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Eight best practices emerged in a literature review in the field of juvenile justice programming

• The eight best practices are (1) providing a continuum of services for different risk and need levels, (2) using a positive youth development approach, (3) ensuring that programming is family-focused and community-led, (4) providing trauma-informed care, (5) applying a racial equity framework, (6) providing culturally appropriate and responsive programming, (7) using evidence-based practices and programs, and (8) attending to implementation and fidelity.

Although stakeholders understand the importance of best practices, several key barriers exist to ensuring that they are reflected in the JJCPA portfolio

• Stakeholders endorsed the importance of best practices and expressed a desire to consider these best practices when determining which programs and practices receive funding.
• Barriers include a lack of clear definitions or metrics associated with each best practice, the need for better data regarding program effectiveness, and a lack of information to determine whether programs applying for funding are consistent with the best practices.
• In addition to a lack of needed information, the process of developing the plan and funding allocations is time-consuming, and stakeholders struggle to meet all of the demands of the current process.

The Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA), administered by the California Board of State and Community Corrections, provides funding to counties to support programs that have proven their effectiveness in curbing crime among at-risk youth and youth involved in the juvenile justice system. In Los Angeles County, the Probation Department oversees the implementation of JJCPA-funded programs, which are selected by the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC), which comprises stakeholders from county agencies, city agencies, and community-based organizations, and approved by the county before being submitted to the state. In 2019, the Probation Department selected the RAND Corporation to provide evaluation and technical assistance services related to JJCPA-funded programs, including an annual gap analysis. This report presents findings from this gap analysis, which aimed to examine the extent to which the JJCC has access to and considers information regarding best practices for juvenile justice systems when making funding decisions for JJCPA programs and projects.

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