The Ending R/ED Innovation Lab

The Ending R/ED Innovation Lab is designed to ignite action at the local level to end R/ED.

The Ending R/ED Innovation Lab will consist of a five-part virtual engagement series that promotes the cross-pollination of ideas in order to design and implement innovative strategies to address R/ED. Up to eight state, territorial, Tribal, or local governments will collaborate over the course of nine months, each launching and studying new strategies aimed at advancing racial equity in their jurisdiction while sharing their lessons learned with the larger cohort. This collective work will pragmatically explore how to address implicit bias and racism, partner with youth, families and community members, utilize data to drive reform, foster courageous conversations on race within communities, and ultimately lead effective interventions to reduce R/ED.

While ultimately each team–and cohort–has the flexibility to create strategies that speak to the unique strengths and needs of their communities, these methods might include:

• new, innovative ways of bolstering youth, family and community partnerships;
• deepening efforts to train system staff and partners on addressing bias and leading anti-racist practices;
• creating spaces for authentic community conversations on race and racism;
• enhancing capacity to collect, analyze and use data on disparities to drive action;
• expanding efforts to prevent youth’s system involvement, including through true community-led diversion;
• advancing more objective decision-making processes with respect to detention and disposition;
• introducing new tools to examine the racial equity impact of newly proposed agency policies;
• and leading healing-centered approaches that acknowledge and address racial trauma.

By putting theory into practice, jurisdictions can assess the effectiveness of their implemented strategies and contribute to the broader knowledge base in addressing R/ED.

Participating Jurisdictions

The Ending R/ED Innovation Lab will be available to jurisdictions per an application and selection process, with up to eight jurisdictions selected during each year.

Each multidisciplinary team will be composed of up to ten members representing various sectors, including youth justice agency leaders, judges, youth/family members/advocates, community providers, attorneys, and child welfare, education, and behavioral health leaders. This diverse team composition encourages a holistic approach to tackling racial inequities, leveraging the expertise and insights of professionals from different fields to inform and shape comprehensive strategies.

Applications will open to join the Innovation Lab later in 2024. Please check back here for more news and updates, including application materials, guidelines, and submission links.