Innovation seldom follows a straight line—and often one of the most challenging phases of creating a new project is maintaining early momentum and adapting to unexpected changes beyond your control.

That’s where Lisa Varon and Rhonda McKitten find themselves. Varon, as project manager, and McKitten, as project director, are two of the leaders behind Philadelphia’sdrive to create a Juvenile Assessment Center that aims to create a more appropriate intake experience for young people, one that is trauma-informed and youth-centered rather than one that typically deposits youth in a concrete cell to await booking with adults.

One approach is what Varon and McKitten are calling “expedited release.” Police officers would use new equipment to more quickly identify young people who might be recommended for release to an adult guardian before being booked into the system. They’ve also built in some procedural changes for police and prosecutors so that a week’s lag time is allowed to look at juvenile cases so as to explore other options besides booking and sending a case to court.

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