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A second chance to change course: Beltrami County diversion program sees success in keeping youth from re-offending

Bemidji Pioneer - 2/18/2019

Feb. 17--BEMIDJI -- Facing a charge for a criminal offense can be a crossroad for youth in Beltrami County.

And to help make sure that a better road is chosen, several county agencies have worked together for nearly two decades with a program to keep young people out of the court system.

The county's Diversion Program is helmed by the Beltrami Area Service Collaborative and offers a variety of resources for young people facing charges. The work begins in the Beltrami County Attorney's office, which refers appropriate cases to the program, where Intervention Program Specialist Melissa Olson directs the individual into the proper resource.

In 2018, there were 161 referrals made to the BASC diversion office. BASC Executive Director Wendy Thompson said the number is fairly consistent on an annual basis, with about 150 referrals yearly.

BASC officials recently presented an update to the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners in mid-January during a discussion on funding. According to Thompson, at the time, the program was facing a gap in funding of about $70,000.

Thompson said a grant with federal dollars, administered by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, wasn't made available this year, and as a result, program leaders were looking at other options. One of those options was to approach the board, as county's are required to have a diversion program as part of Minnesota state law.

However, in the weeks since the meeting, Thompson said additional dollars were identified and the program will be funded through 2019. While the program is stable financially, though, the recent presentation was a reminder for the public about the impact the program is having on people's' lives.

A success story going years back

The program started in 2002, initially under the direction of the local Department of Corrections office.

"We started juvenile diversion programming through probation. That continued and it evolved over the years, eventually moving to the BASC in 2010," Trish Hansen of the corrections department said. "We moved because they were offering more programming pieces. Today, the program has moved to not just be educational, but also include cognitive behavioral therapies."

Since 2012, the program has had 986 referrals and of those, just 25 percent opt to not partake in diversion activities and take the case to court instead. Thompson said those who do participate in the program are always less likely to reoffend.

Data compiled from June 2012-April 2014 by the BASC showed recidivism rates as follows:

--At a six-month check in, only 12.26 percent of those who participated in the program had re-offended, while 23.4 percent who had not re-offended.

--At a 12-month check in, 22.64 percent of those in the program re-offended, while the number of non-participants had a recidivism rate of 34.04 percent.

--At 18 months, 24.53 percent of those in the program re-offended, compared to a 38.3 percent recidivism rate of those not in the program.

For those who complete the diversion program, Assistant Beltrami County Attorney Eliza Evans said the court will usually accept the results found and the charge will be dismissed.

David Hanson, Beltrami County Attorney, said the majority of cases coming to his office are eligible for the program, except for those including high violence. Additionally, Hanson said the majority of the referrals are in cases of first offenses, to help keep a juvenile's record clean.

"We don't want juveniles to become involved in the criminal justice system," Hanson said. "We want them to have opportunities for change, and ones that don't impact them in terms of criminal history, since that can impact schooling and jobs. We don't want them to have to pay heavy penalties for mistakes that are correctable."

"It also gives them a more positive perspective on the justice system and shows that the community cares," Olson said. "It's not just a judge ready to sentence them, there's more to it. When they walk into my office, you can see the tension of what they're going through. And when you lay out a program plan for their diversion, you can see the relief on their face."

What the program offers

Included in the diversion program are a variety of activities with specific purposes. In total, there are seven options for those entering the program:

--Restoration, Education, Skills, Change and You, or RESCU. This activity comes in a meeting lasting one-to-two hours and focuses on providing parents and their youth a safe space to discuss the person's choices, risk and accountability.

--A one-hour traffic law refresher course, requiring youth to answer questions regarding the most commonly referred offenses.

--Alternative Response Case Management, or ARCM, for cases of delinquency and truancy. The case management is targeted to meet the needs of youth and families referred by the county attorney's office without a formal court order. The family and case manager create a list of conditions to follow for successful discharge from programming.

--Restorative Group Conferencing, or RGC. A process bringing together all stakeholders in a harmful incident to discuss what happened, and decide what the responsible person must do to make things right to the best of his/her ability.

--Peace circles, where students engaged in conflict are brought together to work out a solution in a respectful manner.

--Collaborative conferencing, or CC, for dually involved youth. The process brings together youth, family, case managers and other related parties to discuss and assess the current risks, needs and strengths. The process culminates with an agreement signed by all parties outlining possible conditions of probation for a presentation to the court.

--Sexting diversion, which includes a one-hour class focusing on the risks and dangers associated. The youth are required to attend with a parent/guardian.

"It's a real benefit because there are opportunities here that the court can't offer," Hanson said. "It's a move toward a restorative justice. The harm that's been done can be repaired, and it's not just a punitive process."

Thompson also said the program is beneficial in how it can help identify other problems, other than just the reason for the referral. The diversion program can also identify mental health and childhood trauma treatment needs.

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(c)2019 The Bemidji Pioneer (Bemidji, Minn.)

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