Increase Diversion by 20%

Toward the Diversion goal, two measures were established: Referrals of delinquents to Juvenile Court and Referrals to Juvenile Review Boards. The number of delinquency referrals (referring youth to juvenile court) as reported on November 2018 has decreased by 25.6% effectively meeting the 20% diversion increase, and the increase of referrals to JRBs/YSBs as reported on October 2017 has been increased by 27%, also surpassing the diversion goal.

A number of programmatic initiatives has supported the accomplishment of this goal. A Community-Based Diversion System is being implemented throughout the state’s YSB system. This is intended to divert status-offending youth from the juvenile justice system, as well as those who commit low-level offenses, to effective, developmentally appropriate, community-based responses. By creating a process for early identification, assessment and intervention, the individual social/emotional, behavioral, criminal, mental health and academic needs of at-risk youth can be addressed within the context of their family and community.

Dovetailing the Community-Based Diversion System is a School-Based Diversion Plan that was completed in early 2018. It included a focus on revision of current school discipline policies. One component of this work is the use of Restorative Justice practices. These practices are a set of relational, communication approaches used to facilitate meaningful conversations to prevent harm, as well as to restore relationships wherein harm has occurred and conflict exists between people. They have evolved as a tool to improve school climate and educational outcomes, and provide structure for organizing effective group communication, building relationships, sound decision-making and resolving conflicts.