County Innovation in Youth Justice
Counties are leading the way in transforming youth justice through innovative, community-centered approaches. The "County Innovation in Youth Justice" series provides insights into practices counties are adopting to strengthen youth justice systems.
The Primer outlines how counties are using our authority and highlights practices such as investing in alternatives to detention strengthening early interventions, engaging youth voice, and improving cross-system collaboration and data sharing to support better outcomes for young people and their communities.
The Probation resource explores how counties are transforming youth probation by shifting from compliance-based models to community-centered approaches that support positive youth development. It highlights promising practices across service areas such as supervision, diversion and resource allocation.
Primer: County Innovation in Youth Justice Probation: County Innovation in Youth Justice
County News
Counties support youth with a second chance opportunity
A Riverside County, Calif. supervisor took experiences from his former life as a teacher to help create a program that serves students who had gone the juvenile justice system and were looking for a second chance.
Related News
County Countdown – June 30, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership. This week features the Senate reconciliation debate, transparency on sanctuary designations and more.
DHS releases list identifying sanctuary jurisdictions; includes nearly 400 counties
NACo, along with the National League of Cities, and the International Municipal Lawyers Association, requested additional clarification on the methodology used to create the list, and noted concerns around the legal challenges that localities face when complying with ICE detainers. As of this time, NACo has yet to hear of a county receiving a formal notification that they were included on the list.
U.S. House of Representatives introduces legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for behavioral health treatment facilities
On June 20, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Increasing Behavioral Health Treatment Act in the U.S. House of Representative. This bill aims to improve access to behavioral health care nationwide by removing long-standing Medicaid funding restrictions for behavioral health treatment in certain facilities, providing new flexibility for states and counties to meet growing behavioral health needs.