Dual Status Youth: Data Integration to Support System Integration

In recent years there has been significant growth in the literature examining the overlap between the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. It is believed that many justice-involved youth experience contact with both systems either simultaneously or at various points over the course of their lives. Studies have shown as high as two-thirds of youth involved in the juvenile justice system experience contact with the child welfare system (Halemba and Siegel, 2011). Youth who become involved in both systems, herein referred to as dual status youth, are especially vulnerable to poor outcomes. Dual status youth have been shown to experience an earlier onset of delinquent behavior, poor permanency outcomes, higher out-of-home placement rates, increased detention stays, frequent placement changes, and higher rates of offending (Sickmund and Puzzanchera, 2014).