This report documents New Jersey’s success in replicating the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative model and highlights the importance of state leadership to progress. It also identifies key ingredients in New Jersey’s approach and draws lessons from the state that might benefit other jurisdictions looking to take JDAI to scale.
New Jersey has demonstrated that state government can play a pivotal role in JDAI, and that effective state leadership can be a catalyst for dramatic progress in taking JDAI to scale. Guided by New Jersey ’s example, a growing number of other states have recently begun to make significant strides toward replicating JDAI statewide in recent years, and the lessons of New Jersey’s experience offer important lessons for any state seeking to boost state-level leadership and accelerate the pace and effectiveness of its JDAI replication efforts.
