America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System

After decades of neglect, the youth justice field is awakening to the importance of diversion in lieu of arrest and formal court processing for most youth accused of delinquent behavior. In its March 2024 report, “Protect and Redirect: America’s Growing Movement to Divert Youth Out of the Justice System,” The Sentencing Project described innovative reforms implemented recently in 23 states and eight localities across the country to expand and improve the use of diversion as an alternative to arrest or formal prosecution in juvenile court.

We hosted a webinar highlighting the importance of diversion as well as strategies for states and localities to expand diversion opportunities and reduce disparities at this critical stage of the juvenile court process.

Panelists:

• Richard Mendel, Senior Research Fellow at The Sentencing Project, who authored the recent report.
• Jessica Ellis, Executive Director at Centinela Youth Services, a leading provider of diversion programming for youth in Los Angeles.
• Jason Smith, Executive Director, Michigan Center for Youth Justice.
• “Jay,” a recent participant in Healing Futures, a restorative justice diversion program operated by the Youth & Self-Empowerment Project in Philadelphia.
• Moderator: Josh Rovner, Director of Youth Justice at The Sentencing Project