For more than 20 years nationally in both urban and rural jurisdictions, the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) has demonstrated that moving low-risk youth from secure detention into community-based alternative programs is excellent public policy. JDAI is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, focused on juvenile justice system improvement. In Indiana, JDAI is overseen by Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Indiana Department of Correction, Indiana Supreme Court, Indiana Department of Child Services , Indiana FSSA: Division of Mental Health & Addiction and Indiana Department of Education.
JDAI
- improves public safety
- reduces over-reliance on secure detention and out-of-home placements
- enhances racial, ethnic and gender equity
- saves taxpayer dollars
Read JDAI's 8 Core Strategies
Statistics
- JDAI began in 1992 and is operational in over 300 jurisdictions in 40 states and the District of Columbia
- over 33% of youth in the United States live in a JDAI community
- 70% of Indiana's youth ages 10-17 reside in a JDAI county
In Indiana, JDAI is overseen by:
