Pinellas County At-Risk Youth Diversion Prevention Program

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

The Pinellas County At-Risk Youth Diversion Prevention Program is a collaboration between Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office designed to reduce criminal justice involvement and the impact of incarceration on youth. Current local efforts, while extensive, lack a cohesive strategy and common system objectives. The pilot program will have positive outcomes of both a human and economic nature while engaging local stakeholders to align goals to adopt sustainable reform strategies. Through aligned strategies and services, coupled with efforts to directly engage youth in the community, Pinellas expects to avert escalating system involvement that often leads to more serious crimes and future adult incarceration. The project will utilize the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center, in coordination with law enforcement and social service agencies, to screen juveniles for at-risk youth between the ages of 11 and 17. Pinellas County will engage 40 youth in diversion and services while actively working with system stakeholders to establish a coordinated strategy for effective juvenile services and reform. A database will be maintained with individual files for each participant, as well as a total program summary file, as documentation of the number of youth who participated in the program, the number of youth who attended camp, and the number of youth who enrolled in and successfully completed the program.
NCA/NCF