Basic services, 2022
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Overall
State operated
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Detention
State operated
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Probation
State operated
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Reentry
State operated
Utah's delinquency services are organized at both the state and local level. Community supervision is administered by the Utah State Juvenile Court across eight judicial districts. The Division of Juvenile Justice Services, within the Department of Human Services, a state level human services agency, administers secure detention, commitments to state facilities, and reentry services for those youth leaving those facilities. |
Purpose clauses, 2016
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No clause
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Parens patriae
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Due process era
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Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ)
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Developmental Approach
Corrections agency, 2015
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Independent juvenile corrections agency
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Family/child welfare agency or division
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Broad human services agency
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Adult corrections agency or division
The Division of Juvenile Justice Services (JJS), within the Utah Department of Human Services administers commitments to state juvenile correctional facilities and reentry services for youth leaving those facilities.
Intake and diversion, 2016
Initial intake and diversion decision is at the discretion of the juvenile court intake officer.
No statutory time limit/s for court diversions exist.
Solitary confinement, 2016
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Prohibits punitive confinement
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Limits punitive confinement
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No limits on punitive confinement
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Did not respond
Solitary confinement for punitive purposes is not allowed in Utah's juvenile correctional facilities. Confinement for non-punitive reasons exceeding 1 hour requires supervisory approval and if more than 3 hours, requires authorization from facility Director or designee. The youth is to be released from confinement once they have demonstrated a sufficient level of self control. (Adapted from 51 Jurisdiction Survey of Juvenile Solitary Confinement Rules in Juvenile Justice Systems, 2016. Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest at Lowenstein Sandler LLP)
Release decision, 2016
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Agency
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Court
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Parole board
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Agency and court
Release decisions for youth committed to the Division of Juvenile Services are the responsibility of the Youth Parole Authority (YPR), which also determines the length of commitment. Release decisions are highly structured in Utah through a series of YPR administrative hearings and procedures. Risk and Needs Assessments are used throughout the process, and youth are reassessed by staff every 90 days. The court is notified of the original length of stay, but not of the release.
Risk assessment, 2020
| Organization |
2013 |
2017 |
2020 |
| Statewide uniform assessment |
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| Layered/regional assessment |
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| Locally administered assessment |
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In Utah, juvenile probation officers are employed by the State Juvenile Court and work in district offices. The use of risk/needs assessments are integrated into training for probation officers and codified in state and probation policies. Utah uses the Pre Screen Risk Assessment (PSRA) and the Protective and Risk Assessment (PRA) statewide.
Information from these assessments is used to guide diversion from formal process decisions and informal adjustment planning, develop/inform pre-disposition investigation reports and/or planning, develop probation disposition recommendations to the juvenile court, assign probation supervision level, and develop probation case plans. Probation also uses the risk/needs assessment data to match juveniles to appropriate interventions.
Aggregated data is used to validate the risk/needs assessments, to assist probation managers in supervision and planning, and to inform ongoing policy and organizational needs.
Sex offender registration, 2015
Registers
Risk instruments, 2017
- Risk instruments tool used
- Protective and Risk Assessment
Mental health screening, 2014
Requires a research-based mental health screening
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Secure detention
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Probation
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Corrections
- Mental health screening tool used
- Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument –Version 2 (MAYSI-2)
Utah requires the use of a research-based mental health screening tool for all residential facilities including detention and corrections. A policy from the Department of Human Services Division of Juvenile Justice Services supports the implementation of mental health screening, and the names specific instruments, the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, 2nd Edition (MAYSI-2) and the Suicide Probability Scale as the instruments of choice.
Probation settings administer a risk and needs assessment that includes a section for mental health, rather than a screening tool.
Frameworks for evidence-based practices, 2014
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Statute
Supporting commitment to EBPs
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Administrative regulations
Either in corrections, probation, or the juvenile court
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Support center
Or collaboration dedicated to coordinating activities around implementing, evaluating, and sustaining EBPs
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No stance
No official stance on EBPs
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Did not respond
State did not respond to the survey
Utah supports the proliferation of evidence-based programs and practices (EBPs) in juvenile justice through funding only those programs and practices that are considered by the state of Utah to be considered evidence based. Utah's commitment to EBPs is evident in their policies and practices and the Utah Juvenile Court Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Website.
The Utah Board of Juvenile Justice, part of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, partners with University of Utah and serves as a resource center to advance the use of evidence based programming in Utah through projects that provide program evaluations and training and technical assistance around implementing quality improvement processes in various juvenile justice settings.
Utah collects outcome data from its juvenile justice service providers but that data is not currently publicly available. The Utah Yellow Pages for Youth serves as a directory of programs available for at delinquent or at-risk youth.
Recidivism reporting, 2016
- Study populations
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The group(s) of youth being studied in states that publicly report recidivism data.
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Arrest
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Court action
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Supervision
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Placement
- Re-offense events
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Events that are used to measure recidivism in states that publicly report recidivism data.
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Arrest
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Court action
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Supervision
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Placement
- Follow-up periods
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Details regarding the length of time and frequency that youth are tracked in states that publicly report recidivism data.
12 months
- Details
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Additional levels of analysis provided in states that publicly report recidivism data.
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County
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Age
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Gender
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Race/ethn.
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Risk level
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Initial offense
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Re-offense
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Prior history
Utah publishes recidivism data in two sources. The Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services (DJJS), Research and Evaluation reports success rates as opposed to recidivism rates for youth served by DJJS. This includes youth in community based programs, residential programs, and juvenile corrections. Success is measured by remaining free of charges during the program as well as during a follow up period after release. The Utah State Courts published a Juvenile Court Report Card to the Community which includes re-offense data for youth adjudicated for a felony or misdemeanor offense. Recidivism was defined as a new felony-level or misdemeanor-level finding, or admission of guilt, within one year of the original adjudication date.
Data sources
- Division of Juvenile Justice Services 2014 Annual Report
- Division of Juvenile Justice Services, Research and Evaluation
- Juvenile Court Report Card to the Community 2015
- Utah State Courts
Progressive recidivism data
The Utah Division of Juvenile Services publishes an annual report which includes performance measures for the various delinquency services provided by the Division. The report includes performance measures for diversion and work program populations as well as youth in residential programs. Utah’s report is unique in that it is one of a few examples of reports which present a success rate, or a measure of youth who did not reoffend, both during and after completion of a program or service.
