Conceptualizing juvenile justice reform: Integrating the public health, social ecological, and restorative justice models

Approaches to juvenile justice have undergone significant change in recent years, shifting away from retributive models and toward greater focus on rehabilitation and recognition of the unique developmental needs of youth. However, the juvenile justice system is still permeated with significant challenges, including the overrepresentation of vulnerable youth, particularly youth of color, and limited community-based interventions for youth at risk for justice involvement. Current models of juvenile justice do not fully address the needs of at-risk and justice involved youth, and have struggled to effectively reduce racial and ethnic disparities within the system, suggesting there is a need for a model that is better able to conceptualize and respond to youths’ needs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Integrated Model of Juvenile Justice (IMJJ), a novel conceptual approach to juvenile justice reform, which integrates the public health, social-ecological, and restorative justice models. We worked collaboratively with justice system stakeholders in Connecticut to develop the IMJJ, which proposes that juvenile justice practice must take into account and provide for youths’ multi-level needs. Through an applied example, this paper describes how the IMJJ can be utilized to target youth offending and promote equitable treatment of youth in the juvenile justice system. Recommendations for justice system stakeholders are provided and implications for policy and practice are discussed.