The evaluation of Reclaiming Futures by the Urban Institute and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago conducted between 2003 and 2008 suggested Reclaiming Futures is a promising strategy for improving interventions for youth. Researchers worked with Reclaiming Futures communities and the initiative's National Program Office to evaluate the impact of the initiative and to examine selected policy and practice issues as they emerged within each site. One of the key strategies of the initiative was to work with each site as it developed and then implemented the Reclaiming Futures Model. Results from the project were released through a series of reports beginning in 2007.

The Urban Institute and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago conducted biannual surveys in 10 communities participating in the Reclaiming Futures initiative. The surveys measured the quality of the juvenile justice and substance abuse treatment system. Most of the quality indicators measured by the evaluation improved significantly during the course of the Reclaiming Futures initiative. In some communities, nearly all of the indicators showed marked improvement. More information is in the following report:

Changing Systems: Outcomes from the RWJF Reclaiming Futures Initiative on Juvenile Justice and Substance Abuse

The national evaluation also measured changes in agency relationships by conducting a social network analysis in eight of the first 10 Reclaiming Futures communities. The study found that overall network strength had increased over time. More information is in the following report:

Agency Relations: Social Network Dynamics and the RWJF Reclaiming Futures Initiative

In addition to funding the above national evaluation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also supported evaluations at four of the pilot sites. The studies were monitored by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and examined projects in Santa Cruz, California; Chicago, Illinois; the state of New Hampshire; and Seattle-King County, Washington. The results varied among the four communities, but taken together the studies suggest that Reclaiming Futures has the potential to change agency practices in ways that can lead to improved outcomes for youth. More information is in the following report:

Organizing for Outcomes: Measuring the Effects of Reclaiming Futures in Four Communities

Do the benefits of Reclaiming Futures justify the costs? To answer this question the national evaluation team collected and analyzed data from 10 Reclaiming Futures sites between March 2002 and October 2007. Based on this research, the evaluators concluded that, "the preponderance of evidence suggests that the Reclaiming Futures initiative was most likely cost effective." More information is in the following report:

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Reclaiming Futures

As researchers conduct studies to discover and prove the effectiveness of new practice principles for young offenders with substance abuse issues, positive youth development and cultural competence may emerge as new and evidence-bases practices. The national evaluators of Reclaiming Futures documented strong results that suggest these approaches may one day deserve to be considered core principles of effective juvenile justice practice and future reform efforts may need to incorporate them as both targets and strategies for system change. More information is in the following report:

Reforming Juvenile Justice Systems: Beyond Treatment