References and Levels of Evidence

Introduction to Diversion Programming I-Guide

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Petrosino, Anthony, Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino, and Sarah Guckenburg. 2010. "Formal System Processing of Juveniles: Effects on Delinquency." Campbell Systematic Reviews 1.

  2. Hamilton, Zachary K., Christopher J. Sullivan, Bonita M. Veysey, and Michele Grillo. 2006. "Diverting Multi-Problem Youth from Juvenile Justice: Investigating the Importance of Community Influence on Placement and Recidivism." Behavioral Sciences and the Law 25:137-58.

  3. Bynum, Jack E., and William E. Thompson. 1996. Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Third Edition. Needham Heights, Mass: Allyson and Bacon.

  4. Models for Change. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Model for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301

  5. McAra, Lesley, and Susan McVie. 2007. "Youth Justice? The Impact of System Contact on Patterns of Desistance from Offending." European Journal of Criminology 4:315-45.

  6. Loeb, Roger C., Marie Waung, and Megan Sheeran. 2015. "Individual and Familial Variables for Predicting Successful Completion of a Juvenile Justice Diversion Program." Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 54(3):212-237.

  7. Patrick, Steven, and Robert Marsh. 2005. "Juvenile Diversion: Results of a 3-Year Experimental Study." Criminal Justice Policy Review 16(1):59-73.




What Do You Want To Change? (Establishing Clear Program Goals)

Introduction

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 2016. Juvenile Diversion Strategies and Models. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Juvenile-Diversion-Strategies-and-Models-for-WEBSITE-1.pdf




Understand the problems diversion can address.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Models for Change. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Model for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301

  2. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pdf

  3. Davidson, William S., Tiffeny R. Jimenz, Eyitayo Onifade, and Sean S. Hankins. 2010. "Student Experiences of the Adolescent Diversion Project: A Community-Based Exemplar in the Pedagogy of Service-Learning." American Journal of Community Psychology 46:442-58.

  4. Spriggs, Vicki. 2009. Front-End Diversion Initiative Program: Policy and Procedure Manual Overview. Austin, Texas: Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/372




Understand the problems diversion cannot address.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Models for Change. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Model for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301




Define the target population of diversion efforts.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Reich, Warren A., Erin J. Farley, Michael Rempel, and Suvi Hynynen Lambson. 2014. The Criminal Justice Response to 16- and 17-Year-Old Defendants in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP%20Y2%20Report%20Final%20_v2.pdf




Use a SMART framework to set clear program goals.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Carey, Shannon. 2004. Clackamas County Juvenile Drug Court Outcome Evaluation: Final Report. Portland, OR: NPC Research. http://npcresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/CCJDC-Outcome-Evaluation-Final-Report-February-20041.pdf




Develop well-defined inclusion criteria for diversion and program participation so that decisionmakers have a clear understanding about who is eligible.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Spriggs, Vicki. 2009. Front-End Diversion Initiative Program: Policy and Procedure Manual Overview. Austin, Texas: Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/372

  2. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center. http://www.ibarji.org/docs/mcgarrell.pdf

  3. Anspach, Donald F., and Andrew S. Ferguson. 2005. Part II: Outcome Evaluation of Maine's Statewide Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program. Augusta, Me.: University of Southern Maine.




Develop clear standards for completion from the program, so that youths and their families understand the requirements that must be fulfilled for diversion to be successful.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 2016. Juvenile Diversion Strategies and Models. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Juvenile-Diversion-Strategies-and-Models-for-WEBSITE-1.pdf

  2. Wright, John Paul, Pamela M. McMahon, Claire Daly, and J. Phil Haney. 2012. "Getting the Law Involved: A Quasi-Experiment I Early Intervention Involving the Collaboration Between Schools and the District Attorney's Office." Criminology & Public Policy 11(2):227-49.




What's Going On? (Conducting a Needs Assessment)

Introduction

1. Office of Migrant Education. 2001. Comprehensive Needs Assessment. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Migrant Education. Materials adapted from Planning Conducting Needs Assessments: A Practical Guide. 1995. Witkin and Altschuld, eds. https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/compneedsassessment.pdf




Begin by collecting basic demographic information about your community to get an accurate picture of the youth population, and then supplement that information with more specific data related to youth behavior

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Ryan, Stacey R., Carly K. Friedman, Charles W. Mathias, Killian Mullen, Donald M. Dougherty, Vickie Adams, and Charles Villafranca. 2014. Problem Identification and Community Assessment of Youth Substance Use Treatment Needs for Bexar County, Texas. San Antonio, TX: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. https://3snpdc2ba9m5uwuk62n8cs84-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Community-Assessment-of-Youth-Substance-Use-Treatment-Needs-for-Bexar-County-Final.pdf




If possible, conduct focus groups and interviews with stakeholders (e.g., juvenile justice personnel, service or treatment providers, parents, and youths) to capture information that cannot be found in the data.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Cook County Justice for Children and its Juvenile Justice Strategy Team. 2015. Project Report: What Can the Cook County Juvenile Court Do to Improve Its Ability to Help Our Youth? A Juvenile Justice Needs Assessment. Chicago, Ill.: Cook County Justice for Children and its Juvenile Justice Strategy Team. https://www.adler.edu/resources/content/4/1/documents/Juvenile-Justice-Needs-Assessment_15_3_25.pdf

  2. Arredondo, David E., Kurt Kumli, Larry Soto, Enrique Colin, Kill Ornellas, Judge Raymond J. Davillia, Jr., Judge Leonard P. Edwards, and Judge Eugene M. Hyman. 2001. "Juvenile Mental Health Court: Rationale and Protocols." Juvenile and Family Court Journal 52(4):1-19.




Create an inventory of the programs and treatment services currently available for youths in your community.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Behnken, Monic P., David E. Arredondo, and Wendy L. Packman. 2009. "Reduction in Recidivism in a Juvenile Mental Health Court: A Pre- and Post-Treatment Outcome Study." Juvenile and Family Court Journal 60(3):23-44.




Use the findings from your community needs assessment and inventory of programs and treatment services to make informed decisions about diversion programming.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Wilson, Holly A., and Robert D. Hoge. 2013. "The Effect of Youth Diversion Programs on Recidivism: A Meta-Analytic Review." Criminal Justice and Behavior 40(5):497-518. http://users.soc.umn.edu/~uggen/Wilson_CJB_13.pdf




Do Your Homework (Doing Supportive Research)

Determine the specific type of diversion program you wish to implement. 

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Development Services Group, Inc. 2017. "Diversion Programs." Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Diversion_Programs.pdf

  2. Seroczynski, A.D., William N. Evans, Amy D. Jobst, Luke Horvath, and Giuliana Carozza. 2015. Reading for Life and Adolescent Re-Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program. South Bend, Indiana: University of Notre Dame, Center for Children and Families.

  3. McGarrell, Edmund F., and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2007. "Family Group Conferencing and Reoffending Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders: The Indianapolis Experiment." Justice Quarterly 24(2):221-46.

  4. Colwell, Brian, Soila F. Villarreal, and Erin M. Espinosa. 2012. "Preliminary Outcomes of a Preadjudication Diversion Initiative for Juvenile Justice Involved Youth With Mental Needs in Texas." Criminal Justice and Behavior 39(4):447-60.

  5. Cuellar, Alison E., Larkin McReynolds, and Gail Wasserman. 2006. "A Cure for Crime: Can Mental Health Treatment Diversion Reduce Crime among Youth?" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 25(1):197-214.




Identify the core components of diversion programs.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Development Services Group, Inc. 2017. "Diversion Programs." Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Diversion_Programs.pdf

  2. Lattimore, Pamela K., Christopher P. Krebs, Phillip Graham, and Alexander J. Cowell. 2004. Evaluation of the Juvenile Breaking the Cycle Program. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: RTI International. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209799.pdf

  3. Augimeri, Leena K., David P. Farrington, Christopher J. Koegl, and David Martin Day. 2007. "The SNAP™ Under 12 Outreach Project: Effects of a Community-Based Program for Children With Conduct Problems." Journal of Child and Family Studies 16:799-807.

  4. Seroczynski, A.D., William N. Evans, Amy D. Jobst, Luke Horvath, and Giuliana Carozza. 2015. Reading for Life and Adolescent Re-Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program. South Bend, Indiana: University of Notre Dame, Center for Children and Families. http://econweb.umd.edu/~davis/eventpapers/EvansLife.pdf




Consider developmentally appropriate, culturally competent, and gender-specific services and approaches.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. National Research Council. 2013. Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach. Committee on Assessing Juvenile Justice Reform, Richard J. Bonnie, Robert L. Johnson, Betty M. Chemers, and Julie A. Schuck, eds. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://www.nap.edu/catalog/14685/reforming-juvenile-justice-a-developmental-approach

  2. Headman, Neil C., and Thomas A. Cornille. 2008. "Family Functioning Patterns as Predictors of Engagement: Which Families Participate in Services and Which Ones Do Not?" Journal of Family Social Work 11(2):117-40.

  3. King, William R., Stephen T. Holmes, Martha L. Henderson and Edward J. Latessa. 2001. "The Community Corrections Partnership: Examining the Long-Term Effects of Youth Participation in an Afrocentric Diversion Program." Crime & Delinquency 47(4):558-72.

  4. Davidson, Janet T. 2007. Hawaii Girls Court: Program Characteristics, Outcomes, and Recommendations. Honolulu, Hawaii: Family Court of the First Circuit.




Consider specific programming for youths with mental health needs.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Vincent, G. M., Thomas Grisso, Anna Terry, and Steven M. Banks. 2008. "Sex and Race Differences in Mental Health Symptoms in Juvenile Justice: The MAYSI-2 National Meta-Analysis." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 47(3):282-90.

  2. Jeong, Seokjin, Byung Lee, and Julie Martin. 2014. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Special Needs Diversionary Program in Reducing Reoffending Among Mentally Ill Youthful Offenders." International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 58(9):1058-80.




Acknowledge the criticism surrounding certain types of diversion programs.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Models for Change Juvenile Diversion Workgroup. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Models for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301

  2. Development Services Group, Inc. 2017. "Diversion Programs." Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Diversion_Programs.pdf

  3. Puzzanchera, C. and Hockenberry, S. 2013. National Disproportionate Minority Contact Databook. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/dmcdb/

  4. Leiber, Michael J., Dorinda M. Richetelli, and William Feyerherm. 2009. "Assessment." In Disproportionate Minority Contact Technical Assistance Manual, Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

  5. Pitts, Wayne J. 2010. School House Adjustment Program Enterprise: 2009-2010 Evaluation Report. Memphis, Tenn.: University of Memphis, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.




Recognize the importance of including a risk/needs assessment in diversion programming and select an evidence-informed assessment tool.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Models for Change Juvenile Diversion Workgroup. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Models for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301

  2. Development Services Group, Inc. 2015. "Risk/Needs Assessments." Literature Review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/RiskandNeeds.pdf

  3. Winokur Early, Kristin, Gregory A. Hand, Julia L. Blankenship, and Steven F. Chapman. 2010. "Experimental Community-Based Interventions for Delinquent Youth: An Evaluation of Recidivism and Cost Effectiveness." Unpublished manuscript.

  4. Colwell, Brian, Soila F. Villarreal, and Erin M. Espinosa. 2012. "Preliminary Outcomes of a Preadjudication Diversion Initiative for Juvenile Justice Involved Youth With Mental Needs in Texas." Criminal Justice and Behavior 39(4):447-60.

  5. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pdf

  Bring in Reinforcements (Getting Stakeholder Buy-in)




Introduction

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 2016. Strengthening Our Future: Key Elements to Develop a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice Diversion Program for Youth with Behavioral Health Conditions. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/traumadoc012216-reduced-003.pdf




Identify program champions who can help get support for the diversion program.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Kentucky Youth Advocates. 2011. Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky: Applying a Proven Framework for an Effective Community and Judicial Response to Status Offenses and Other Complex Needs of Youth in Rural and Urban Settings. Jeffersontown, KY: Kentucky Youth Advocates.
  http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/Reclaiming%20Futures%20in%20KY,%20KYA,%209.11.pdf

  2. Reich, Warren A., Erin J. Farley, Michael Rempel, and Suvi Hynynen Lambson. 2014. The Criminal Justice Response to 16- and 17-Year-Old Defendants in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation.

  3. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center.




Use an implementation team to enhance and guide the implementation process.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Cocozza, Joseph J., Bonita M. Veysey, Deborah A. Chapin, Richard Dembo, Wansley Walters, and Slyvia Farina. 2005. "Diversion from the Juvenile Justice System: The Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center Post-Arrest Diversion Program." Substance Use and Misuse 40:935-51.

  2. Kentucky Youth Advocates. 2011. Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky: Applying a Proven Framework for an Effective Community and Judicial Response to Status Offenses and Other Complex Needs of Youth in Rural and Urban Settings. Jeffersontown, KY: Kentucky Youth Advocates. http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/Reclaiming%20Futures%20in%20KY,%20KYA,%209.11.pdf




Collaborate with leadership (such as county executives or mayors, juvenile court judges, directors of court services, or directors of probation services) to get their support of the diversion program.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center. http://www.ibarji.org/docs/mcgarrell.pdf




Ensure buy-in from all parties who would be impacted by the implementation of a diversion program.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Fader, Jamie J., Brian Lockwood, Victoria L. Schall, and Benjamin Stokes. 2015. "A Promising Approach to Narrowing the School-to-Prison Pipeline: The WISE Arrest Diversion Program." Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 13(2):123-42.




Ensure parents are involved in the process.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Schwalbe, Craig S., Robin E. Gearing, Michael J. MacKenzie, Kathryne B. Brewer, and Rawan W. Ibrahim. 2012. "A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Studies of Diversion Programs for Juvenile Offenders." Clinical Psychology Review 32:26-33.

  2. Cuellar, Alison E., Larkin McReynolds, and Gail Wasserman. 2006. "A Cure for Crime: Can Mental Health Treatment Diversion Reduce Crime among Youth?" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 25(1):197-214.

  3. McGarrell, Edmund F., and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2007. "Family Group Conferencing and Reoffending Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders: The Indianapolis Experiment." Justice Quarterly 24(2):221-46.




Address and overcome barriers to family engagement.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Ozechowski, Timothy J., and Howard A. Liddle. 2000. "Family-Based Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abuse: Knowns and Unknowns." Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 3(4):269-98.

  2. Headman, Neil C., and Thomas A. Cornille. 2008. "Family Functioning Patterns as Predictors of Engagement: Which Families Participate in Services and Which Ones Do Not?" Journal of Family Social Work 11(2):117-40.

  3. Slesnick, Natasha, Robert J. Meyers, Melissa Meade, and Daniel H. Segelken. 2000. "Bleak and Hopeless No More: Engagement of Reluctant Substance-Abusing Runaway Youth and Their Families." Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 19(3):215-22.

  4. Szapocznik, Jose, Angel Perez-Vidal, Andrew L. Brickman, Franklin H. Foote, Daniel Santisteban, Olga Hervis, and William M. Kurtines. 1988. "Engaging Adolescent Drug Abusers and Their Families in Treatment: A Strategic Structural Systems Approach." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 56(4):552.




Ensure that youths do not feel pressured to participate.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Umbreit, Mark S., and Robert B. Coates. 1993. "Cross-Site Analysis of Victim-Offender Mediation in Four States." Crime & Delinquency 39(4):565-585.




Present information or data about diversion programming to those who have concerns.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Sturza, Marisa L., and William S. Davidson. 2006. "Issues Facing the Dissemination of Prevention Programs: Three Decades of Research on the Adolescent Diversion Project." Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community 32:5-24.




If implementing a restorative justice program, make sure to get buy-in from victims of juvenile crimes.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Umbreit, Mark S., and Robert B. Coates. 1992. Victim Offender Mediation: An Analysis of Programs in Four States of the U.S. Minneapolis, Minn.: Citizens Council Mediation Services. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/140263NCJRS.pdf




What Sets You Apart? (Identifying Specific Jurisdictional Issues)

Research and understand applicable state and local laws that guide which youths are eligible for diversion.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Models for Change. 2011. Juvenile Diversion Guidebook. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation, Model for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/301

  2. McGarrell, Edmund F., and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2007. "Family Group Conferencing and Reoffending Among First-Time Juvenile Offenders: The Indianapolis Experiment." Justice Quarterly 24(2):221-46.

  3. Bauer, Michelle, Gilda Bordeaux, John Cole, William S. Davidson, Arnoldo Martinez, Christina Mitchell, and Dolly Singleton. 1980. "A Diversion Program for Juvenile Offenders: The Experience of Ingham County, Michigan." Juvenile & Family Court Journal 31:53-62.




Address the potential barriers to program completion due to community infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Pruitt, Lisa R. 2008. "The Forgotten Fifth: Rural Youth and Substance Abuse." Stanford Law & Policy Review 20(2):349-404.

  2. Kearns, Davis and Davis Rosenthal. 2001. "Substance Abuse in Rural America." In Moore, Robert M., ed. The Hidden America: Social Problems in Rural America for the Twenty-First Century. Plainsboro, NJ: Susquehanna University Press.




How Will You Pay For It? (Procuring Funding)

Introduction

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Zagar, Robert John, William M. Grove, and Kenneth G. Busch. 2013. "Delinquency Best Treatments: How to Divert Youths From Violence While Saving Lives and Detention Costs." Behavioral Sciences & The Law 31(3):381-96.




Explore the variety of funding opportunities available, including federal and state sources, and nongovernmental organizations.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Smith, Emilie Phillips, Angela M. Wolf, Dan M. Cantillon, Oseela Thomas, William S. Davison. 2004. "The Adolescent Diversion Project: 25 Years of Research on an Ecological Model of Intervention." Prevention & Intervention in the Community 27(2):29-47.

  2. Sturza, Marisa L., and William S. Davidson. 2006. "Issues Facing the Dissemination of Prevention Programs: Three Decades of Research on the Adolescent Diversion Project." Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community 32:5-24.

  3. Davidson, William S. 2009. Michigan State University Adolescent Diversion Project. East Lansing, Mich.: Michigan State University

  4. Anspach, Donald F., and Andrew S. Ferguson, and Laura L. Phillips. 2004. Part I: Process Evaluation Report for Maine's Statewide Juvenile Drug Court Treatment Court Program. Augusta, Me.: University of Southern Maine.

  5. Cuellar, Alison E., Larkin McReynolds, and Gail Wasserman. 2006. "A Cure for Crime: Can Mental Health Treatment Diversion Reduce Crime among Youth?" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 25(1):197-214.

  6. Spriggs, Vicki. 2010. Overview of the Special Needs Diversionary Program for Mentally Ill Juvenile Offenders: Fiscal Year 2010. Austin, Texas: Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/372

  7. Kretschmar, Jeff M., Fredrick Butcher, Daniel J. Flannery, and Mark I. Singer. 2016. "Diverting Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth with Behavioral Health Issues from Detention: Preliminary Findings from Ohio's Behavior Health Juvenile Justice (BHJJ) Initiative." Criminal Justice Policy Review 27(3):302-35.

  8. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 2016. Juvenile Diversion Strategies and Models. Delmar, NY: National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Juvenile-Diversion-Strategies-and-Models-for-WEBSITE-1.pdf

  9. Espinosa, Erin, and Kathleen R. Skowyra. 2015. "Diverting Youth at Probation Intake: The Front-End Diversion Initiative." Research and Program Brief 2(1).

  10. Colwell, Brian, Soila F. Villarreal, and Erin M. Espinosa. 2012. "Preliminary Outcomes of a Preadjudication Diversion Initiative for Juvenile Justice Involved Youth With Mental Needs in Texas." Criminal Justice and Behavior 39(4):447-60.

  11. The Lilly Endowment. http://www.lillyendowment.org/

  12. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center. http://www.ibarji.org/docs/mcgarrell.pdf




Consider methods to save on costs such as using federal resources (like Medicaid) and unpaid volunteers.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Cuellar, Alison E., Larkin McReynolds, and Gail Wasserman. 2006. "A Cure for Crime: Can Mental Health Treatment Diversion Reduce Crime among Youth?" Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 25(1):197-214.

  2. Sturza, Marisa L., and William S. Davidson. 2006. "Issues Facing the Dissemination of Prevention Programs: Three Decades of Research on the Adolescent Diversion Project." Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community 32:5-24.

  3. Seroczynski, A.D., William N. Evans, Amy D. Jobst, Luke Horvath, and Giuliana Carozza. 2015. Reading for Life and Adolescent Re-Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program. South Bend, Indiana: University of Notre Dame, Center for Children and Families.




Find funding for program evaluations to ensure program goals are met and to improve the program if implementation is not going as expected.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. McGarrell, Edmund F. 2001. "Restorative Justice Conferences as an Early Response to Young Offenders." Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/187769.pdf

  2. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pdf




Present cost savings in support of continuation of the diversion program.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Davidson, William S., Tiffeny R. Jimenz, Eyitayo Onifade, and Sean S. Hankins. 2010. "Student Experiences of the Adolescent Diversion Project: A Community-Based Exemplar in the Pedagogy of Service-Learning." American Journal of Community Psychology 46:442-58.

  2. Winokur Early, Kristin, Gregory A. Hand, Julia L. Blankenship, and Steven F. Chapman. 2010. "Experimental Community-Based Interventions for Delinquent Youth: An Evaluation of Recidivism and Cost Effectiveness." Unpublished manuscript.




Use the results of ROIs and cost-effectiveness evaluations to help make decisions on what programs to implement, sustain, and remove.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Jones, Damon, Brian K. Bumbarger, Mark T. Greenberg, Peter Greenwood, and Sandee Kyler. 2008. The Economic Return on PCCD's Investment in Research-Based Programs: A Cost-Benefit Assessment of Delinquency Prevention in Pennsylvania. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development. http://www.episcenter.psu.edu/sites/default/files/ebp/PCCDs%20Investment%20in%20Researchbased%20Programs.pdf

  2. Sheidow, Ashli J., Jayani Jayawardhana, W. David Bradford, Scott W. Henggeler, and Steven B. Shapiro. 2012. "Money Matters: Cost-effectiveness of Juvenile Drug Court With and Without Evidence-Based Treatments." Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse 21(1):69-90.




Train Your Team (Providing Program Training)

Introduction

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Lipsey, Mark W. 2009. "The Primary Factors That Characterize Effective Interventions with Juvenile Offenders: A Meta-Analytic Overview." Victims and Offenders 4(2):124-47.




Invest in staff training to avoid challenges in the implementation process.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Anspach, Donald F., and Andrew S. Ferguson. 2005. Part II: Outcome Evaluation of Maine's Statewide Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program. Augusta, Me.: University of Southern Maine.




Consider the time commitment of program training, which can range from 1 day to several months, depending on the diversion program that is implemented.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Smith, Emilie Phillips, Angela M. Wolf, Dan M. Cantillon, Oseela Thomas, William S. Davison. 2004. "The Adolescent Diversion Project: 25 Years of Research on an Ecological Model of Intervention." Prevention & Intervention in the Community 27(2):29-47.

  2. Seroczynski, A.D., William N. Evans, Amy D. Jobst, Luke Horvath, and Giuliana Carozza. 2015. Reading for Life and Adolescent Re-Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program. South Bend, Indiana: University of Notre Dame, Center for Children and Families.

  3. Umbreit, Mark S., and Robert B. Coates. 1993. "Cross-Site Analysis of Victim-Offender Mediation in Four States." Crime & Delinquency 39(4):565-585.




Recognize the need to provide booster training or refresher courses to reinforce concepts learned during the initial training and to clarify any changes made to the program design.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Cocozza, Joseph J., Bonita M. Veysey, Deborah A. Chapin, Richard Dembo, Wansley Walters, and Sylvia Farina. 2005. "Diversion from the Juvenile Justice System: The Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center Post-Arrest Diversion Program." Substance Use & Misuse 40:935-51.




Ensure that staff members and personnel (such as juvenile probation officers, court judges, intake staff, police officers, and treatment providers) who are directly involved in the implementation of the program receive the training they need to understand how the program runs and what their roles will be.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Espinosa, Erin, and Kathleen R. Skowyra. 2015. "Diverting Youth at Probation Intake: The Front-End Diversion Initiative." Research and Program Brief 2(1).

  2. Sherman, Lawrence W., Heather Strang, Caroline Angel, Daniel Woods, Geoffrey C. Barnes, Sarah Bennett, and Nova Inkpen. 2005. "Effects of Face-to-Face Restorative Justice on Victims of Crime in Four Randomized, Controlled Trials." Journal of Experimental Criminology 1:367-95.

  3. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pdf




To Adapt or Not to Adapt (Addressing Adaptation as Needed)

If necessary, adjust the core program components to fit the needs of your community.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Butts, Jeffrey A., Janeen Buck, and Mark B. Coggeshall. 2002. The Impact of Teen Court on Young Offenders. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/237391.pdf




Make sure changes and adaptations do not conflict with the theoretical foundation of the diversion program.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Development Services Group, Inc. 2010. "Restorative Justice." Literature Review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Restorative_Justice.pdf

  2. Behnken, Monic P., David E. Arredondo, and Wendy L. Packman. 2009. "Reduction in Recidivism in a Juvenile Mental Health Court: A Pre- and Post-Treatment Outcome Study." Juvenile and Family Court Journal 60(3):23-44.




Use findings from outcome or process evaluations conducted on your program to make necessary adaptations that ensure youths are not negatively impacted.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pdf




If adaptations are made to the original program design, evaluate the new program to ensure the desired goals and objectives are still being met.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center. http://www.ibarji.org/docs/mcgarrell.pdf




It's a Speed Bump, Not a Roadblock (Handling Unanticipated Problems or Setbacks)

Learn from the experiences of others by researching similar programs. 

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Daleiden, Eric L., Damn Pang, Deborah Roberts, Lesley A. Slavin, and Sarah L. Pestle. 2010. "Intensive Home-Based Services Within a Comprehensive System of Care for Youth." Journal of Child and Family Studies 19:318-25.




When a diversion program includes providing treatment to youth, ensure the availability of treatment services in the community.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Smith, Emilie Phillips, Angela M. Wolf, Dan M. Cantillon, Oseela Thomas, William S. Davison. 2004. "The Adolescent Diversion Project: 25 Years of Research on an Ecological Model of Intervention." Prevention & Intervention in the Community 27(2):29-47.

  2. Rayne, Jason E. 2010. "An Exposition of the Effectiveness of and the Challenges Plaguing Maine's Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program." Maine Law Review 62(2):650-70.




Consider transportation issues that may arise when youths are required to travel to participate in a program.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Carroll County Local Management Board. 2009. Carroll County Adventure Diversion Program Evaluation Report for FY2009. Westminster, MD: Carroll County Local Management Board.




Make sure you have the key collaborators engaged in problem-solving efforts when unexpected problems do arise.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. McGarrell, Edmund F., Kathleen Olivares, Kay Crawford, and Natalie Kroovand Hipple. 2000. Returning Justice to the Community: The Indianapolis Juvenile Restorative Justice Experiment. Indianapolis, Ind.: Hudson Institute, Crime Control Policy Center. http://www.ibarji.org/docs/mcgarrell.pdf




Develop a consistent strategy for internal communication.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Kentucky Youth Advocates. 2011. Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky: Applying a Proven Framework for an Effective Community and Judicial Response to Status Offenses and Other Complex Needs of Youth in Rural and Urban Settings. Jeffersontown, KY: Kentucky Youth Advocates.

  2. Behnken, Monic P., David E. Arredondo, and Wendy L. Packman. 2009. "Reduction in Recidivism in a Juvenile Mental Health Court: A Pre- and Post-Treatment Outcome Study." Juvenile & Family Court Journal 60(3):23-44.




Consider cross-agency staff training to address potential misunderstandings and miscommunications.

• Reasonable Evidence:

  1. Seigel, Gene. 2009. "The King County (Washington) Systems Integration Initiative: A First Look at the Kent District Dual System Youth Pilot Program." Juvenile & Family Court Journal 60(4):44-59.




Keep It Going (Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability)

Start planning for the long term now, which includes consideration of continued funding and other strategies that can institutionalize diversion in your community.

• Minimum Related Evidence:

  1. Kentucky Youth Advocates. 2011. Reclaiming Futures in Kentucky: Applying a Proven Framework for an Effective Community and Judicial Response to Status Offenses and Other Complex Needs of Youth in Rural and Urban Settings. Jeffersontown, KY: Kentucky Youth Advocates.

  2. Models for Change. 2011. School-Based Diversion: Strategies Innovations from Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network. Baltimore, MD: Models for Change. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/435




Develop partnerships among youth-serving agencies and service providers who will play a supportive role in diversion efforts.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. 2016. Strengthening Our Future: Key Elements to Developing a Trauma-Informed Juvenile Justice Diversion Program for Youth with Behavioral Health Conditions. Baltimore, MD: MacArthur Foundation.  https://www.ncmhjj.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/traumadoc012216-reduced-003.pdf

  2. Davidson, William S., Tiffeny R. Jimenz, Eyitayo Onifade, and Sean S. Hankins. 2010. "Student Experiences of the Adolescent Diversion Project: A Community-Based Exemplar in the Pedagogy of Service-Learning." American Journal of Community Psychology 46:442-58




Provide ongoing trainings for staff, to help renew enthusiasm for the program, refresh staff members" skills and knowledge about the program, and orient those new to the program.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Seigel, Gene. 2009. "The King County (Washington) Systems Integration Initiative: A First Look at the Kent District Dual System Youth Pilot Program." Juvenile & Family Court Journal 60(4):44-59.

  2. Winokur Early, Kristin, Gregory A. Hand, Julia L. Blankenship, and Steven F. Chapman. 2010. "Experimental Community-Based Interventions for Delinquent Youth: An Evaluation of Recidivism and Cost Effectiveness." Unpublished manuscript.




Conduct regular process evaluations focused on program fidelity.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Mears, Daniel P., Joshua J. Kuch, Andrea M. Lindsey, Sonja E. Siennick, George B. Pesta, Mark A. Greenwald, and Thomas G. Bloomberg. 2016. "Juvenile Court and Contemporary Diversion: Helpful, Harmful, or Both?" Criminology & Public Policy 15(3):1-29.

  2. Rempel, Michael, Suvi Hynynen Lambson, Carolyn R. Cadoret, and Allyson Walker Franklin. 2013. The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First-Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. New York, N.Y.: Center for Court Innovation. http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/ADP_Report_Final.pd

  3. Smith, Emilie Phillips, Angela M. Wolf, Dan M. Cantillon, Oseela Thomas, William S. Davison. 2004. "The Adolescent Diversion Project: 25 Years of Research on an Ecological Model of Intervention." Prevention & Intervention in the Community 27(2):29-47.




Conduct an outcome evaluation to determine if a diversion program is meeting the desired goals and objectives.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Spriggs, Vicki. 2009. Front-End Diversion Initiative Program: Policy and Procedure Manual Overview. Austin, Texas: Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/372




Set realistic expectations about when to anticipate a youth's behavior change, and track short- and long-term outcomes along the way.

• Compelling Evidence:

  1. Spriggs, Vicki. 2009. Front-End Diversion Initiative Program: Policy and Procedure Manual Overview. Austin, Texas: Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. http://www.modelsforchange.net/publications/372