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Dear John,
Today, The Sentencing Project released four issue briefs providing detailed guidance for advocates and system leaders interested in expanding and improving the use of diversion as an alternative to arrest or formal prosecution in juvenile court.
Research shows that youth who are diverted from the justice system are far less likely to be arrested for subsequent offenses and far more likely to succeed in education and employment than comparable youth who are arrested and prosecuted in juvenile court. Greater and more targeted use of diversion has also shown promise to reduce the persistent racial and ethnic disparities that pervade youth justice systems.
The four new issue briefs offer critical lessons and highlight innovative efforts by state and local justice systems to address four critical challenges:
1.
How
to
Reduce
Racial
and
Ethnic
Disparities
in
Juvenile
Diversion
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suggests
practical
steps
that
advocates,
system
leaders,
and,
in
some
cases,
legislators
can
take
to
address
disparities
in
diversion,
including
many
examples
where
these
suggested
reforms
are
being
implemented
effectively.


2.
Best
Practices
for
Juvenile
Diversion
[[link removed]]
highlights
the
importance
of
empowering
community
organizations
unaffiliated
with
the
courts
to
oversee
the
cases
of
diverted
youth;
the
need
to
avoid
“net-widening”
by
ensuring
that
only
youth
who
would
otherwise
be
arrested
and
prosecuted
in
court
get
placed
into
diversion
programs;
and
the
benefits
of
employing
restorative
justice
in
diversion,
allowing
youth
to
repair
the
harm
caused
by
their
delinquent
conduct
without
entering
the
justice
system.


3.
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U
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sing
Data
to
Enhance
Equity
and
Improve
Outcomes
in
Diversion
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highlights
the
importance
of
rigorous
data
collection
and
analysis
to
address
disparities
and
improve
outcomes
in
diversion.


4.
Effective
Messaging
to
Promote
Juvenile
Diversion
Reform
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describes
effective
language
to
describe
youth
diversion
and
promote
diversion
reforms,
how
to
target
these
messages
to
diverse
audiences,
and
the
importance
of
story-telling
in
building
support
for
diversion.
The four issue briefs expand upon the findings of The Sentencing Project’s recent report, “Protect and Redirect: America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System,” [[link removed]] which described reforms that have been implemented in 23 states and eight localities across the country to enhance youth diversion policies and practices. This report and the above issue briefs are on our new diversion resource website page here [[link removed]] .
Diversion Resources [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Richard Mendel
Research Analyst
Email: [email protected]
Donate [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] The Sentencing Project
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Washington, DC 20036
United States
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