Can financial incentives reduce juvenile confinement levels? An evaluation of the Redeploy Illinois program

PurposeAssessments of ongoing fiscal restructuring of juvenile justice system processes and the impact such restructuring has on juvenile incarceration rates are limited. When impacts of fiscal restructuring efforts have been assessed, researchers have focused on systemic, macro level changes in incarceration rates but avoided more focused, micro level impacts. This study fills this knowledge gap by examining the recent implementation of the Redeploy Illinois program in two pilot sites. In the Redeploy Illinois program, financial incentives were provided to select counties to develop community based alternatives to incarceration. The goal was to alleviate over reliance on state funded residential facilities for evaluation and confinement purposes.MethodsAgency data were analyzed using qualitative methods to examine the effects of this change.ResultsResults of this study demonstrated that counties participating in the pilot test of the Redeploy Illinois program were able to reduce their levels of juvenile commitment to the state. Peoria County exceeded their reduction benchmark for all but two years, and St. Clair County well exceed their reduction benchmark for all full calendar years subsequent to implementation.ConclusionsFindings are consistent with the limited literature exploring fiscal restructuring efforts designed to reduce county levels juvenile commitments.

Research Highlights
► Counties in Illinois can easily acquire confinement and evaluation services at state funded facilities and as a result much needed local community based alternatives are non-existent.
► Legislation was adopted that mandated a reduction of juveniles set to state funded residential facilities.
► Financial incentives to counties were effective in alleviating over reliance on state funded juvenile residential facilities for evaluation and confinement purposes.
► Changes in placements were primarily attributable to a decrease in placement for evaluation purposes which kept juveniles in their home communities as a result.