Results show that in its more than 10 years in existence, JDAI has demonstrated results in urban and rural locales, saved millions of dollars, and improved the lives of thousands of young people. In 1992, the Annie E. Casey Foundation established the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative to address the efficiency and effectiveness of juvenile detention across the United States. JDAI sought to demonstrate that communities could improve their detention systems without sacrificing public safety. JDAI goals include: to decrease the number of youth unnecessarily or inappropriately detained; to reduce the number of youth who fail to appear in court or re-offend pending adjudication; and to redirect public funds towards effective juvenile justice processes and public safety strategies. Three model county programs are discussed in detail, Bernalillo County, NM, Multnomah County, OR, and Santa Cruz County, CA. List of resources and endnotes