As more justice system jurisdictions across the nation embrace the healing potential of restorative justice and diverting young people from formal justice system processing, new opportunities are emerging to carry CYS’s diversion work forward on a national level.
After a thorough search for the best youth diversion program in the country, the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) has selected CYS as its model for promoting restorative justice diversion nationwide. Inspired by CYS’s successes in Los Angeles County and by enthusiastic response to recent conference presentations by our Executive Director, Jessica Ellis, AECF is supporting 125 hours of CYS consultation as part of a new, year-long partnership.
The Foundation funding will engage CYS as an advisor and training consultant in its strategic plan to replace traditional probation protocols with CYS’s successful, evidence-based diversion practices. CYS has already made significant contributions to AECF’s juvenile justice transformation work, most recently by advising on a major revision of the Desktop Guide for Juvenile Probation, a publication that informs probation departments across the country on best practices.
Ms. Ellis served on the editorial committee and provided significant contributions in the areas of best-practice diversion and methods of integrating racial equity protections at every step in the justice process.