(#2030344). The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of community corrections agency staff to

share their experiences during an extraordinarily difficult time. Correspondence concerning this article should

be addressed to Jill Viglione, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Central Florida, 12805 Pegasus

Drive, Orlando, FL 32816-1600; e-mail: Jill.Viglione@ucf.edu.

1046977CJBXXX10.1177/00938548211046977Criminal Justice and BehaviorLockwood et al. / COVID-19 and Juvenile Probation

research-article2021

Lockwood et al. / COVID-19 AND JUVENILE PROBATION 57

focused on retaining youth in the community versus holding them in secure detention or

placed in a residential facility, and prosecutors were advised to limit the use of pre-adjudi-

cation detention (Buchanan et al., 2020). These changes to policies and practice in the

juvenile court and residential facilities ultimately impacted the field of community correc-

tions, resulting in a sudden increase in juvenile probation cases and new challenges pre-

sented to juvenile supervision agencies. Decisions to reduce the use of detention, residential

placement, and revocation for probation violations have implications for community cor-

rections agencies and the juvenile justice system in general because the outcome is an

inevitable increase in the number of youths on supervision. Many adolescents who would

otherwise be housed in residential facilities are likely now on community supervision

(National Council on Crime and Delinquency [NCCD], 2020).

Traditional community supervision practices rely on face-to-face contact between the

juvenile probation officer (JPO), youth on supervision, and treatment/services (e.g.,

drug testing, mental health services) included as conditions of probation (Bonta &

Andrews, 2016). Within the juvenile community supervision system, probation officers

must interact with multiple individuals involved in the youth’s life, including parents/

guardians and teachers (Schwalbe, 2012). As a result, probation officers must develop

relationships not just with the client (i.e., the youth) but also with other key adults in

their life (Maschi et al., 2013). However, the global COVID-19 pandemic instantly

changed the day-to-day practices of probation, with many states implementing “stay at

home” orders, curfews, and social distancing requirements. Youths’ schedules and regu-

lar probation practices were immediately halted, such as drug testing and face-to-face

meetings (Viglione et al., 2020). Some treatment providers (e.g., mental health, sub-

stance use) closed their facilities or implemented virtual telehealth visits in lieu of in-

person treatment (Schwartzapfel, 2020). Juvenile probation agencies had to modify their

policies and practice quickly to ensure safety of their staff, along with adolescent clients

and their families.

As probation is the most common disposition in the juvenile justice system (Hockenberry

& Puzzanchera, 2020), there is both an empirical and practical need to understand the

impact that COVID-19 has on a variety of issues surrounding the community supervision of

justice-involved youth. Probation is the most common sanction assigned, making up 51%

of all juvenile court dispositions (Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 2020), illustrating the criti-

cal role this form of supervision plays within the juvenile justice system.

The overall aim of the current study is to advance the knowledge and understanding of

juvenile community supervision responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current study

highlights emergent findings in the transformation of juvenile probation practices in light of

COVID-19. Using self-reported survey data of juvenile community supervision directors

across the United States, we examine the perceptions of juvenile probation directors regard-

ing the largest challenges their agencies faced due to COVID-19 and the strategies imple-

mented in response to these challenges. Of these strategies, we also investigate what juvenile

probation directors perceived could have been done differently when changes were imple-

mented, along with their beliefs of the most pressing issues facing the field of community

corrections for justice-involved youth. Findings can set the foundation for understanding

how public health crises challenge public safety, the treatment of youth in the juvenile jus-

tice system, and overall youth outcomes.