Page 11 - NCJA Journal_volume1_issue1-final

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 2014 (the latest

statistics available), there were 974,900 estimated delinquency cases processed in the U.S.

(Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 2017). Of those estimated 974,900 cases, 56% (542,500) were

handled formally with petitions filed through their local juvenile court whereas 44% (432,500)

were handled informally/not petitioned. Of those, 40% (171,000) were dismissed, 24% (102,800)

were assigned probation, and 37% (158,700) received another type of sanction including diversion

with or without community service, restitution, mediation with or without restorative justice,

agency referral, etc. (Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 2017).

Historically, diversion programs have been implemented to minimize the effects of labeling

(by preventing young people from being viewed as and subsequently from identifying themselves

as criminals) (Becker, 1963; Rausch, 1983), interrupt/redirect emergent offending patterns

(Hamilton, Sullivan, Veysey, & Grillo, 2007), connect youth with more appropriate services (e.g.,

substance abuse, mental health) (Andrews & Bonta, 2010), reduce the likelihood that they socialize

with delinquents and learn antisocial attitudes (Loeb, Waung, & Sheeran, 2015; Sutherland, 1974),

and to reserve resources for those who commit more severe crimes or who present as higher risk

offenders (Cuellar, McReynolds, & Wasserman, 2006). Potential benefits for other stakeholders

and systems include: incurring fewer costs, reducing the burden on juvenile court, and decreasing

prosecutorial, judicial, and probation caseloads (Petrosino, Turpin-Petrosino, & Guckenberg, 2013;

Rutherford & McDermott, 1976).

Police-Based Diversion

Police-based diversion enables law enforcement officers to make decisions that allow youth

to avoid the justice system, entirely, when they are apprehended for low-level offenses (Mears et

al., 2016). Most states also specify offenses for which a petition must be filed and therefore, for

which youth cannot be diverted, such as weapons-related offenses, gang-related offenses and

4