The Nemalo project

The purpose of this project is to examine Nemalo County (a pseudonym) Probation Department line staffs' opinions regarding the implementation of the Juvenile Strategy for Success (JSS, a pseudonym) tool. Specifically, this project sought staffs' opinions on whether the tool enhanced the way they perform their regular duties in comparison to how their duties were performed prior to the implementation of JSS. It was believed that staff with over 15 years of service (senior staff) would have an unfavorable opinion of JSS and staff with less then 15 years of service (junior staff) would have a favorable opinion of JSS. It was believed that senior probation staff would be less willing to change the way they performed their duties, and therefore less willing to adopt JSS, while junior officers, having less experience, were believed to be more willing to change the way they performed their daily duties and accept the JSS tool. Staffs' opinions were collected through the use of a survey. According to the survey, the majority (57%), though not by an overwhelming margin, of probation officers reported a favorable opinion toward JSS.