NYSAP assists juvenile justice systems to make decisions about adolescents that are consistent with youths’ health and positive development and with the community’s interests. We do this by helping systems use reliable, evidence-based methods for screening and assessment. We focus on various decision points in the juvenile justice process—diversion, detention, probation and case management, and judicial decisions.

To accomplish this, we use sound research-based methods to assist juvenile justice systems to:

• Select appropriate screening and assessment methods
• Develop appropriate policies for their use
• Train personnel in those methods and policies, as well as the instrument's use (e.g., case planning) to arrive at appropriate decisions about youth
• Assist in development of sustained quality of practice, including quality assurance

NYSAP also performs research of two types:

1. development of screening tools and assessment methods for use in various juvenile justice settings, and
2. evaluation of the impact and value of implementing screening tools and assessment methods in those settings.