New Risk Resilience Lab Study Explores the Impact of Financial Sanctions on Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Researchers from the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare’s Risk Resilience Lab have published a new study in Law and Human Behavior examining how financial sanctions affect outcomes for youth in the juvenile justice system. In the article, “Effect of Juvenile Justice Financial Sanctions on Youths’ Recidivism,” authors Luyi Jian (Phd '24), Jennifer L. Skeem, and Jaclyn E. Chambers (PhD '21) analyze administrative data from more than 2,400 youth on probation and find that financial sanctions overall modestly increased the likelihood of probation violations and rearrests, while administrative fees alone did not significantly predict these outcomes. The findings highlight the need for juvenile justice reforms that go beyond eliminating fees and instead prioritize evidence-based programs and services that better support young people’s long-term success