NEW ORLEANS DIVERSION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Goals and Summary
A New Orleans task force will pilot a supplemental juvenile diversion program, building on the current juvenile diversion program. This program is supported by a Kellogg Foundation grant. This pilot program will take place in two phases. Expansion and sustainability of the pilot will be discussed after the first two deliverables are successfully accomplished, and a final evaluation of the pilot program is completed.
Goals
(1) Increase transparency of the District Attorney's juvenile diversion program
(2) Improve fairness, objectivity, and quality of the District Attorney's juvenile diversion program
(3) Develop a new pre-arrest diversion program, as a continuation of the city's work with the National League of Cities
The Task Force collected any available recent data on juvenile arrests and youth who would benefit from pre-arrest diversion in New Orleans. Along with this, the task force will worked with relevant parties to collect data on their current juvenile diversion program—and work to gain transparency regarding this program's eligibility and program requirements.
The data collected was used to design and implement a supplemental juvenile diversion program—in the form of a pre-arrest program—in addition to building on the pre-existing juvenile diversion program. Eligibility and program requirements will be established after the task force is well equipped with technical assistance and nationwide best practices. The supplemental juvenile diversion program will be piloted and evaluated for effectiveness. If necessary, a program launch and buy-in conference will be organized prior to the implementation of the pilot program. The RJIP independent evaluator will provide an evaluation plan prior to the start of the pilot program, and complete the evaluation at the pilot's end date.
Paving Alternatives Strategies for Success (PASS) Program
The Task Force created a school-based intervention program called the Paving Alternative Strategies for Success (PASS). PASS is designed for youth who commit minor school violations but are arrested, suspended, and/or expelled from school. The link between such school-based arrests, suspensions and expulsions is linked to the school-to-prison pipeline and more specifically to over 14% of youth arrested in Orleans Parish between August 2015 and May 2016.
The PASS program began on October 1, 2017 and will be carried on throughout the school year. PASS utilizes evidence-based practice to address the issues of anti-social behavior that currently result in referrals to juvenile court. To address such behavior, PASS counselors meet with program participants during the course of the program to ensure attendance and contributing factors to the anti-social behavior. Success of the PASS program will be determined my measuring recidivism (the rate of new or repeat offenses), school and program attendance, and positive changes in behavior while at school.
The Task Force has also developed a partnership among the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Orleans Parish School Board to commit to addressing minor school based offenses without referring students to juvenile court. PASS also has the support of community and school advocates who support addressing minor school-based offenses at school rather than introducing youth to the criminal justice system and miss valuable academic time.
See Jan 17 2018 Progress Report in Reports and Documents below.
A New Orleans task force will pilot a supplemental juvenile diversion program, building on the current juvenile diversion program. This program is supported by a Kellogg Foundation grant. This pilot program will take place in two phases. Expansion and sustainability of the pilot will be discussed after the first two deliverables are successfully accomplished, and a final evaluation of the pilot program is completed.
Goals
(1) Increase transparency of the District Attorney's juvenile diversion program
(2) Improve fairness, objectivity, and quality of the District Attorney's juvenile diversion program
(3) Develop a new pre-arrest diversion program, as a continuation of the city's work with the National League of Cities
The Task Force collected any available recent data on juvenile arrests and youth who would benefit from pre-arrest diversion in New Orleans. Along with this, the task force will worked with relevant parties to collect data on their current juvenile diversion program—and work to gain transparency regarding this program's eligibility and program requirements.
The data collected was used to design and implement a supplemental juvenile diversion program—in the form of a pre-arrest program—in addition to building on the pre-existing juvenile diversion program. Eligibility and program requirements will be established after the task force is well equipped with technical assistance and nationwide best practices. The supplemental juvenile diversion program will be piloted and evaluated for effectiveness. If necessary, a program launch and buy-in conference will be organized prior to the implementation of the pilot program. The RJIP independent evaluator will provide an evaluation plan prior to the start of the pilot program, and complete the evaluation at the pilot's end date.
Paving Alternatives Strategies for Success (PASS) Program
The Task Force created a school-based intervention program called the Paving Alternative Strategies for Success (PASS). PASS is designed for youth who commit minor school violations but are arrested, suspended, and/or expelled from school. The link between such school-based arrests, suspensions and expulsions is linked to the school-to-prison pipeline and more specifically to over 14% of youth arrested in Orleans Parish between August 2015 and May 2016.
The PASS program began on October 1, 2017 and will be carried on throughout the school year. PASS utilizes evidence-based practice to address the issues of anti-social behavior that currently result in referrals to juvenile court. To address such behavior, PASS counselors meet with program participants during the course of the program to ensure attendance and contributing factors to the anti-social behavior. Success of the PASS program will be determined my measuring recidivism (the rate of new or repeat offenses), school and program attendance, and positive changes in behavior while at school.
The Task Force has also developed a partnership among the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Orleans Parish School Board to commit to addressing minor school based offenses without referring students to juvenile court. PASS also has the support of community and school advocates who support addressing minor school-based offenses at school rather than introducing youth to the criminal justice system and miss valuable academic time.
See Jan 17 2018 Progress Report in Reports and Documents below.
New Orleans Juvenile Justice in the News Read this NPR article to learn more about the struggles facing juveniles and their support teams in New Orleans public schools
Learn more about the New Orleans Juvenile Task Force in the most recent Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Newsletter.
|
Reports and Documents
|
|
|
|
School-Based Partnership Co-Development Meeting
The School-Based Justice Partnership (SJP) Co-Development Meeting engages stakeholders and seeks their input in designing the program.
|
|