Youth Diversion Programs

Overview

The purpose of youth diversion programs is to redirect juvenile offenders from the justice system through programming, supervision, and supports. Youth diversion programs are designed to provide youth with experiences that are different from traditional juvenile justice experiences. Youth diversion opportunities usually occur at the earliest stages of involvement in the juvenile justice system.

There are a wide variety of diversion program types, including, but not limited to:

  • Teen/Youth Courts
  • Mental Health Courts
  • Restorative Justice Interventions
  • Truancy Prevention/Intervention Programs
  • Mentoring Programs

Resources

Program Models

The Youth Diversion Program​ is designed and administered by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in partnership with several social service agencies in Mecklenburg County. Its purpose is to offer qualified juveniles the opportunity to avoid prosecution in the court system. Parent and Juvenile attend an 8-hour life skills class or Teen Court to successfully complete the program. The goal of our Diversion Program is to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement and an arrest record for youth who commit first time misdemeanor offenses. The program affords Mecklenburg county residents ages 6 – 17 the opportunity to participate in and successfully complete the program as an alternative to criminal prosecution.

The juvenile diversion court recognizes that the juvenile made a mistake and allows the juvenile the opportunity to take responsibility and for their actions without going through the formal court process and without an adjudication (a formal court record). The intention of this program is to help juveniles and their families learn to make better choices, by recommending appropriate interventions based upon the charge(s) so that they may reach their full potential as a valuable member of society. When a juvenile successfully completes their diversion contract, the case in the dismissed and sealed.

The District Attorney’s Office has been offering Diversion for Juvenile cases for over 20 years. Diversion specialists, with the assistance of Deputy District Attorneys in Juvenile Court, assess appropriate cases to be screened, based on criminal history, nature of the offense, victim/community input, and accountability of the juvenile and their family. The juvenile must be willing to accept responsibility for their role in the incident which resulted in a citation or investigation. The juvenile’s parent/guardian must also be supportive of their child’s participation in the program. Program requirements are determined after meeting with the Juvenile and their family, and completing a screening, to get to know them and their situation better. Through partnerships with various non-profit and direct service agencies in the community, we are able to address issues such as substance use, conflict management and lower level behavior health concerns.

More than a decade ago, a coalition of youth leaders and their advocates banded together to create a plan to systematically steer youth in Los Angeles County away from the criminal legal system and into community-based services. Along the way, youth leaders and other stakeholders chronicled the steps behind building the Youth Diversion and Development initiative, which has become a national model for juvenile justice. They created this guide as a roadmap to inform and empower other youth and their allies who are interested in developing a similar approach in their communities. The overall goal of the programs is to ensure that all youth in Los Angeles County can connect with a continuum of services that address their needs, reducing youth arrests and equitably improving outcomes for youth and communities.

The Colorado Restorative Justice Coordinating Council (RJ Council) is made up of 19 appointed board members representing a diverse group of stakeholders (state government agencies, restorative justice practitioners and victim services) who work with communities, state and local organizations to support the implementation of restorative justice practices across the state of Colorado.

Funding

Below is a list of funding opportunities that have been previously available from federal and private funding sources. Please note that although the funding deadlines may have passed, they can still be reviewed and considered for future planning purposes. You can check back often on the Announcements page for current funding opportunities as they are announced.

Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program

Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative

Mentoring for Youth Affected by Opioid and Other Drug Misuse

Technical Assistance

Many federal agencies and other partners offer assistance, in addition to grant funding, to jurisdictions, agencies and stakeholders to address training needs or the need for subject matter expertise to address local issues or challenges. Through these resources, you can access recent publications, tools, often request one-on-one remote or offsite assistance. Examples of assistance can include time with trainings, consulting time with subject matter experts, and/or opportunities for connecting with peers doing similar work.

NGC

National Gang Center

The National Gang Center disseminates information, knowledge, and outcome‐driven practices that engage and empower those in local communities with chronic and emerging gang problems to create comprehensive solutions to prevent gang violence, reduce gang involvement, and suppress gang‐related crime.

National Mentoring Resource Center

National Mentoring Resource Center

The National Mentoring Resource Center provides no-cost technical assistance to youth mentoring programs around their individual needs and the improved implementation of specific mentoring practices.

neglected delinquent

Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC)

This website serves as an information hub, technical assistance center, resource for program evaluation and data reporting, and a facilitator of information and peer-to-peer learning in relation to educational programming for youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system. Users can access webinars and conferences on the site and explore resources for parents, families, and service providers for neglected or delinquent youth.

Early Intervention for Youth

Youth Diversion Programs

The purpose of youth diversion programs is to redirect juvenile offenders from the justice system through programming, supervision, and supports. Youth diversion programs are designed to provide youth with experiences that are different from traditional juvenile justice experiences. Youth diversion opportunities usually occur at the earliest stages of involvement in the juvenile justice system.

There are a wide variety of diversion program types, including, but not limited to:

  • Teen/Youth Courts
  • Mental Health Courts
  • Restorative Justice Interventions
  • Truancy Prevention/Intervention Programs
  • Mentoring Programs

Resources

Program Models

CYPM is a model that uses a conceptual plan and organizational framework to minimize the involvement of crossover youth in the juvenile justice system by improving communication and coordination between professionals in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, providing more individualized interventions to youth, and increasing family engagement in the process. A primary goal of the CYPM is to reduce delinquency and system involvement of crossover youth by providing early, coordinated, and individualized services.

The Family Check-Up® model is a brief, strengths-based intervention for families with children ages 2 through 17. The intervention aims to improve parenting skills and family management practices, with the goals of improving a range of emotional, behavioral and academic child outcomes.

Family Spirit® is a culturally-tailored home visiting program designed for young American Indian mothers (ages 14-24) who enroll during the second trimester of pregnancy. The goal of Family Spirit® is to address intergenerational behavioral health problems and promote positive behavioral and emotional outcomes among mothers and children.

General PMTO is a group-based parenting and family functioning intervention. The intervention is designed to increase parenting skills and promote effective family management.  In the first session, the GenerationPMTO – Group facilitators engage the treatment families and begin building a collaborative group. In the following sessions, the facilitators teach parents skills such as how to: give good directions and encourage cooperation, observe and regulate emotions, teach children through contingent positive reinforcement (e.g., token systems and incentive charts), set limits and use discipline strategies, balance encouragement and discipline, use active communication, problem-solve and manage family conflicts, monitor children’s activities and behavior, encourage daily school routines and promote school success, strengthen their social support network, and balance work with play.

Healthy Families America (HFA) is a home visiting program for new and expectant families with children who are at-risk for maltreatment or adverse childhood experiences. HFA is a nationally accredited program that was developed by Prevent Child Abuse America. The overall goals of the program are to cultivate and strengthen nurturing parent-child relationships, promote healthy childhood growth and development, and enhance family functioning by reducing risk and building protective factors.

Homebuilders provides intensive, in-home counseling, skill building and support services for families who have children (0-18 years old) at imminent risk of out-of-home placement or who are in placement and cannot be reunified without intensive in-home services. Homebuilders practitioners conduct behaviorally specific, ongoing, and holistic assessments that include information about family strengths, values, and barriers to goal attainment. Homebuilders practitioners then collaborate with family members and referents in developing intervention goals and corresponding service plans. These intervention goals and service plans focus on factors directly related to the risk of out-of-home placement or reunification.

Intercept® provides intensive in-home services to children and youth at risk of entry or re-entry into out-of-home placements or who are currently in out-of-home placements (e.g., foster care, residential facilities, or group homes). The program is designed to reduce foster care utilization by providing prevention services to children and their families of origin. For children already in foster care, Intercept aims to reduce time spent in foster care by providing reunification services to children and their families of origin.

This a parent-training intervention for foster and kinship parents with a foster child in the home ages 4 to 12, designed to reduce children’s problem behaviors by strengthening foster parents’ skills. The program was found to improve child problem behaviors, increase parents’ use of positive reinforcement relative to discipline, reduce parenting stress, and increase positive exits from the foster home for children.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is a home-visiting parent education program that teaches new and expectant parents skills intended to promote positive child development and prevent child maltreatment. PAT aims to increase parent knowledge of early childhood development, improve parenting practices, promote early detection of developmental delays and health issues, prevent child abuse and neglect, and increase school readiness and success.

Funding

Below is a list of funding opportunities that have been previously available from federal and private funding sources for crisis call centers. Please note that although the funding deadlines may have passed, they can still be reviewed and considered for future planning purposes. You can check back often on the Announcements page for current funding opportunities as they are announced.

Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-based Program

Technical Assistance

Many federal agencies and other partners offer assistance, in addition to grant funding, to jurisdictions, agencies and stakeholders to address training needs or the need for subject matter expertise to address local issues or challenges. Through these resources, you can access recent publications, tools, often request one-on-one remote or offsite assistance. Examples of assistance can include time with trainings, consulting time with subject matter experts, and/or opportunities for connecting with peers doing similar work.

CBX

Children Bureau’s Express Training and Technical Assistance

Children’s Bureau Express (CBX) is a program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children and Families that covers news, issues, and trends of interest to professionals and policymakers in the interrelated fields of child abuse and neglect, child welfare, and adoption. The Children’s Bureau funds several technical assistance centers to provide professionals with tools to better serve children, youth, and families.