Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Youth Diversion Program

The OJJDP Delinquency Prevention Program focuses on helping youth avoid involvement in delinquency through reducing risk factors and enhancing protective factors in their schools, communities, and families. Category 2 supports the development and implementation of programs that address the needs of tribal youth. Funding will be used to enhance responses to juvenile delinquency in tribal communities.

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa proposes to use trauma-informed, community-based, and wellness-based interventions to implement diversion programs. The overall goal of their tribal delinquency prevention program is to redirect youth who are considered at risk for delinquency or who have committed a delinquent offense from deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system. Turtle Mountain will work with their advisory team in the implementation and assessment of the program. The tribe plans to serve 40 youth ages 8 to 17 each year. The program is designed to improve parent-child relationships; teach youth how to choose better peers; understand the consequences of negative behavior; build youth accountability; and learn and practice respect for one’s self, family, community, and culture. CA/NCF