Juvenile Diversion
Operation
de Novo’s Juvenile Diversion –
A
new beginning to develop life skills
for
young people and their families
Operation de Novo’s Juvenile
Diversion Program was developed in 1992 in partnership with the
Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to provide a centralized system
of processing juvenile offense cases and a cost-effective
alternative to the Juvenile Justice System.
Once the County Attorney’s Office
determines that a juvenile case has legal sufficiency to be
prosecuted in Juvenile Court, the case is then referred to our
office for screening and assessment.
The criteria for diversion includes that a client:
 |
Is
between the ages of 10-18; |
|
Resides
in Hennepin County; and |
|
Has
not been adjudicated in Juvenile Court for a prior offense.
|
In
order for a person to enter into the program, the child and
parent/guardian are invited to our office for an intake/needs
assessment. Background and behavior information leading up to the offense
is collected during this initial interview.
If the family including the youth agree to participate in the
diversion process, a written contract is entered into for a period
of time ranging from a minimum of 90 days to a maximum of 180 days.
The service contract is administered through a network of
approximately 30 agencies that have signed collaborative agreements
with Operation de Novo. The
contract may require the client and his/her family to participate in
a range of services which may include:
|
Having no new
involvement with the law; |
|
Participating in group,
family or individual counseling; |
|
Attending school on a
regular basis; |
|
Completing community
services when indicated; |
|
Paying restitution when
ordered; |
|
Agreeing to participate
in a mediation process; and |
|
Following chemical
dependency requirements, when indicated.
|
The
above list is an example of some of the services which may be
offered but is by no means meant to be all-inclusive.
Upon successful completion of the program, a
recommendation is made to the County Attorney’s Office to close
the case. Failure to
complete the program will result in a recommendation to charge the
case and continue with the prosecution in the courts.
|
Operation de Novo, Inc.
