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We live in a data-driven world

PbS combines juvenile justice research, best practices and extensive field experience to offer a data-driven continuous improvement process customized for youth facilities, residential programs and reentry services. PbS provides goals and standards that set expectations for conditions of confinement, quality of life, staff-youth relationships, healthy cultures and effective services and an on-line system of data collection and reporting to continually monitor performance. Our work focuses on three main areas:

Making Facilities Safe

Public safety and the safety of the youths, staff and visitors is the primary responsibility of confinement facilities. PbS standards and performance data focus on management practices that promote safety and wellbeing and minimize the risks of harm.

Monitoring Program Effectiveness

The challenge for youth facility leaders is to provide programming and services that both keep youths engaged and out of trouble and puts them on the path to becoming productive, purposeful citizens. PbS standards and performance measures focus on education and employment opportunities, health and behavioral health services and building life skills and competencies.

Achieving Positive Outcomes

Time in custody can and should be a catchment opportunity to help youths prepare to return to living with their families and community. PbS standards and performance measures focus on what research has shown are the most likely outcomes to prevent reoffending and give youths a meaningful second chance when they leave.

Making a national impact

Listen to Acting Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Chyrl Jones' message on the efforts of OJJDP, PbS and juvenile justice facilities to drive practices and services that improve safety, develop effective programming and achieve positive outcomes for young people. 

Coaches' Corner

Meet PbS Coaches Al Lick, Russ Jennings and Joyce Burrell.

Apply To Join

PbS uniquely offers participants outcome measures aligned with research and best practices to manage facility and program operations, programs and services in a timely manner so leaders and staff can continuously monitor conditions of confinement and quality of life.