Opportunity Based Probation

Project Type(s):

Principal Investigator(s):
Co-Investigator(s):

Opportunity-Based Probation (OBP) is a new juvenile probation model that expands on adolescent development research by leveraging adolescents’ drive towards independence as well as their heightened receptivity to rewards. In collaboration with their probation officers, youth create meaningful goals and incentives that reward the development of prosocial behavior. Probation officers scaffold prosocial behavior by reinforcing success and constructively addressing probation violations and problem behaviors. OBP was originally developed through a collaboration between UW CoLab and juvenile court leadership in Pierce County, Washington with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and is now being implemented, refined, and tested for acceptability, implementation, and preliminary effectiveness. In 2021, a second OBP site was started in Hartford County, Connecticut and is currently undergoing co-design and implementation efforts with an eye for eventual testing and expansion statewide.

Project Period:
June 1, 2017 — December 31, 2023

Funding Type(s):
County, Federal, State/UW

Funder(s):
Annie E Casey Foundation, State of Connecticut, Pierce County Superior Court

Research Program(s):

Geographic Area(s):
National, Washington

Patient Population(s):
Adolescents, Young Adults

Targeted Condition(s):
General Mental Well-Being