The Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program (JJEEP) in Florida by Angeline Spain.

The Juvenile Justice Educational Enhancement Program (JJEEP) started in 1998 when the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice gave Florida State University a grant to conduct quality assurance reviews and provide technical assistance to the approximately 200 juvenile justice programs operating in Florida. Today, JJEEP's four main functions are to:

• identify and research the most promising innovative practices operating in Florida facilities;

• conduct yearly quality assurance reviews;

• provide technical assistance to juvenile justice facilities; and

• make yearly research-based recommendations about practices and policies that assist in successful transition and community reintegration.

The quality assurance review, developed to ensure the appropriate implementation of innovative practices in Florida's juvenile justice facilities, is given to three types of facilities:

• Detention centers (i.e., juvenile facilities operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice [DJJ] that detain students while they are waiting for their court appearances or placement in a commitment facility)

• Residential commitment programs (includes low, moderate, high, and maximum risk DJJ programs)

• Day treatment centers (includes prevention, intensive probation, and conditional release programs with education provided on site).

Once a year, each facility receives a quality assurance review from a team consisting of a DJJ reviewer and an educator/peer reviewer. The review team uses student files, interviews, and observations to evaluate the facility in the areas of transition, service delivery, administration, and contract management. For the 2002-2003 review period, priority indicators across all types of facilities included: Entry Transition: Enrollment; Entry Transition: Assessment; On-site Transition: Student Planning; Exit Transition; Curriculum: Academic; Support Services; Instructional Personnel Qualifications; Funding and Support; Contractive and Cooperative Agreement Management; and Data Management. Residential commitment programs and day treatment centers also included Literacy and Reading as an additional priority indicator.

After presenting findings to the facility at the close of the evaluation review, the team produces a final assurance review that summarizes key indicators and ratings and notes areas needing improvement and technical assistance needs. One innovative aspect of the JJEEP model is the review team's continued contact with the facility to provide follow-up technical assistance.

In addition to the technical assistance JJEEP provides through the quality assurance review process, JJEEP has developed a database that contains detailed student and information gathered in the yearly reviews of the juvenile justice facilities in Florida. The database is used to identify program needs, possible sources of technical assistance, and provide a view of overall educational performance. Additionally, the database is used to address questions regarding innovative practices in juvenile justice and inform policy recommendations.

In addition to the technical assistance JJEEP provides through the quality assurance review process, JJEEP has developed a database that contains detailed student and information gathered in the yearly reviews of the juvenile justice facilities in Florida. The database is used to identify program needs, possible sources of technical assistance, and provide a view of overall educational performance. Additionally, the database is used to address questions regarding innovative practices in juvenile justice and inform policy recommendations.

To read more about JJEEP's quality assurance review and database, please visit the JJEEP Web site at http://www.criminologycenter.fsu.edu/jjeep/. The site has an interactive virtual tour that highlights the history of JJEEP, JJEEP research, and key aspects of the quality assurance review. You can also download JJEEP annual reports, which discuss quality assurance review results, technical assistance activities, literature reviews, characteristics of higher-performing programs, longitudinal findings, and policy initiatives. Additionally, technical assistance papers, publications, and program directories are available on the JJEEP Web site.

Published April 2004