FROM PUNISHMENT TO POSSIBILITY

Youth recidivism is a pressing issue with long-term social implications. High rates of recidivism for youth involved in the juvenile justice system suggest that the system often fails to address the root causes of harmful behavior (1). A significant portion of youth who enter the juvenile justice system end up reoffending, caught in a cycle that limits their options while simultaneously not properly addressing underlying causes and roots of such behavior (2). 

The roots causes of harmful behaviors are complex and interconnected. Poverty, family instability, exposure to violence, lack of access to quality education, and unmet mental health needs all play a role. Systemic inequalities, such as racial bias and the over-policing of low-income communities as demonstrated by law enforcement agencies disproportionately stopping, arresting, and detaining Black and Brown youth compared to White youth, play a role in the rates of system involvement for youth. (3). Youth who enter the juvenile justice system often have a history of trauma or untreated behavioral disorders. Once involved in the juvenile justice system, the punitive environment of detention centers can increase the likelihood of experiencing more trauma and less support as traditional justice system practices are tailored more towards punishment and exclusion than on understanding what needs are unmet or repairing the harm. 

Diversion programs have emerged as a more effective alternative to traditional incarceration, aiming to break the cycle of recidivism by addressing the root causes of harmful behaviors. Diversion programs that include a restorative justice process emphasize accountability, support, and behavior change without formal punishment, focusing on making things right and repairing the harm. (4). These programs assess and support youth and their families connecting them with resources to provide an array of positive possibilities. The best practice is to divert youth away from the justice system and empower community partner organizations, as well as schools and families, to address young people’s misbehavior (5).

Youth who participate in diversion programs are significantly less likely to reoffend compared to those who are system impacted. Since prohibiting arrests at school for a set of common nonserious misbehaviors and crafting an elaborate menu of alternative responses in 2003, Clayton County, Georgia, has reduced school arrests by more than 90 percent (6). CYS has been able to achieve similar results with local school districts, focusing more on restorative and trauma-informed practices at the school site-level that seek de-escalation and resolve conflict at the source. To reduce harmful behaviors meaningfully, investments in prevention, early intervention, and supportive services tailored to youth and their families are crucial. CYS extends thanks to all our funders and community partners for helping us to plant seeds of change and to transform systems.