Youth Justice Initiative Evaluation

Appendix B: Key Informant Interview Guides

Interview Guide for Department of Justice Program Representatives

Contact information

Position

Telephone Number

Region

Introduction

My name is XXXX and I am part of an independent consulting team conducting the evaluation of the Youth Justice Initiative (YJI) for the Department of Justice. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the relevance and performance of the YJI over the last five years. Your unique perspective on the YJI is critical for this evaluation, so we would be grateful if you would take time to participate in this interview. The information we gather through this interview will be summarized in aggregate form. Some of the questions may not be relevant to you. The interview will take about 45-60 minutes.

Background

Before we proceed, I’d like to give you a bit of background on the YJI to make sure you understand what the evaluation is focused on.

The YJI consists of three funding components and one Policy Unit:

  1. The Youth Justice Services Funding Program (YJSFP);
  2. The Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) Program;
  3. The Youth Justice Fund (YJF); and
  4. The Policy Development, Monitoring and Support (Policy) Unit.

1. Please describe briefly your current roles and responsibilities. What type of work do you do in the youth justice area?

2. Which component(s) of the YJI are you involved with?

Performance - effectiveness

This section of the interview focuses on the impacts of the YJI over the last five years. The evaluation is examining the four components of the Initiative: policy development, the YJSFP, IRCS and the YJF. We would like to ask you some questions about the components you are involved with.

The YJI is intended to encourage a fairer and more effective youth justice system including:

Questions relating to Policy Development

3. In what ways and to what extent would you say the YJI as currently designed supports the development of legislation and policy that addresses the objectives described above?

4. In what ways do you think the YJI facilitates the development of responsive policies, practices and approaches at the provincial, territorial, federal and international levels to address youth justice objectives?

5. In the last five years, what would you say are the key achievements of the YJI in relation to federal legislation and policy?

6. Are there any specific federal legislative or policy areas that you think require greater attention than they have received in recent years? Please elaborate.

a. What factors have influenced the Department of Justice’s ability to act in these areas?

7. Do you think there is a more integrated and coordinated approach to youth justice in Canada as a result of the YJI?

a. If yes, what activities have contributed to this?

b. Are you aware of gaps in integration and coordination that need to be addressed?

c. If so, what gaps? What actions are required to address them?

Questions related to the Youth Justice Services Funding Program (YJSFP)

8. To what extent do you think the federal YJSFP funds have contributed to effective and sustainable programs and services that provide extrajudicial measures, rehabilitation, reintegration, etc? Please describe how.

9. Do you think the federal YJSFP funds and federal legislation support effective alternatives to court and incarceration?

a. What gaps exist, if any, and why?

Questions related to the Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision (IRCS) Program

10. At present, do you think the youth justice system provides appropriate rehabilitative and reintegration opportunities for youth found guilty of violent offences?

a. If not, what gaps exist, and why?

11. To what extent do you think IRCS funds for youth found guilty of violent offences have contributed to sustainable programs and services that provide rehabilitation and reintegration? Please describe how. If not, why?

12. Are there specialized services in place for youth found guilty of violent offences as a result of IRCS funding? Please describe.

13. Are there any important gaps in these specialized services for youth found guilty of violent offences? If so, what are those gaps? (Q16)

Questions related to the Youth Justice Fund (YJF)

14. To what extent do you think the YJF has contributed to innovative programs and services that provide rehabilitation and reintegration? Please describe how.

a. What gaps exist, if any, and why?

15. To what extent do you think the YJF funds have contributed to innovative programs and services that provide appropriate alternatives to court and incarceration? Please describe how.

a. What gaps exist, if any, and why?

Relevance

I would like to ask questions about the continued need for the YJI and how it fits with current government priorities (last five years)

16. Do you think there is a continued need for a Justice Canada youth justice initiative? A need for each of the YJI components (policy development, YJSFP, IRCS, YJF)? Please explain. If not, why?

17. Would you say that the need for the YJI has increased, stayed about the same, or decreased over the last five years?

a. (If a change is noted) What factors have contributed to this change? (please provide examples)

18. Are there any needs you are aware of relating to youth justice that the YJI is not currently helping to address, which would be appropriate for Justice Canada activity? Please identify.

19. In what ways and to what extent would you say the YJI is consistent with broader federal government priorities?

20. How does the YJI in its current design align with current Department of Justice priorities?

21. Do you think the roles and responsibilities associated with delivering the YJI are appropriate to the federal government? If not, in what ways?

Efficiency and economy

I would like to ask you several questions about the related issues of cost efficiency and economy of the YJI over the last five years.

22. The term “cost efficiency” focuses on the relationship between program outputs and costs (e.g., a program becomes more efficient if it is able to generate greater output with the same or reduced level of inputs). In your opinion, how cost efficiently has the YJI been delivered? Please elaborate.

23. A program is said to be economical when the costs approximate the minimum amount that would be required to achieve the expected outcomes. In your opinion, how economical is the YJI? Please explain.

a. Are there resources/activities that are no longer required in order to effectively implement the YJI?

b. What have been the impacts of reduced funding for the YJI, if any?

24. Are you aware of any steps that could be taken to improve the cost efficiency or economy of the YJI?

Additional questions

25. What other impacts have been generated by the activities of the Department’s YJI in recent years?

26. Are you aware of any unintended outcomes, positive or negative, associated with any component of the YJI?

27. Are there any other comments about the YJI that you would like to make?

Thank you for your participation

Interview Guide for Provincial/Territorial Representatives

Contact information

Name

Province/Territory

Department and Position

Phone Number

Introduction

My name is XXXX and I am part of an independent consulting team conducting the evaluation of the Youth Justice Initiative (YJI) for the Department of Justice. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the relevance and performance of the YJI over the last five years. Your unique perspective on the YJI is critical for this evaluation, so we would be grateful if you would take time to participate in this interview. The information we gather through this interview will be summarized in aggregate form. Some of the questions may not be relevant to you. The interview will take about 45-60 minutes.

Background

Before we proceed, I’d like to give you a bit of background on the YJI to make sure you understand what the evaluation is focused on.

The YJI consists of three funding components and one Policy Unit:

The three YJI funding components reflect the shared authority between federal and provincial/territorial governments over the youth justice system in Canada, and provide funding to the provinces, territories and other organizations to support the legislative and policy objectives of the YCJA.

1. Please describe briefly your current roles and responsibilities. What type of work do you do in the youth justice area?

Performance - effectiveness

This section of the interview focuses on the impacts of the YJI over the last five years. The evaluation is examining the four components of the Initiative: policy development, the YJSFP, IRCS and the YJF. We would like to ask you some questions about the components you are involved with.

The YJI is intended to encourage a fairer and more effective youth justice system including:

Questions relating to policy development

2. In what ways would you say the YJI as currently designed supports the development of federal legislation and policy that addresses the objectives described above?

3. Do you think the YJI facilitates the development of responsive policies, practices and approaches at the P/T, federal and international levels to address youth justice objectives? In what ways?

4. In the last five years, what are the key achievements of the YJI in relation to federal legislation and policy?

5. Are there any specific federal legislative or policy areas that you think require greater attention than they have received in recent years? Please elaborate.

6. Do you think there is a more integrated and coordinated approach to youth justice in Canada as a result of the YJI?

a. If yes, what activities have contributed to this?

Questions related to the Youth Justice Services Funding Program (YJSFP)

7. At present, do you think the federal YJSFP funds in your jurisdiction provide effective youth justice services and programs? (e.g., extrajudicial measures, rehabilitative and reintegration opportunities) Please explain.

8. To what extent do you think the federal YJSFP funds have contributed to sustainable programs and services in your jurisdiction? (e.g., extrajudicial measures, incarceration rehabilitation and reintegration) Please describe how.

9. At present, do you think the youth justice system provides effective alternatives to court and incarceration? Do you think the federal YJSFP funds and federal legislation support effective alternatives to court and incarceration?

a. If not, what gaps exist, and why?

10. Do you think the current approach to administering the youth justice cost-sharing arrangement under the YJSFP is effective? What would you say are its strengths and weaknesses?

Questions related to Intensive Rehabilitative Custody and Supervision Program (IRCS)

11. Do you think the current approach for administering the IRCS is effective? If not, what improvements would you suggest?

12. At present, do you think the youth justice system provides appropriate rehabilitative and reintegration opportunities for youth found guilty of violent offences?

a. If not, what gaps exist, and why?

13. To what extent do you think IRCS funds for youth found guilty of violent offences have contributed to sustainable programs and services that provide rehabilitation and reintegration? Please describe how. If not, why?

14. Are there specialized services in place for youth found guilty of violent offences as a result of IRCS funding? Please describe.

15. Are there any gaps in these specialized services for youth found guilty of violent offences? If so, what are those gaps?

Questions related to the Youth Justice Fund (YJF)

16. Do you think the current approach for administering the YJF is effective? If not, what improvements would you suggest?

17. To what extent do you think the YJF funds have contributed to innovative programs and services that provide rehabilitation and reintegration? Please describe how.

18. To what extent do you think the YJF funds have contributed to innovative programs and services that provide appropriate alternatives to court and incarceration? Please describe how.

Relevance

I would like to ask questions about the continued need for the Youth Justice Initiative and how the YJI fits with your government’s current priorities.

19. Do you think there is a continued need for a Justice Canada youth justice initiative? A need for each of the YJI components (policy development, YJSFP, IRCS, YJF)? If not, why?

20. Would you say that the need for the departmental activities under the YJI has increased, stayed about the same, or decreased over the last five years?

a. (If a change is noted) What factors have contributed to this change? (please provide examples)

21. Are there any needs you are aware of relating to youth justice that the YJI is not currently helping to address, which would be appropriate for Justice Canada activity? Please identify.

22. Would you say that the youth justice priorities in your jurisdiction are consistent with the priorities of the YJI?

23. Do you think the current role of the federal government in youth justice, as reflected in the YJI, is effective relative to the role of provincial and territorial governments? Why, or why not?

a. Are there areas you think Justice Canada should not be involved in, or areas that Justice Canada should play a more active role in? Please explain.

Additional questions

In your view, what other impacts have been generated in part by the activities of the Department’s YJI in recent years?

Are you aware of any unintended outcomes, positive or negative, associated with any component of the YJI?

Do you have any other comments about the YJI that you would like to make?

Thank you for your participation

Interview Guide for Youth Justice Experts

Contact information

Name

Organization

Position

Phone Number

Introduction

My name is …. and I am part of a team conducting an evaluation of the Justice Canada Youth Justice Initiative. The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the relevance of the YJI and its performance over the last five years. The interview will take about 45 minutes. You were selected for an interview because we think your unique perspective is important for us to gain as full as possible an understanding of how the YJI fits within the broader youth justice system. We would be grateful if you would take time to answer a few questions. Your responses will be kept confidential, and the information will be grouped with other responses for our reports. Are you prepared to participate?

Background

Before we proceed, I’d like to give you a bit of background on the YJI to make sure you understand what the evaluation is focused on.

The YJI consists of three funding components and one Policy Unit:

1. Which component(s) of the YJI are you involved with?

The three YJI funding components reflect the shared authority between federal and provincial/territorial governments over the youth justice system in Canada, and provide funding to the provinces, territories and other organizations to support the legislative and policy objectives of the YCJA.

Relevance

I would like to ask questions about the continued need for the Youth Justice Initiative and how the YJI fits with your government’s current priorities.

2. Are you aware of the YJI? Of the four components listed above?

(Interviewer will offer to describe the components the respondent is not familiar with)

3. Do you think there is a continued need for a federal government youth justice initiative? A need for each of the YJI components (policy development, YJSFP, IRCS, YJF)? Why, or why not? (Q1)

4. Would you say that the need for a Justice Canada youth justice initiative has increased, stayed about the same, or decreased over the last five years? (Q1)

a. (If a change is noted) What factors have contributed to this change? (Please provide examples)

5. Are there any needs you are aware of relating to youth justice that the YJI is not currently helping to address, which would be appropriate for DOJ activity? Please identify. (Q1)

The YJI is intended to foster a fairer and more effective youth justice system including:

6. Given these objectives, would you say the YJI is consistent with current youth justice needs in Canada? In what way, or in what way not? (Q1)

Performance - effectiveness

This section of the interview focuses on the impacts of the YJI over the last five years. The evaluation is examining the four components of the Initiative: policy development, the YJSFP, IRCS and the YJF. We would like to ask you some questions about the components you may be aware of, or that relate to the work you do.

Questions relating to policy development

7. In what ways would you say the YJI as currently designed supports the development of legislation and policy that addresses the objectives described above? (Q11)

8. Do you think the YJI facilitates the development of responsive policies, practices and approaches at the P/T, federal and international levels to address youth justice objectives? In what ways? (Q13)

9. In the last five years, what would you say are the key achievements of the youth justice system in addressing youth justice issues? (Q13)

a. To what extent do you think the YJI contributed to those achievements?

10. Are there any legislative or policy areas that you think require greater attention by governments than they have received in recent years? Please discuss. (Q13)

a. What factors may have influenced governments’ ability to act in these areas?

11. Do you think there is a more integrated and coordinated approach to youth justice in Canada than was the case five years ago? (Q17)

a. If yes, what activities do you think have contributed to this?

b. Are you aware of gaps in integration and coordination that need to be addressed?

c. If so, what gaps? What actions are required to address them?

Questions related to the YJI Funding Programs

12. At present, do you think the youth justice system provides appropriate rehabilitative and reintegration opportunities? (Q15)

a. If not, what gaps exist, and why?

13. To what extent do you think the YJI funds distributed to provincial and territories governments and non-governmental organizations have contributed to sustainable programs and services that provide rehabilitation and reintegration? Please describe how. (Q15)

14. At present, do you think the youth justice system provides appropriate alternatives to court and incarceration? (Q12)

a. If not, what gaps exist, and why?

15. To what extent do you think the YJI funds distributed to provincial and territories governments and non-governmental organizations have contributed to sustainable programs and services that provide alternatives to court and incarceration? Please describe how. (Q12)

Additional questions

16. Are you aware of any unintended outcomes, positive or negative, associated with any component of the YJI? (Q18)

17. Do you have any other comments about the YJI that you would like to make?

Thanks for your participation