Resolution Regarding Juvenile Probation And Adolescent Development

• Published date: 01 March 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12104
• Date: 01 March 2018

Resolution Regarding Juvenile Probation And

Adolescent Development

WHEREAS, the NCJFCJ supports integrating applicable principles identified and

supported by adolescent brain development, including sentencing and disposition

options for juveniles, into juvenile and family courts;

WHEREAS, the NCJFCJ encourages judicial leadership to guide policy and prac-

tice changes that incorporate the research findings on adolescent brain development;

WHEREAS, the research on adolescent brain development should help juvenile

and family court judges understand, anticipate, and respond to the behavior of adoles-

cents by holding them accountable in developmentally appropriate ways;

WHEREAS, the juvenile justice system is grounded in the inherent differences

between youth and adults, yet current juvenile probation practices and policies may not

reflect those developmental differences;

WHEREAS, theNCJFCJbelievesthatjuvenilejustice system policies, programs and

supervision should be tailored to reflect the distinct developmental needs of adolescents;

WHEREAS, the NCJFCJ, as declared in the 2005 Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines,

believes that juvenile delinquency court judges should ensure that court dispositions are

individualized and include differential responses of sanctions and incentives;

WHEREAS, the NCJFCJ has called for individualized juvenile probation services

and conditions of probation that are implemented through well-developed case plans

that include “proactive statements about what must occur in the near future to address

youths’ risk to community safety, their most pressing needs related to their delinquent

behavior, and their accountability obligations”;

WHEREAS, a developmental approach to juvenile probation should promote as

“normal” a path to adulthood as possible, using out-of-home placement as a last resort;

WHEREAS, family engagement and community partnerships are a valuable part

of a developmentally appropriate system;

WHEREAS, developmental goals for adolescents on probation must include

preparation for the exercise of rights and responsibilities that society assigns to adults;

WHEREAS, too many juvenile courts and juvenile probation departments impose

conditions of probation that are not individualized, have too many requirements, and

lead to unnecessary detention or incarceration for technical violations;

WHEREAS, enforcement of conditions of probation is too often subjective and

exacerbates racial and ethnic disparities;

Juvenile and Family Court Journal 69, No. 1

©2018 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

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