Diversion in Action: Fairfield, Ohio

Thank you for joining us this summer for our “Diversion in Action” spotlight series! We’ll be showcasing how CYJ Fellows across the country are building effective, locally tailored diversion programs through their Capstone Projects. These stories highlight the power of cross-system collaboration, community leadership, and data-informed strategies. If you’re looking to strengthen or expand diversion efforts in your jurisdiction, don’t miss this opportunity to learn what’s working–check out our Diversion in Youth Justice Certificate Program, now accepting applications through August 15th!

Fairfield County, Ohio

The Fairfield County, Ohio team’s Capstone sought to formalize and improve the Fairfield County Diversion Accountability Program through adopting a comprehensive operations manual, expanding the use of an evidence-based behavioral health screening tool (MAYSI-2), formalizing data tracking and policies, and holding a Juvenile Justice Summit for local stakeholders.

The team has accomplished all of their Capstone goals. They created a Diversion Standard Operating Manual that outlines the objectives of the Diversion Services Array of Interventions and serves as a basis for staff and community partner training. Fairfield County has also transitioned to the MAYSI-2 as their assessment tool and have recently implemented a court-wide data collection platform. Additionally, the team implemented a common definition for recidivism and have instituted a policy that admissions made during the diversion intake process cannot be used for prosecution if a youth is unsuccessful in diversion and charges are subsequently filed with the court. Lastly, the team held Juvenile Justice Summits in 2017, 2018, and 2019 for cross-system stakeholders.

Overall, the team’s efforts led to an expansion of diversion-oriented programs and a reduction in the number of youth held in detention. The work of the original Capstone team has since been folded into Fairfield County Juvenile Court’s JDAI work.