Diversion is a particular intervention practice of postponed prosecution under which youthful defendants or offenders are redirected to specific prevention and treatment programs supervised by private or public agencies. In such a way, young persons gain an opportunity to demonstrate that they are law-abiding. The central objective of these programs is to preserve situational or minor offenders from traditional prosecution and, usually, subsequent confinement that often leads to the stigmatization of these individuals or more severe cases (Merlo and Benekos 304). In other words, due to diversion, youths manage to avoid typical formal processing, which chronic or severe juvenile delinquents undergo, but still, have to bear some affordable accountability for their wrongful actions. Examples of minor offenders include persistent truants or those who continuously misbehave in school.
The given practice also aids police or respective agencies check and distinguishing insignificant culprits from persistent ones, thereby decreasing possible mistakes stemming from precipitating conventional prosecution. For instance, if offenders are ordered to attend school regularly and do not fulfill this condition, they can ultimately face a formal delinquency proceeding. Another diversion function is that it can diminish the load of juvenile court prosecutors by directing less severe cases to probation organizations (Merlo and Benekos 304). Finally, this method helps save adolescents from visiting correctional or unsafe residential facilities, preventing adverse effects on their behavior and mental health. Overall, if applied appropriately, the approach exhibits noticeable efficacy in reducing recidivism among youngsters.
Work Listed
Merlo, A. V. and Benekos, P. J. The Juvenile Justice System: Delinquency, Processing, and the Law. 9th ed., Pearson, 2019.