MAY 1, 2025
The Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice presented study findings at the 2024 National Institute of Justice Research Conference on how length of stay relates to a committed youth’s risk of reoffending.
The Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) is a validated tool that provides an objective assessment of an individual's risk of reoffending using both static and dynamic risk and protective factors in 10 distinct functional domains. DJJ uses YASI to assess the needs of youth when they are committed to the agency’s care. It is used to develop case plans and reassess youth at regular intervals.
DJJ conducted its study on changes in YASI dynamic risk and protective scores for direct care commitments during fiscal years 2018 to 2023. The data included 1,090 indeterminate and determinate direct care commitments to Bon Air Juvenile Correctional Center or a community placement program hosted by a locally operated juvenile detention facility for up to three years from the admission date.
The analysis showed that YASI dynamic risk and protective scores improved continuously across DJJ’s direct care population for up to three years, without a clear point of diminished or stalled progress at a certain length of stay. On average for commitments lasting 30 months, YASI dynamic protective scores increased from 22.5 at admission to 38.6 at release, and YASI dynamic risk scores decreased from 108.5 at admission to 73.6 at release.
Data indicated that youth can benefit during longer lengths of stay that allow for treatment completion and other interventions, which help reduce their criminogenic risk and improve their strengths. Release decisions should be individualized based on their progress rather than relying on a universal cut-off such as 15 months.
