Diversion in Action Spotlight Series

This summer, we hope you join us 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! 

Minnehaha County, South Dakota

The Minnehaha County/Sioux Falls Team set out to reduce racial and ethnic disparities for youth with low-level offenses in Minnehaha County. Their Capstone’s key strategies included:

• Developing an MOU between schools, the courts, law enforcement, and the local government to establish standard institutional responses to behavioral incidents in schools.
• Creating a Diversion Coordinator position to oversee pre-arrest diversion and to connect youth and families to services.
• Providing training to local stakeholders and improving access to culturally informed programming for youth of color.

As a result of this work, diversion numbers have doubled in Minnehaha County, coupled with a reduction in the number of youth on probation. Specifically, the number of youth of color who successfully completed a diversion program in 2024 was 257 as compared to 55 youth of color in 2017. 

Learn more about the work being done in Minnehaha County, South Dakota!

New Hampshire

Featured in this video: Amy McCormack (Associate Bureau Chief Field Services, Juvenile Justice, NH Division for Children, Youth and Families); Hon. Susan Ashley (Deputy Administrative Judge, New Hampshire Circuit Court); Pamela Jones (Managing Attorney, New Hampshire Public Defender)

The New Hampshire team sought to maximize diversion and transform juvenile probation into a purposeful intervention targeting youth who pose significant risk for serious re-offending through individualized, positive, pro-social approaches with racial, ethnic, socio-economic, and geographical equity. Key strategies for the Capstone Project included:

• Conducting focus group meetings with youth, families, and staff across agencies
• Creating a database to assess needs, service capacity, and youth outcomes
• Developing a risk and needs assessment around Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)
• Identifying gaps in diversion services
• Revising court rules for juvenile probation to make them more individualized
• Advocating for legislative changes to support diversion, assessment, and overall probation practices

Over the past five years, the team has met all of these goals. Learn more on New Hampshire’s dedicated Diversion in Action Spotlight post!

Spokane County, Washington

To reduce disproportionality in arrests and school discipline, the Spokane County, Washington team sought to develop a school-based restorative diversion program for students who commit arrestable offenses within the jurisdiction of Campus Resource Officers.

In 2020, Spokane Public Schools’ Department of Family and Community Engagement developed and implemented the Restorative Interventions for Suspensions and Expulsions program (RISE), a school-based diversion program aimed at preventing future disciplinary action and enhancing schools’ capacity to address youth violence through community partnerships. The team secured a three-year federal grant to pilot this program in five out of six local high schools.

Learn more on the Spokane’s Diversion in Action Spotlight page!

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.

Flathead County, Montana

The Flathead County Team’s Capstone Project focused on addressing incidents of harm on school campuses, limiting the overuse of exclusionary discipline, and emphasizing a community-driven approach that promotes positive youth development and community safety. The team partnered with the Center for Restorative Youth Justice (CRYJ) to offer youth an alternative to citations and suspensions for school-based offenses.