Reducing Risk for Girls in Carver County

Carver County Court Services proposes to implement Ape Siyalu Diyaniyan, (Diyaniyan), a gender-specific, trauma-responsive probation supervision program designed by and for females. The program was developed in consultation with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s Essential Elements of a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice System and the Department of Justice’s Eight Principles of Evidence Based Principles for Effective Interventions in Community Corrections.  Diyaniyan’s goal is to reduce recidivism by empowering girls to live safe and well with others and themselves through investing in girls and shifting focus from delinquent behaviors themselves to the underlying reasons for their justice system involvement.  Programming will consist of a projected sixty female youth ages 11-17 assessed at medium to high risk of recidivism and placed on probation supervision in Carver County, Minnesota.  Key elements to the success of Diyaniyan are guaranteed access to trauma-responsive mental health services and supports, engagement of caregivers by offering care and support of the youth to foster positive outcomes and increase protective factors, completion of a formal program evaluation to maximize productivity and program fidelity, and ongoing training of Diyaniyan staff in evidence-based practices, trauma-informed practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion matters.