Juvenile Diversion Program Research Articles

Tailoring opioid use prevention content for juvenile diversion programs with adolescents and their caregivers

IntroductionOpioid use (OU) skyrockets as youth transition into young adulthood, indicating adolescence is a critical time for prevention. The juvenile legal system (JLS) presents an ideal setting for OU prevention, as it is the single largest referral source for youth outpatient OU treatment, after self-referral. However, no OU prevention programs have been developed for youth in JLS diversion programs or their families. The current formative study established specific OU prevention needs and preferences of families in JLS programs, to guide future tailored prevention efforts. MethodsWe interviewed 21 adolescents with substance use and 20 of their caregivers referred by a JLS diversion program in the northeastern United States to explore their OU-related knowledge, personal experiences, motivations, and behavioral skills. We used a deductive qualitative analysis approach wherein data were analyzed using an a priori coding framework based on the Information Motivation Behavioral Skills model. ResultsCaregivers knew more about OU than youth, several of whom misidentified both opiates and non-opiates. Few participants reported a history of personal OU, though many knew of others' OU. Participants perceived several potential motivations for OU: mental health problems, relationships, life stressors, difficulty accessing preferred substances, and experimentation. Though often unfamiliar with the symptoms, participants were eager to learn skills to identify and manage a suspected overdose. ConclusionsYouth involved in a JLS diversion program and their caregivers were open to and eager for tailored opioid use prevention content to help them reduce risks. We discuss implications for OU prevention and intervention program development.

Second Opportunity for Success: Evaluation of a Juvenile Diversion Program

This paper describes the evaluation of Second Opportunity for Success, a 7-week psychoeducation diversion program for youth and their family in Northeast Texas. Between 2017 and 2019, 27 families participated in pre and post-intervention assessments, which included surveys, observation tasks, and interviews to track changes in youths’ self-esteem, resistance to peer pressure and ability to resolve conflicts as well as parents' caregiving behaviors. Parents' scores on the use of corporal punishment decreased significantly and they expressed less anger during post program observation task. Pre and post-intervention assessments of the remaining parenting scales (e.g., involvement, disciplining) did not indicate a significant change. Youth scores on pre and post surveys did not indicate significant changes, but observations of their conflict resolution demonstrated improvements in their ability to resolve conflicts with parents. Interview data indicated that both youth and their parents perceived program benefits related to youths' personal growth, youths’ ability to resist peer pressure, parenting skills, and youth-parent interaction. A 90-day follow-up of the participants indicated that 85% of youth were adjusting positively at home, in school, and in the community. Although based on a relatively small sample, our results demonstrate that participating in the 7-week program accrued important, albeit modest, participant benefits. Findings are discussed in the context of practice and research implications.

"We're not your traditional police department" A qualitative implementation evaluation of a juvenile diversion program.

Youth in the juvenile criminal justice system experiencing mental health conditions are often neglected and offered few resources to seek treatment for behavioral health and substance use disorders. This leads to greater recidivism rates, pointing to the need for diversion programs that work directly with youth, family members, schools, and police. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the Safety Net Program upon three implementation outcomes: acceptability, adoption, and appropriateness through qualitative interviews. Additionally, the study aims to amplify the stories of those with lived experiences, adding to the existing body of quantitative research in support of diversion models. Ten in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews with police officers, school partners, and one parent were conducted to understand perspectives from the key stakeholders participating in the Safety Net model. The study found that integrating police officers in schools allows for the development of close relationships with students, families, and police which further facilitates better outcomes for youth.

Social Media and Sexting Intervention: A New Juvenile Diversion Program

Between consenting adults, the private electronic sharing of nude photos is generally not illegal. However, when adolescents mimic this adult behavior they are in possession of child pornography and/or engaging in the pandering of child pornography, both of which are crimes in the United States. To address this fairly new adolescent social “sexting” problem, the Social Media & Sexting Intervention Program was created. This is a curriculum based juvenile diversion program recently established in two counties in Wisconsin. The purpose of the current study was to provide a preliminary evaluation assessing the impact of the program. During the first year of the program, 66 adolescents were referred to the program by school resource officers and courts in the two counties. Of those 66 referrals, 61 adolescents were able to participate in the program. A pre/post-test design was used to assess knowledge gained and attitude changes. Overall, the results of the assessment indicate that the program is educationally promising. Perhaps just as importantly, the program protects adolescents from an overly punitive justice system.

The Application of Risk–Needs Programming in a Juvenile Diversion Program

As “gatekeepers” into the juvenile justice system, diversion programs are positioned to prevent future delinquency. Although research on the effectiveness of diversion is mixed, the risk–needs–responsivity (RNR) model may explain how diversion programming that matches youth to services based on their risk and needs may reduce reoffending. Most RNR research has included juveniles at the deeper end of the system, fewer studies have examined RNR with early system–involved youth. The current study explored the application of risk and needs matching in a juvenile diversion program by gender and race/ethnicity. Furthermore, we estimated a survival function to estimate risk and needs alignment on time to recidivism. Although there were no gender differences in the application of RNR, some racial/ethnic differences did emerge. Findings provide support for assessing diversion youth with the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) and applying the RNR framework to early system–involved youth assessed as low to moderate risk.

Factors Associated With Successful Completion of a Community-Based, Postarrest Juvenile Diversion Program and Subsequent Rearrest

Although diversion programs can allow arrested youth to avoid formal justice system processing, unsuccessful program completion can result in adjudication. Thus, it is important to determine whether youth successfully complete programs and identify factors linked to success. We examined records from 933 postarrest diversion program participants. Youth received a wide range of conditions during participation and the vast majority successfully completed the program, became eligible for record expungement, and avoided rearrest within 3 years. Analyses revealed significant relationships between program completion and factors related to referral charge and imposed conditions; gender and program outcome were also linked to recidivism. Results both support the use of diversion programs to limit formal juvenile justice processing and encourage further evaluation of such programs.

Reading for Life and Adolescent Re‐Arrest: Evaluating a Unique Juvenile Diversion Program

AbstractWe present results of an evaluation of Reading for Life (RFL), a diversion program for nonviolent juvenile offenders in a medium‐sized Midwestern county. The unique program uses philosophical virtue theory, works of literature, and small mentoring groups to foster moral development in juvenile offenders. Participants were randomly assigned to RFL treatment or a comparison program of community service. The RFL program generated large and statistically significant drops in future arrests. The program was particularly successful at reducing the recidivism of more serious offenses and for those groups with the highest propensity for future offenses.

Effects of Goal Commitment and Solution Building on the Completion Rates for a Juvenile Diversion Program

Strengths-based, goal-focused approaches to working with at-risk youth have been successfully used by mentoring programs, therapeutic interventions, prevention programs, and self-help groups. However, few such approaches have been used to inform juvenile diversion programs. This is partially explained by limited empirical research on mechanisms of change used by goal-focused interventions in populations of young offenders. The authors use goal-setting theory to explore the effects of goal commitment and solution building on program completion, in a sample of violent first-time offenders ( N = 159). Mediation effects of solution building in the relationship between goal commitment and program completion were tested using both Baron and Kenny’s and Preacher and Hayes’s approaches. Results showed that high goal commitment and solution building were significant predictors of program completion. In addition, solution building fully mediated the impact of goal commitment on program completion. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The Impact of Two Los Angeles County Teen Courts on Youth Recidivism: Comparing Two Informal Probation Programs.

This study sought to examine the impact of two Teen Courts operating in Los Angeles County, a juvenile justice system diversion program in which youth are judged by their peers and given restorative sentences to complete during a period of supervision. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare youth who participated in Teen Court (n=112) to youth who participated in another diversion program administered by the Probation Department (the 654 Contract program) (n=194). Administrative data were abstracted from Probation records for all youth who participated in these programs between January 1, 2012 and June 20, 2014. Logistic and survival models were used to examine differences in recidivism - measured as whether the minor had any subsequent arrest or arrests for which the charge was filed. Comparison group participants had higher rates of recidivism than Teen Court participants, after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and risk level. While the magnitude of the program effects were fairly consistent across model specifications (odd ratios comparing Teen Court [referent] to school-based 654 Contract ranging from 1.95 to 3.07, hazard ratios ranging from 1.62 to 2.27), differences were not statistically significant in all scenarios. While this study provides modest support for the positive impact of Teen Court, additional research is needed to better understand how juvenile diversion programs can improve youth outcomes.

Recidivism Rates Among Participants of a Juvenile Diversion Program in Chicago

Recidivism Rates Among Participants of a Juvenile Diversion Program in Chicago

Individual and Familial Variables for Predicting Successful Completion of a Juvenile Justice Diversion Program

A key variable in the success of a juvenile justice diversion program (i.e., avoiding reoffending) is completing the program. Little is known about which variables predict successful completion. The present study examined demographics; behavioral histories; current behaviors; and family, school, and social issues among participants drawn from a metropolitan Detroit diversion program. Logistic regression analyses identified variables predictive of program completion. Key predictors included race, aggressive behavior, previous counseling or treatment, poor academic performance, diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, and parental reports of not contributing to household chores. Recommendations for modifying diversion programs based on these findings are offered.

4-H PetPALS Juvenile Diversion Program Supports At-Risk Youth and Seniors

The 4-H PetPALS Juvenile Diversion Program provides a partnership opportunity with Extension and the juvenile court system to positively impact lives of at-risk youth. At-risk youth are taught by 4-H PetPALS adult volunteer leaders and 4-H PetPALS members to value and respect the human-animal bond, as well as to understand and empathize with senior adults who require skilled nursing care. At-risk youth interact with youth exhibiting positive behaviors, pets that are predictable and inspire confidence in whom they visit, and senior citizens who crave interaction with young people, making a rewarding experience for everyone involved in this program.

The Juvenile Justice System and Diversion Program in Puerto Rico: A Therapeutic or Anti-Therapeutic System?

This paper focuses on the Juvenile Justice System and the Diversion program established in Puerto Rico. It analyzes whether the system and program takes into account the needs of the minors that come into contact with the system. Converting the system and program into one, which can be considered as therapeutic or anti-therapeutic. It further discusses different countries that have implemented a therapeutic juvenile justice system to focus on the needs of the minors.

Degrees of Difference among Minority Female Juvenile Offenders’ Psychological Functioning, Risk Behavior Engagement, and Health Status: A Latent Profile Investigation

Given the increase in the number of female youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system, particularly those from ethnic minority backgrounds, concerns have been raised about the health status of this population. Using a latent profile analysis, we identified health profiles using indicators of psychological well-being, health risk behaviors, and health status. Participants included 153 minority adolescent females (M=15.13, SD=1.70) who were currently in a juvenile diversion program. Results indicated that a three-class solution fit the data optimally. Profiles included girls with low to moderate health risks (n=35; 22.9%), higher mental health symptoms (n=68; 44.4%), and a combination of multiple health risks (n=50; 32.7%). Additionally, demographic, contextual and offense-related variation existed across health profiles. Treatment and policy implications are discussed.

Developing restorative practice: contemporary lessons from an English juvenile diversion project of the 1980s

A historical account of an early innovation in restorative practice in the UK is presented. It was initially developed as a juvenile diversion program, based on principles of offense resolution and minimum intervention. The projects, known as Juvenile Liaison Bureaux (JLBx), included representatives of five key agencies working with the target population, young offenders reported for crimes in the area (Northamptonshire), and their task was to respond with recommendations for action to all referrals of young people dealt with by the local police. They were explicitly required to put forward proposals, based on the responses of young people and the wishes of offense victims, for constructive responses to reported incidents. As a result, they became actively engaged in seeking out new ways of ‘putting things right.’ Restorative justice was not a widely known philosophy at the time, so, in effect the JLBx were engaged in an applied experiment to develop creative ways of dealing with the issues arising from problematic behavior of young people, in appropriate ways that did not unduly stigmatize or punish those concerned. As a result, the projects quickly became skilled in negotiating solutions in the interests of, and according to the wishes of those affected, while also enabling young people to acknowledge their own responsibilities and to take action accordingly. These successes have not been built upon effectively.

Recidivism, Costs, and Psychosocial Outcomes for a Post-Arrest Juvenile Diversion Program

Recidivism, costs, and psychosocial outcomes are reported for a post-arrest diversion program in Wayne County (Detroit), MI. Program features included: rapid, standardized assessment of psychosocial functioning with the Juvenile Inventory For Functioning®, an individualized plan for addressing needs, engagement of caregivers, service provision by youth assistance programs in the youth's community, and access to mental health and substance use services as needed. The adjudication rate for new offenses one-year post services was 7.7%, for a program that costs $1,500 per youth. Significant improvement in functioning was observed for youth with an exit assessment. Functioning at entry predicted recidivism.

Arbitrary Arbitration: Diverting Juveniles Into the Justice System-A Reexamination After 22 Years

This article reports on a study of a juvenile diversion program based in California. It replicates a similar 1986 study of a Florida-based juvenile diversion program. Both studies examine the appropriateness of the actual juvenile population serviced in comparison with the declared and described programs' target populations. Findings in the current research support earlier findings that the diversion program services self-serving, low-risk populations, rather than their intended "first-time nonviolent," more seriously at risk of continued delinquent behavior, target population. This finding is examined in terms of its relationship to issues of labeling and net widening, and suggests how the current study diversion program manages to create a façade that more seriously at-risk youth are being properly targeted by the program.

Gender differences in effects of teen courts on delinquency: A theory-guided evaluation

Teen Court (TC) is an innovative juvenile diversion program that has spread rapidly across the United States in recent years. Despite its popularity, rigorous research on TC effectiveness is lacking. This study used data from a recent randomized trial of the effectiveness of TCs to examine gender differences and mediators anticipated by labeling theory. The study found gender differences in the effect of TC on delinquency. TC was found to increase delinquency for males and to have no effect for females. Implications related to the findings are discussed.

An experimental evaluation of teen courts

Teen Court (TC) is a juvenile diversion program designed to prevent the formal processing of first-time juvenile offenders within the juvenile justice system. TC instead utilizes informal processing and sanctions in order to prevent future offending. Despite its widespread popularity throughout the United States of America, little rigorous research has been conducted on the effectiveness of the TC model for reducing recidivism. Using an experimental design, this study examined the effectiveness of TC in reducing recidivism and improving the attitudes and opinions of juvenile offenders in comparison with a control group of youth who were formally processed. Self-reported delinquency was higher for those youth who participated in TC. TC youth were also found to have significantly lower scores on a scale of belief in conventional rules than had youth who were processed in the Department of Juveniles Services. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Psychosocial Functioning Problems Over Time Among High-Risk Youths

The authors report the results of latent class analyses and latent class transition analyses of antisocial behavior risk factors among 137 youths participating in a juvenile diversion program. The study examined the youths' latent classifications using baseline and 1-year follow-up measures of family, peer, education, and mental health risk factors. Latent class transition analyses were conducted to determine the stability and change of latent class membership across two time points. For both baseline and follow-up measures, latent class analyses suggested that two latent classes were most appropriate for characterizing the youths using the four domains of risk factors. One class reflected youths reporting few problems in any risk area; the second class reflected youths reporting problems in many of the risk domains. The latent class transition analyses indicated that about two thirds of the youths experienced similar problems over time. The results emphasize the heterogeneity of this study's sample. Policy implications and intervention service needs are discussed.