As part of Nebraska Probation’s Juvenile Justice System Enhancement - Nebraska (JJSEN) initiative, the Juvenile Probation Services Division recently applied for and was awarded grant funding from the State Justice Institute to conduct a Probation and Youth Justice System Review (PYJSR) in Douglas County. This year long review will be conducted by the National Resource Center for the Transformation of Youth Justice (NRC); a longstanding partner of Nebraska Probation. 

The Probation and Youth Justice System Review combines on site visits, stakeholder engagement, policy and practice analysis, data review, and implementation planning. NRC will partner with local stakeholders to review and analyze Douglas County’s youth justice system operations and identify opportunities to strengthen practices and outcomes.  NRC uses a proven framework which is guided by adolescent development science, evidenced based practices, positive youth development, family engagement, and continuous quality improvement. 

The review culminates into a comprehensive set of findings and recommendations that will provide Douglas County leadership and stakeholders with a roadmap for system enhancement in alignment with research and best practices that strengthen community safety. 

Representatives from NRC were on site in Douglas County on September 9 and 10 for the first of four site visits that will be conducted during the review process. During each site visit John Tuell, Executive Director at NRC, and Jodi Martin, Deputy Executive Director at NRC, will meet with focus groups of probation officers, probation leadership, court partners including Judges and attorneys, and local stakeholders. 

Each site visit also includes a convening of the System Review Leadership Team (SRLT). This team will provide oversight and guidance on the scope of the issues examined in the review, identify desired goals and outcomes, discuss and refine areas to look further into, and as a team, collaboratively respond to the findings of the review.  This team met for the first time on September 10, 2026, with opening remarks provided to the group by Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke and State Court Administrator Corey Steel.

Mr. Tuell and Ms. Martin will return for their second site visit in November 2026.