In a commitment to system-wide improvements and evidence based practices the Administrative Office of the Courts, Juvenile Justice Services Division partnered with the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 2011 to expand the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) in Arizona from a local replication site in Pima County to a state wide initiative. The initial expansion sites included: Cochise, Gila, Maricopa, and Pinal counties. In 2014, Yuma and Santa Cruz joined the JDAI initiative. Arizona is now officially recognized as a JDAI state replication site. The JDAI participating counties collectively represent over 80% of the overall referrals to the juvenile justice system and over 80% of the juvenile detention population.

The JDAI model employs eight interwoven core strategies which include: Collaboration, Making Data Driven Decisions, Identifying and Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities, Case Processing, Special Detention Cases, Utilizing Objective Intake Screening Criteria and Improving Conditions of Confinement.