Implementation Study Findings: Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board Program

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The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform’s (NICJR) Neighborhood Opportunity and Accountability Board (NOAB) presents a culturally and developmentally responsive point-of-arrest restorative diversion program that seeks to reimagine the partnership between the justice system—including police—and the communities in Oakland, California. NOAB diverts young people at the point of arrest and offers them the opportunity to participate in community-based and strengths-based diversion services.
 

AIR's Mixed-Method Implementation Evaluation of NOAB

With funding from the AIR Equity Initiative, AIR is partnering with NICJR to conduct a formative mixed method 4-year evaluation of NOAB’s program implementation and outcomes and a quasi-experimental study of program impacts. This brief includes preliminary findings from Years 1 and 2 of the implementation study. In this brief, we describe the following:

• Background on developmental and restorative approaches;
• A description of the NOAB program components;
• An overview of our evaluation methods;
• Preliminary findings on NOAB program implementation and the perceptions of NOAB staff, partners, young people, and family members;
• Limitations of our preliminary findings; and
• Recommendations for NOAB.
   

Key Findings from the Brief

Taken together, the findings in this brief indicate promise for NOAB’s capacity to infuse foundational principles of youth development and restorative practices into the experiences of young people who come into contact with justice officials. 

Based on the results of this study, we recommend four strategies to strengthen program implementation:

1. Enhance NOAB program awareness among justice officials, young people, and families.
2. Increase alignment of board conferences with evidence-based practices.
3. Hire and train NOAB staff to provide additional supports to young people and their families.
4. Continue to build out the case management database.