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Community-based alternatives/diversion

Research and tools related to diversions from formal processing and incarceration, and local alternative programs.  

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All Community-based alternatives/diversion publications

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Publication cover Promising Practices in the Diversion of Juvenile Domestic Violence Cases
Mar 3, 3015, Gene Siegel, Gregg Halemba
This monograph (19 pages) describes the successful efforts of four jurisdictions to divert youth charged with domestic violence offenses from secure detention and formal processing in the juvenile…
Publication cover Research to Practice Memo: How City Leaders Can Draw Upon Adolescent Development Research Findings To Provide a Framework for Juvenile Justice Reform
Apr 4, 2016, National League of Cities
The new Research to Practice Memo: How City Leaders Can Draw Upon Adolescent Development Research Findings to Provide a Framework for Juvenile Justice Reform provides a ready resource for city…
Publication cover Issue Brief: Alternatives to Arrest for Young People
Dec 15, 2015, National League of Cities
NLC's issue brief provides early examples of how law enforcement agencies can divert youth accused of minor offenses from arrest when appropriate. Through the increased use of promising alternatives…
Publication cover School Discipline & Security Personnel: A Tip Sheet for Advocates on Maximizing School Safety and Student Success
Oct 5, 2015, National Juvenile Justice Network
School resource officers tend to criminalize normal adolescent behavior and disproportionately impact youth of color, contributing to racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system. This tip…
Publication cover Measuring Subsequent Offending in Juvenile Probation
Jul 23, 2015, Teri Deal, Anne Rackow, Andrew Wachter, NCJJ Research Associates
NCJJ has released a new StateScan publication that summarizes the results of a review of publicly available recidivism reports that include measures of recidivism for youth adjudicated to probation.…
Publication cover Diverting Youth at Probation Intake: The Front-End Diversion Initiative
Apr 8, 2015, Erin Espinosa, Ph.D., Kathleen R. Skowyra
This Research and Program Brief describes the Front End Diversion Initiative, which is a probation-intake based diversion program for youth with specific mental health conditions that grew out of the…
Publication cover Young Adults in Conflict with the Law: Opportunities for Diversion
Feb 9, 2015, Kanako Ishida, Juvenile Justice Initiative
While in most states (including Illinois) young people are treated as adults by the justice system once they turn 18, research in recent years suggests that people ages 18 – 24 are not yet…
Publication cover Juvenile Justice Reform: County Leadership Roles and Opportunities
Dec 29, 2014, National Association of Counties
This report details why it is important to improve juvenile justice systems and how county governments can lead improvement efforts in their role as primary local providers of health, justice and…
Publication cover Reducing Youth Confinement: A Policy Platform
Dec 11, 2014, National Juvenile Justice Network
NJJN's new policy platform, "Reducing Youth Confinement," lays out pathways to reduce the number of youth in confinement for all youth, while reducing justice system costs, increasing community…
Publication cover Sticker Shock: Calculating the Full Price Tag for Youth Incarceration
Dec 9, 2014, Justice Policy Institute
Thirty-three U.S. states and jurisdictions spend $100,000 or more annually to incarcerate a young person, and continue to generate outcomes that result in even greater costs. The Justice Policy…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Implementing Evidence-based Practices in a Louisiana Juvenile Drug Court
Dec 8, 2014, LSUHSC Institute for Public Health and Justice
Operating since 2005, the 4th Judicial District’s juvenile drug court made a decision in 2009 to modify their screening, assessment, and treatment offerings based on newly emerging practice…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Improving Behavorial Health and Community Support in Evening Reporting Centers
Dec 8, 2014, Illinois Models for Change Invitative
In Cook County, Illinois, the juvenile court has implemented a strong continuum of alternatives to detention. Evening Reporting Centers, or ERCs, are a key component in this continuum. As an…
Publication cover Measuring and Using Juvenile Recidivism Data to Inform Policy, Practice, and Resource Allocation
Jul 28, 2014, Council of State Governments Justice Center
Juvenile arrest rates, including for violent crimes, fell by approximately 50 percent from 1997 to 2011, to their lowest level in more than 30 years. In combination with this sharp drop in arrests,…
Publication cover Core Principles for Reducing Recidivism and Improving Other Outcomes for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
Jul 28, 2014, Council of State Governments Justice Center: Elizabeth Seigle, Nastassia Walsh, Josh Weber
This white paper is written to guide leaders across all branches of government; juvenile justice system administrators, managers, and front-line staff; and researchers, advocates, and other…
Publication cover Outcome Evaluation of Calcasieu Parish's Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC)
Apr 4, 2014, Brenda Velazquez, Jennifer Fratello, Annie Salsich, Vincent Lau, Vera Institute of Justice
In 2011, Calcasieu launched the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC)—a centralized point of intake for Families in Need of Services (FINS) and delinquency cases, housed under the office of…
Publication cover 2013 Washington State Targeted Areas of Improvement & Strategic Opportunity for Technical Assistance Data Inventory
Apr 1, 2014, Andrew Wachter, Gene Siegel, Hunter Hurst
The 2013 Washington Targeted Areas of Improvement Report is the final in a series of data inventory reports that document Washington Models for Change progress and outcomes. This Endpoints Edition…
Publication cover The Fourth Wave: Juvenile Justice Reforms for the Twenty-First Century
Dec 15, 2013, National Campaign to Reform State Juvenile Justice Systems
The Fourth Wave: Juvenile Justice Reforms for the 21st Century takes a comprehensive look at the evolution of juvenile justice reform efforts over the past century and highlights the current wave of…
Publication cover Adolescent Domestic Battery: Responding Effectively to Families in Crisis
Dec 12, 2013, Illiniois Models for Change
This monograph describes how the Illinois Models for Change (MfC) projects in Cook, DuPage and Peoria counties developed policy, practice, and programs to respond to adolescent domestic battery. In…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Ogle County’s Juvenile Justice Council
Dec 12, 2013, Lisa Jacobs and Jim Bray, Illinois Models for Change
Ogle County in northwestern Illinois looks like many rural communities, with a relatively small population (53,497) spread across a large geographic area (758 square miles). But Ogle County has…
Publication cover Measurable Progress Series: Redeploy Illinois
Dec 8, 2013, Jim Bray, Illinois Models for Change
Redeploy Illinois targets what some juvenile justice advocates have called a “perverse fiscal incentive” to commit youth to the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice. As in many…
Publication cover Responding to Youth and Families in Crisis: Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services (CCBYS)
Dec 8, 2013, Illinois Juvenile Justice Research and Information Consortium Briefing Document
The Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services Program (CCBYS) is Illinois’ primary crisis response system to prevent young people from entering either the child welfare or juvenile justice…
Publication cover School-Based Diversion Initiative Toolkit: A Community Resource for Reducing School-Based Arrests
Dec 1, 2013, Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative
Publication cover Connecticut's Comprehensive Approach to Reducing In-School Arrests: Changes in Statewide Policy, Systems Coordination and School Practices
Dec 1, 2013, Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut
Publication cover Funding Community-Based Supervision: Legislative Levers to Lock In Local Funding
Dec 1, 2013, NJJN
Publication cover Graduated Sanctions (Louisiana District Attorneys Association)
Dec 1, 2013, Louisiana District Attorneys Association, LSU Institute for Public Health and Justice
Publication cover Responding to Youth and Families In Crisis: Illinois' Comprehensive Community-Based Youth Services Program (brief)
Dec 1, 2013, Illinois Models for Change, Illinois Juvenile Justice Research and Information Consortium
Publication cover Court Diversion for Juveniles with Mental Health Disorders
Dec 1, 2013, University of Washington
Publication cover Funding Community-Based Supervision: Legislative Levers to Lock In Local Funding
May 20, 2013, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
Congratulations! You’ve won a long, hard fight to get legislation passed that makes sure local jurisdictions fund community-based alternatives to detention and long-term lockup for youth in…
Publication cover Diverting Youth from the Justice System: Why and How
Dec 18, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
Juvenile diversion programs result in improved outcomes for youth, cost-savings, and increased public safety. But they could be more widely used — and existing programs could be improved. This…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Bringing Restorative Justice into the Classroom: Partnering with Schools to Reduce Juvenile Justice Referrals
Dec 8, 2012, Illinois Models for Change
In Peoria, Illinois, a large number of African American youth were entering detention for aggravated battery in one public high school. After learning more about the problem, juvenile justice and…
Publication cover Juvenile Diversion Toolkit
Dec 1, 2012, Louisiana District Attorneys Association, LSU Institute for Public Health and Justice
Publication cover Developing a System of Graduated Responses for Youth Supervised by the Juvenile Justice System
Dec 1, 2012, CCLP
Effective juvenile justice systems encourage youth to develop the skills they need for successful transitions to adulthood while also holding them accountable for inappropriate behavior. Research…
Publication cover Innovation Brief: Partnering with Schools to Reduce Juvenile Justice Referrals
Nov 30, 2012, Jason Szanyi, Center for Children’s Law and Policy
In Peoria, Illinois, a large number of African-American youth were entering detention for aggravated battery in one public high school. After learning more about the problem, local juvenile justice…
Publication cover Chester County Pennsylvania Intake Diversion Program Final Report
Oct 31, 2012, Andrew Wachter, Teri Deal, Mary Gaspari, Valerie Williams, Rebecca Nelson
In 2009, with support from Models for Change, Chester County, Pennsylvania developed an Intake Diversion Program. Through collaboration with experts in the field of juvenile justice including the…
Publication cover Emerging Findings and Policy Implications from the Pathways to Desistance Study
Sep 11, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
The Pathways to Desistance study is a large, multi-site, collaborative project that followed over 1,300 youth ages 14-18 for seven years after their convictions for serious offenses. This fact sheet…
Publication cover NJJN Policy Platform - Safe and Effective School Disciplinary Policies and Practices
May 18, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network
The National Juvenile Justice Network's policy platform includes recommendations on safe and effective school disciplinary policies and practices. The recommendations focus on: Law enforcement…
Publication cover Berks County Evening Reporting Center Development: Strategies and Outcomes
May 3, 2012, Jeff Gregro
This presentation discusses work in Berks County, PA, a DMC Action Network site, that led to Pennsylvania's first pre-adjudication evening reporting center, which opened in late 2008. A little more…
Publication cover Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy
Apr 2, 2012, Juvenile Court Judges Commission, Pa Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Pa Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers
The goals of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy (JJSES) align with those of Balanced and Restorative Justice. JJSES seeks to reduce harm by applying the best-known…
Publication cover The Truth About Consequences: Studies Point Toward Sparing Use of Formal Juvenile Justice System Processing and Incarceration
Jan 23, 2012, National Juvenile Justice Network
Recent research from the Pathways to Desistance study shows that incarcerating young people and formally processing them through the juvenile justice system is harmful and counter-productive in most…
Publication cover Probation Review Guidebook
Dec 9, 2011, Janet K. Wiig and John A. Tuell, Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps
The genesis for this guidebook was the probation review work undertaken in Jefferson Parish, LA as part of the work in the four core states associated with Models for Change: System Reform in…
Publication cover Bringing Youth Home: A National Movement to Increase Public Safety, Rehabilitate Youth and Save Money
Jul 1, 2011, National Juvenile Justice Network
At least twenty-four states will save tens of millions of dollars in the coming fiscal year—and significantly increase public safety—through a smart and simple restructuring of their…
Publication cover School-Based Diversion: Strategic Innovations from the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network
Apr 1, 2011, National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
This report provides a detailed update and summary on the work of the MH/JJ Action Network's School-Based Diversion Strategic Innovation Group. The four participating states (Connecticut, Illinois,…
Publication cover Intake Based Diversion: Strategic Innovations from the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network
Apr 1, 2011, The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
This report provides a detailed update and summary on the work of the MH/JJ Action Network's intake-based diversion strategic innovation group. The intention of the Action Network's Front-End…
Publication cover Models for Change Innovations in Practice
Nov 30, 2010, Patrick Griffin
This report briefly summarizes four promising practice innovations that have emerged from Models for Change funding and technical assistance in four key partner states, Pennsylvania, Illinois,…
Publication cover Peoria County BARJ Work Area Transition Report
Sep 30, 2010, Jeff Gress
Each of the Illinois Demonstration Sites for Community Based Alternatives have developed transition reports for each of their written work-plan supported areas. The Peoria County Balanced and…
Publication cover Guide to Developing Pre-Adjudication Diversion Policy and Practice in Pennsylvania
Sep 1, 2010, Diversion Subcommittee of the Mental Health/Juvenile Justice state work group of the Models for Change Initiative in Pennsylvania
In 2006, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania issued a Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Joint Policy Statement (the “Joint Policy Statement”)1 as a blueprint for creating a model system that…
Publication cover The Real Costs and Benefits of Change: Finding Opportunities for Reform During Difficult Fiscal Times
Jul 14, 2010, National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN)
The financial collapse of 2008 and 2009 means that almost all states are facing alarming budget shortfalls. Because of these fiscal crises, advocates can expect increasingly significant pushback from…
Publication cover First, Do No Harm: How Educators and Police Can Work Together More Effectively to Preserve School Safety and Protect Vulnerable Students
May 3, 2010, Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau
Today, the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School released a policy brief, entitled, “First, Do No Harm,” (authors Johanna Wald and Lisa Thurau)…
Publication cover Positive Youth Justice
Apr 9, 2010, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Positive Youth Justice: Framing Justice Interventions Using the Concepts of Positive Youth Development The future for youth involved with the justice system could be dramatically improved by…
Publication cover Tribal Juvenile Justice Key Informant Interview Questionnaire
Nov 1, 2009, Ron Whitener
Information provided by key informants will be used to inform a survey instrument and focus group guide, both to be administered at a Gathering to which a team from each of the 29 Tribes located…
Publication cover Louisiana Children & Youth Planning Board (Act 555): Planning Tools and Resources
Jun 1, 2009, Compiled by: John A. Tuell and Janet K. Wiig
The Louisiana Children and Youth Planning Board Toolkit assembles the documents the Models for Change Project National Resource Bank consultants use to establish, strengthen and advance local CYPBs. …
Publication cover Connecticut School Based Diversion Initiative Manual
May 29, 2009, Vicki Spriggs
This manual summarizes the major activities of the Connecticut School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI) and is intended to aid communities in developing their own school-based diversion programs with…
Publication cover Texas Front End Diversion Initiative Program Policy and Procedure Manual
May 29, 2009, Vicki Spriggs
This manual contains each of Texas' FEDI sites' local policies.
Publication cover Redeploy Illinois Annual Report Impact and Implementation 2008
Apr 14, 2009, Redepoly Illinois Oversight Board (RIOB)
Documents how four Redeploy Illinois pilot programs reduced commitments to Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice by 51 percent, or 400 fewer youth in the first three years, and mobilized…
Publication cover The Future of Children: Juvenile Justice Issue
Sep 23, 2008, Published by The Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and The Brookings Institution
Published by The Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and The Brookings Institution, The Future of Children produces two issues and two policy briefs yearly. Each journal issue examines a…
Publication cover Rehabilitation Versus Incarceration of Juvenile Offenders: Public Preferences in Four Models for Change States
Nov 1, 2007, Alex R. Piquero, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Laurence Steinberg, Temple University
Presents the results of a poll measuring respondents’ willingness to pay for alternative policy proposals for juvenile offenders. Telephone interviews were conducted with a random sample of…
Publication cover Redeploy Illinois Annual Report Implementation and Impact 2007
May 24, 2007, Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board (RIOB)
Documents how four Redeploy Illinois pilot programs reduced commitments to Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice on average by 44%, or 226 fewer youth in the first two years, thereby saving the…
Publication cover 16th Judicial District Court - Juvenile Justice System Provider Survey (Self Report Survey 2007)
Jan 1, 2007, Stephen Phillippi, Ph.D, Joseph J. Cocozza, Ph.D, Jennie L. Shufelt, MS
To find alternatives to formal processing and incarceration, to have more Evidence-based community services available for youths in LA and their families, and to use data analyses and other research…
Supported by

Models for Change was a juvenile justice systems reform initiative supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, website operated by Justice Policy Institute.

MacArthur