A growing number of states and localities are recognizing that the punitive model of juvenile justice—long popular across the nation—has failed to improve public safety or to enhance outcomes for young people who spend time in these systems. Although many policymakers and practitioners have taken note of reforms in the state of Missouri, which trail-blazed a strengths-based, therapeutically oriented alternative model, few jurisdictions have taken the next step and applied Missouri’s approach to their own philosophy, facilities, and practices.

Washington, DC is a notable exception. Capital Change, CYJ's process evaluation designed to document how the District planned, designed, and implemented its reforms, should enhance that jurisdiction’s ability to carry the reforms forward and enlighten others about how they could seek to improve their juvenile justice systems.