Changing How the System Responds to Status Offenders: C onnecticut's F amilies with S ervice N eeds I nitiative

Concerned by the number of status offenders in secure detention and the processing of noncriminal behavior through the juvenile and family courts, C onnecticut began efforts to reform their approach to troubled and troublesome youth in 2005 ( W eithorn, 2005). Between 2005 and 2007, C onnecticut enacted a series of legislative changes to both improve services for troubled youth and F amilies with S ervice N eeds ( FWSN ), and achieve systematic reforms for processing status offenses. At a systems level, the reforms sought to divert non‐criminal behaviors from formal court processing and prevent secure confinement for status offenders who violated court orders related to their behavior. C onnecticut's attempt at second‐order, or system change, is the focus of this outcome evaluation.