KEY PRINCIPLES

1. The juvenile court judge should be the leader of the core team sustaining leadership throughout the planning and implementation phase.

2. The core team should be balanced between systems and community representatives and public and private service provides.

3. The planning publication Graduated Sanctions for Juvenile Offenders: A Program Model and Planning Guide, should be the primary reference source.

4. Jurisdictions should develop a continuum of graduated sanction responses at all levels of graduated sanctions.

5. A system must have a wide range of potential sanctions and interventions in order to effectively link various types of offenders with the most appropriate program.

6. Jurisdictions should initiate or improve structured decision making to assure fairness and objectivity and to link delinquent youth to appropriate programs and services in a graduated sanctions continuum.

7. Establishment of mechanisms for clearer and more consistent communication between collaborating agencies across traditional policy and practice boundaries should be documented.

8. Improvement should be considered in the jurisdictional management information system (MIS) to capture data and provide management reports that allow for improved decision making and resource allocation. Data should justify the continuation, expansion, modification or elimination of existing graduated sanctions programs and initiation of new ones, where indicated.

9. The graduated sanctions continuum should become self-perpetuating. To achieve that end, jurisdictions should encourage their staff to utilize cross training and mentoring to new staff.

10. Each jurisdiction should do an impact evaluation, which should demonstrate the effect of graduated sanctions on the overall juvenile crime rate and a reduction in detention rates and a corresponding increase in diversion rates for special needs offenders, including minority youth, female offenders, and youth with mental health and learning problems. 

For a more detailed copy of the Key Principles click here.