Community-based Alternatives to Detention: Implementation Evidence on Evening Reporting Centers

Abstract

Evening reporting centers are an emerging best practice in community-based alternatives to detention. We ground our discussion of Alameda County (CA)’s evening reporting centers within an understanding of youth development theories, including the social cognitive career theory. Alameda County is a diverse county in California’s San Francisco Bay Area that includes Oakland. We used diverse sources of administrative data to describe the implementation of the evening reporting centers and report on outcomes of youth involved. We find that evening reporting centers are aligned with youth development theory. For example, they offer an opportunity for disadvantaged youth to build positive relationships with adults, which can contribute to positive youth development.