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Evaluation of the Salt Lake County Mental Health Court

Study Dates: 2008
Summary: The Salt Lake County Mental Health Court (SLCo MHC) began operations in 2001. Althought originally accepting only misdemeanor lever cases, in 2002 it expanded the acceptance criteria to include felony charges. This expansion occurred when the City Prosecutor was cross designated as a Deputy District Attorney, thereby granting him authority over both felony (State) and misdemeanor (City)cases. CJS requestd that the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) provide a process and outcome evaluation of the MHC
Tags: None

Prescription and Use of Psychotropic Medications in Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Secure Care Facilities

Study Dates: 2008
Summary: Recent national studies report that the numbers of youth with mental disorders who become engaged with the juvenile justice system are increasing, and subsequently the prevalence of mental health disorders for youth in custody is on the rise. Several published estimates place the ratio of youth in custody with mental disorders requiring treatment at 60-75%. Recent research has also found that 63% of youth involved with Utah Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) experience considerable mental distress or have clinically significant emotional, behavioral or mental disorders.
Tags: None

Utah Sentence Inflation

Study Dates: 2008
Summary: This study examines the relationship between sentencing statute changes and the prison popluation in the State of Utah from 1988 - 2007 for Felony Sex Offenses, Driving Under the Influcence of Alchohl/Drugs and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Tags: None

In Progress - Juvenile Waiver to Adult Court

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: This study is attempting to examine the reasons for disproportionate numbers of minority youth being transferred to adult court under the serious youth offender law and the certification procedures. We are using a large sample of juveniles who hae been charged with serious crimes to look at what characteristics influence the transfer process.
Tags: Adult Justice Court

In Progress - Park City Offender Review Board

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: This study is an evaluation of an offender integration/monitoring program for probationers and parolees in the town of Park City. Using Department of Corrections data we are attempting to assess this program's effect on recidivism rates in the area compared to a similar group of non-participants in the Summit County area.
Tags: Adult Justice

In Progress-Evaluation of FOCUS and DUI /Court Planning

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Examine Salt Lake County's FOCUS program that provides enhanced probation supervision to DUI offenders to determine which participants have the best outcomes and which program components are most effective.
Tags: Drugs and Alcohol

Norming the Proxy Risk Assessment for Salt Lake County

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Analyses to norm the proxy risk assessment found that the proxy is not a consistent predictor of recidivism for offenders booked into the Salt Lake County ADC. However, JEMS data available to CJS and ADC staff at the time of an offender’s booking can be at least equally helpful as the proxy assessment in making release and programming decisions.
Tags: Adult Justice

In Progress - Evaluation of Project 180/Gang Intervention

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Evaluate Project 180, a new outreach program based on the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model to determine its effectiveness and essential elements for program replication in other communities with PSN Gang Enhancement funding.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

In Progress - Evaluation of the Drug Offender Reform Act (DORA)

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Examine pilot and statewide policy changes in processing drug abusing offenders through the criminal justice system.
Tags: Drugs & Alcohol

In Progress - Jail as a Condition of Probation Analysis

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Study the growth in use of jail time as a condition of probation, why it has occurred, and what outcomes are associated with it. Determine if there are optimal jail times associated with probation success.
Tags: General Crime

In Progress - Preadjudicatory Intervention

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Analysis of several Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) early intervention programs across the state, with program evaluations to determine which are most effective in preventing further penetration into the JJS. Research assistants are conducting interviews in all identified diversion programs. Quantitative and qualitative data was compared.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Meta - Analysis of Studies of Prison Privatization

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Independent analysis of effectiveness research regarding privatizing prisons. Study found mixed results on comparisons of public and private facilities. The data we reviewed do not support a move toward privatization. Similarly, the data do not clearly discourage privatization despite a slight advantage for publicly managed prisons in skills training.
Tags: Sentencing Research

In Progress - Juvenile Court Guidelines

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Evaluation of two 3rd District Juvenile Courts as they implement three of the 16 key principles outlined by the National Center of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

In Progress - Juvenile Drug Court

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Process and outcome evaluation of six JDCs in Utah, examining the characteristics of the youth they serve, program components, and program outcomes, including future referrals to juvenile court in comparison to a group of similar youth who did not participate in JDCs.
Tags: Juvelie Justice

In Progress - Motivational Interviewing

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: A large-scale meta-analysis of the empirical studies ivestigating motivational interviewing. This study will help identify the conditions under which Motivational Interviewing can be maximally beneficial for individuals facing a need to change.
Tags: Adult Justice

Evaluation of the Homeless Assistance Rental Program (HARP)

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: Examine a pilot supportive housing program in Salt Lake County through an analysis of paticipant characteristics, interventions received, and outcomes, including remaining in stable housing, criminal recidivism, substance abuse relapse, family reunification, and education/eployment
Tags: None

Review of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council

Study Dates: 2007
Summary: The Utah Criminal Justice Center was provided funding by the Salt County Mayor’s office to review the Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) as a follow-up to the Kalmanoff study. The Kalmanoff study, conducted in 2004, provided information on how to restructure CJAC so that it would become an engine of coordination, collaboration, and change. The current review focused on these same areas in order to provide a picture of how CJAC has changed since the Kalmanoff study. More specifically three questions are addressed: 1) the ability of CJAC to promote coordination and collaboration among county agencies relevant to criminal justice; 2) the degree to which CJAC currently functions as an engine of change; and 3) to provide recommendations for increasing the council's effectiveness.
Tags: None

Time To Return To Prison For Serious Mentally Ill Offenders Released From Utah State Prison 1998-2002

Study Dates: 2006 - 2007
Summary: Identify rate of mental illness among Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) population and determine recidivism rates for this population in comparison to non-mentally ill offenders.
Tags: Adult Justice Mentally Ill Prison

Evaluation of Juvenile Offenders Placed at Rite of Passage

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: An evaluation of the impact of a residential juvenile treatment program.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Evaluation of the Salt Lake County Day Reporting Center

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Day Reporting Center through a process and outcome evaluation that examined: who the program served, what services the DRC and partnering agencies were providing offenders, were offenders remaining drug free while in the program, who was exiting the program successfully, and how many participants returned to jail.
Tags: Adult Justice

In Progress - State Supervision Evaluation and Improvement Project

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: An ongoing quality assurance and improvement project for programs that contract with the Utah Juvenile Court to provide services for offenders sentenced to the State Supervision sanction.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

The Utah Board of Juvenile Justice Outcomes Evaluation Annual Report- 2006

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: An ongoing quality assurance and improvement project for programs funded by the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Evaluation of Vision for the Future

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: The evaluation of Visions consisted of several elements, including: providing surveys and instruments to measure the goals and objectives identified by Visions. A preliminary evaluation report was delivered to the program in Fall 2006. No final report was issued.
Tags: None

Performance Management Measures Satisfaction Project

Study Dates: 2006
Summary: Conduct an independent analysis of client, staff, and stakeholder satisfaction as a part of their performance management action plan.
Tags: Service Evaluation

Evaluation of the Salt Lake County Day Reporting Center

Evaluation of the Salt Lake County Adult Felony Drug Court

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: Evaluate the implementation and expansion phases of the Adult Felony Drug Court in Salt Lake County
Tags: Drugs & Alcohol Adult Justice Courts

Evaluation of Utah Project Safe Neighborhoods

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: The UCJC evaluated Utah Project Safe Neighborhoods, a comprehensive, multi-agency intervention designed to reduce gun crime. The evaluation determined the effectiveness of PSN partnerships, examined successful gun prosecutions, evaluated changes in felony firearm use, and measured the effectiveness of the public awareness campaign, training, and outreach programs.
Tags: Adult Justice

The Impact of the State Supervision Sanction: A review of the NIJ and AOC Studies

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: The Utah Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC)at the University of Utah to study the impact of the State Supervision sanction (termed the AOC study in this report). The AOC asked UCJC to identify the overall impact of the sanction on rates of re-offense and commitment to the Juvenile Justice Services (JJS). In addition, court administrators are interested in identifying specific programs that show the strongest promise for reducing youth involvement with the Juvenile Justice System.
Tags: Courts

The Cost of Crime: The Cost/Benefit Tool for Analyzing Utah Criminal Justice Program Effectiveness

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: This research examines the economic consequences of various intervention programs that are designed to reduce crime. It is based on a statistical analysis of 309 studies of intervention programs, including the Utah Drug Court study.
Tags: General Crime

Analysis of West Valley City Comprehensive Gang Model Survey Results

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: Assist the WVC Steering Committee in the analysis and summary of surveys obtained during the assessment phase.
Tags: General Crime

Legal Representation of Minority Youth (LEMY): An Exploratory Study

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: Evaluate the LEMY program that provides legal representation for minority youth and begin to determine if minority youth receive dispositions that are more severe than Caucasian youth.
Tags: Courts Juvenile Justice

The Utah Board of Juvenile Justice Outcomes Evaluation Annual Report - 2005

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: An ongoing quality assurance and improvement project for programs funded by the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Evaluation of TURN Diversion Program for Offenders with Mental Retardation

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: Preliminary date were analyzed for TURN and the College of Social Work faculty involved with the program. No final report was written.
Tags: None

Analysis of Institutional Racism in the Criminal Justice System

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: This was an internal study completed for the Salt Lake City Prosecutor. There is not a final report.
Tags: None

Calculation of Disproportinate Minority Contact (DMC) in the Juvenile Justice System

Study Dates: 2005
Summary: The Utah Criminal Justice Center assists UBJJDP annually with calculations of disproportionate minority contact from Juvenile Court and Juvenile Justice Services data. These figures are reported to OJJDP through a national website. There is not a final report.
Tags: Juvelie Justice

A Survey of Women Inmates in Utah

Study Dates: 2004
Summary: This survey and report are the result of a request by the Substance Abuse Administration at the Utah State Prison. Clearly, there is a need to understand the special circumstances of women inmates. The data collected here is intended to provide information regarding the characteristics of female prisoners in Utah, and the issues particular to their confinement.
Tags: General Crime

Evaluation of Utah's State Mandatory Sexual Assault Advocacy Training

Study Dates: 2004
Summary: An independent reaction survey designed and administered by UCJC. The survey was sent to all individuals who had attended UCASA’s trainings from January 2002 for whom valid contact information could be obtained.
Tags: Sex Crimes

Analysis of Utah Domestic Violence Council Justice Committee's SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Survey Results

Study Dates: 2004
Summary: Conduct an analysis of the results received from a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) survey administered to members of domestic violence coalitions across the state of Utah.
Tags: General Crime

In Progress - Outcome Evaluation/Quallity Assurance Monitoring

Study Dates: 2003 - continuous
Summary: An ongoing quality assurance and improvement project for programs funded by the UBJJDP
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Re-Entry Initiatives Region IID

Study Dates: 2003
Summary: The Utah Criminal Justice Center conducted a one-year descriptive study of the implementation of the Re-entry Initiative in Region IID of the Adult Probation and Parole Department of the Utah State Department of Corrections. The purpose of this study was to provide initial feedback to the Department regarding this initiative so that expansion of these programs to other regions might benefit from the Region IID experience.
Tags: None

A Case for Intermediate Sanctions

Study Dates: 2002
Summary: This report is an evaluation of intermediate sanctions and specific possibilities for the State of Utah. It should be noted that the majority of the information presented in this report represents an evaluation of the literature available about intermediate sanctions. No empirical study was performed in order to produce the information presented in the paper.
Tags: Juvelie Justice

The Landscape of Alternatives to Detention: Results from a National Survey

Study Dates: 2002
Summary: The purpose of this survey was to assess the perspectives of juvenile justice professionals and citizens on the availability, barriers and facilitators, personal support levels, perceived effectiveness and environmental support of alternatives to detention as well as general detention problems.
Tags: Juvelie Justice

Impact of Out-of-State Residential Placements for Juvenile Offenders

Study Dates: 2002
Summary: During the 1990’s, the Utah Division of Youth Corrections (DYC) obtained funding to secure contracts with residential programs located outside of Utah that allowed for increasing numbers of offenders to be placed out of state in lieu of commitment to a secure care facility. The number of youth placed in these programs grew rapidly from seven in 1994 to a high of 103 in 1999. In July 2001, DYC contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center, located at the University of Utah, to examine these placements.
Tags: Juvelie Justice

A Research Report: Sex Offense Cases and Plea Negotiation

Study Dates: 2002
Summary: This is an analysis of the prosecutor's perceptions and practices in cases of mandatory prison sex offenses established under Senate Bill 26 (Crime Penalty Adjustments) passed by the Utah Legislature in 1996. Senate Bill 26 eliminated mandatory minimum sentencing for sex offenses against children. This report is the result of extensive interviews with Utah prosecutors about how they approach and handle these difficult cases.
Tags: Sex Crimes

Impact of An Early Intervention Mandate: The Juvenile Sentencing Guidelines and Intermediate Sanctions in Utah

Study Dates: 2001
Summary: In 1997 the State of Utah initiated an ambitious early intervention program that uniquely combined sentencing reform and graduated sanctions in an attempt to reduce juvenile crime. Comprised of juvenile sentencing guidelines, funding for 60 more probation officers and a new intermediate sanction titled State Supervision, the program was designed to bring about a reduction in juvenile recidivism rates and reduce the number of offenders committed to the Division of Youth Corrections by 5%. This report evaluates the impact of this program.
Tags: Sentencing Research

SL County Drug Court Outcome Evaluation

Study Dates: 2001
Summary: This report is in response to intent language passed by Representative Scott Daniels during the 2001 Legislative Session. As such, this report examines the results of a unique criminal justice intervention labeled "Drug Court." More directly, the report compares a group of graduates from the Salt Lake County Drug Court with a group of similar offenders who did not participate in the Drug Court program. By looking at subsequent criminal activity, this report sheds some light on the impact the Salt Lake County Drug Court had on its participants when compared to similar offenders who were not involved in the program.
Tags: Courts Drugs & Alcohol

Bootstrapping: Is It More Likely to Occur with Youth Who Are of Color and/or from Low-Income Families?

Study Dates: 2001
Summary: Findings from the “Minority Overrepresentation in the Utah Juvenile Justice System” study included that youth and staff involved in the system perceive that bootstrapping (the practice of adding charges in a single criminal episode) by law enforcement is more likely to occur with youth who are of color and who are from low income families. This study aimed to use arrest records (to determine the number of charges per episode), JIS data (to determine race, ethnicity and disposition of all charges) and social files (to explore data related to youth’s socioeconomic status) to explore whether study participants’ perceptions were accurate.
Tags: Racial Issues

Analysis of DUI Data from the Utah Driver License Division

Study Dates: 2001
Summary: This analysis was completed using data provided by the Department of Public Safety, Drivers License Division. The data set included all reported DUI offenses committed between January 1990 and November 2000. Data elements included in the file were: name of the arrestee, date-of-birth, date-of-arrest, gender, and date-of-adjudication. Members of the Governor's DUI taskforce requested this data analysis. Since this data did not include arrests before 1990, not all of the arrests are known for the individuals included in the sample.
Tags: Drugs & Alcohol

Minority Overrepresentation in the Utah Juvenile Justice System

Study Dates: 2000
Summary: The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of overrepresentation (disproportionality) of juvenile minorities in the Utah Juvenile Justice System and to determine if systemic racial bias is present.
Tags: Racial Issues Juvenile Justice

Community Members' Experiences and Perceptions in High Crime Apartment Complexes

Study Dates: 1999
Summary: This report details responses to a survey of residents who are living in high-crime apartment complexes in Salt Lake City. Police officers' responses to similar questions are included to illustrate which themes the community and the police have in common. These results will be discussed in terms of prescriptions for Community Oriented Policing practices in these apartment complexes.
Tags: General Crime

The Impact of the Serious Youthful Offender Law

Study Dates: 1999
Summary: The SYOL is aimed at the serious, violent youth offenders ages sixteen and seventeen. It was intended to provide “more severe” sanctions for the more serious, chronic juvenile offenders and to remove these offenders from costly juvenile programs that appeared to be having little or no impact on this group. This study looks at the implementation of SYO in Utah.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Delinquency Prevention and Early Intervention: An Overview of Effective Programs

Study Dates: 1999
Summary: A review of national prevention research as it pertains to juvenile delinquency and substance abuse that shows many promising programs that could be applied to Utah as supplements to the system or enhancements of existing programs.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Examining Religion as a Preventative Factor to Delinquency

Study Dates: 1999
Summary: This paper looks at the long held belief that religiosity impacts delinquency. Science has neither confirmed nor refuted that hypothesis and this paper summarizes those efforts.
Tags: General Crime Juvenile Justice

An Initial Evaluation of the Grade Court Program in San Juan County, New Mexico

Study Dates: 1999
Summary: The Grade Court program in San Juan County, New Mexico was designed to address the relationship between academic failure and delinquency. Youth entered the program as either a condition of release from detention or a condition of probation, and were monitored for their school attendance and grades by the program staff. Juvenile Court records were examined, and charges for delinquent acts and technical violations were counted. These charges were identified for their occurrence in 90 and 180 day pre, during, and post program time periods. Delinquent charges were significantly reduced in the 90 and 180 day pre-post comparison periods. They were also reduced in the 90 and 180 day pre-during comparison period, and participants’ program discharge status (successful or unsuccessful) significantly effected suppression of delinquent charges at 180 days in the program, with successful youths performing better. School records were examined, and attendance rates for pre, during, and post program participation were calculated. Participants’ program status for the first and second semester of the 1997-98 school year were determined, and the difference between first and second semester GPA were analyzed. School attendance increased, though this increase was not statistically significant. GPA decreased slightly between semesters, and this was not statistically significant. Detention Center records were examined for all participating youths, and being placed in detention while in Grade Court did not significantly effect school attendance during or after participation, or recidivism on technical or delinquent charges. The one practice of this Court that may be troublesome to some are the sanctions ordered for failure to obey Grade Court orders. Currently both judges utilize weekend detention for failure to comply with Grade Court expectations. This practice challenges the use of least restrictive environment, which has been the dominant philosophy in most jurisdictions, at least for minor offenders. Efforts towards developing alternatives to the use of detention are warranted.
Tags: Juvenile Justice

Utah Day Reporting Center: Success With Alternative Incarceration

Study Dates: 1998
Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Day Reporting Center through a process and outcome evaluation that examined: who the program served, what services the DRC and partnering agencies were providing offenders, were offenders remaining drug free while in the program, who was exiting the program successfully, and how many participants returned to jail.
Tags: Adult Justice

Alternative Incarceration for Juvenile Offenders: Electronic Monitoring and Detention

Study Dates: 1998
Summary: Youths served in the DYC Region II Detention Alternative for Responsible Teens (DART) and Region I Electronic Monitoring (EM) programs during FY ‘96 were located in the DYC database/state mainframe interface. In addition to basic recidivism rates for each program, the difference between the number of charges one year before and after services was examined through calculating suppression rates, and through tests of statistical significance.
Tags: Juvenile Justice Detention

Drug and Alcohol use Among Juvenile Probationers in Utah

Study Dates: 1997
Summary: In 1992, Jeffrey M. Jenson, Ph.D. conducted a survey of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among juvenile probationers in Utah. That study was supported by four agencies that were interested in the substance use and other problems of youth on probation. The agencies were the Utah State Administrative Office of the Courts, the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, Utah State Division of Substance Abuse, and Utah State Office of Education. The results of the study showed that juvenile probationers used more ATODs than youth in the general population, and were more at risk for mental health problems, delinquency, gang involvement, and other problem behaviors. The present survey, again supported by the same four agencies, was conducted as a follow-up to the 1992 survey, to determine the current level of ATOD use and problem behaviors among probationers. Results of the present survey will be compared to those from the 1992 survey.
Tags: Drugs & Alcohol Juvenile Justice

Study Dates:
Summary:
Tags: None

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