This measure reflects the percent of youth released from Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) Secure Care Custody, during specified State Fiscal Years, who avoid being found to have committed a felony-type offense within 90 days after release. Cohorts are followed for two years post release, resulting in a result that is delayed by two years (e.g., the FY 2022 cohort is reported in FY2024). JJYS enrollment and offense data are collected through the JJYS case management information system and from the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI).

Results for this measure are updated reported annually by November.

One of the most important goals for the policy changes over the last 10 years was to help divert low risk youth from the Utah Juvenile Justice System. This aim of reform is working and Utah has significantly less low risk youth in the deep ends of the Juvenile Justice System. By design, Utah’s policies ensure only the highest risk youth are placed into Juvenile Justice and Youth Services (JJYS) Custody. For example, the average number of felony charges for youth at the time of commitment to JJYS Community Placement Custody has increased by 110.5% between State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2016 and SFY 2023. Additionally, there are steady increases in the prevalence of mental health indicators in populations of young people enrolled in youth services programs and locked detention over the last five State Fiscal Years. Between SFY 2019 and SFY 2023, the percent of young people identified as having moderate mental health indicators grew by 21.5%, and included over 70% of young people entering these programs in SFY 2023. Over the same period, there was an even more significant increase (48%) in the percent of young people identified with more serious mental health indicators, and in SFY 2023, included over 50% of young people entering these programs. All of these factors need to be considered when evaluating the youth recidivism data in Utah.

JJYS's primary target for this measure is to reach 95% of custody youth with no new felony charges, within 90 days of release from JJYS Secure Care Custody.