Countywide Restorative Justice Youth Court Diversion​

Selection of CYS in 1995 by the LA County Probation Department and the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Courts to design and implement a countywide Restorative Justice Youth Court Diversion program, and the establishment of the LA County Victim Offender Restitution Services (VORS) Collaboration Team, chaired by the Presiding Judge of Juvenile Court, which  continues to serve youth today. 

 

VORS Program Recognition

Recognition of the VORS program as a model victim/offender mediation program proven to cut rates of post service participation re-offense by at least 50% without confinement or criminalization in a study of CYS VORS and overall program effectiveness commissioned in 2000 by the State Judicial Council of California (The CARR Report).

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Pre-Booking Diversion

Design and implementation of California’s first juvenile pre-booking diversion program in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department with support from the Everychild Foundation and the Board of State and Community Corrections Title II Program in 2011​

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National Registry of Evidenced-Based Programs and Practices

Inclusion of CYS’s Victim Offender Restitution Services in the National Registry of Evidenced-based Programs and Practices administered by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2014

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CA Nonprofit of the Year

Recognition of CYS by California State Assemblymember Autumn Burke as California Nonprofit of the Year for the 62nd Assembly District, 2016

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State Attorney General Appointment​

Appointment of CYS Director to the State Safe Schools Plan taskforce by State Attorney General Bill Lockyear

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Youth Mediation Program Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement of CYS’s youth mediation programs, by five sponsoring city councils, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, City Councils countywide, and the California Legislature

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Board of Supervisor Awards and Commendations

Selection for multiple annual commendations and awards by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for CYS staff, volunteers, and youth in recognition of their exemplary performance and commitment

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National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 

Participation of CYS’s Executive Director in The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 

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Collaboration with Annie E. Casey Foundation

Selection of CYS’s Executive Director by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to provide workshops and presentations nationally to disseminate outcomes and promote replication of restorative justice youth diversion programming in 2019 and continuing

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Community Healing Collaborative

Collaboration and support with the Community Healing Collaborative, a community initiated and led community violence prevention initiative composed of seasoned interventionists, credible messengers, faith community leaders and volunteers to negotiate sustained peace agreements, interrupt potentials for lethal or retaliatory violence, and embrace youth and families experiencing complex challenges with foundational supports and connections for healing and local advocacy in Los Angeles’s South Park and Florence Firestone since 2022

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Community Mediator Institute​

Initiation of the CYS Community Mediator Institute to return the power for conflict resolution and community building to community members most affected by providing certification-level mediation training and continuing support to local volunteers

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Restorative Justice Consultation Services 

Provision of training and technical support provided by CYS’s Executive Director, Transformation Team, and Program Specialists to support city, county, and state justice jurisdictions who are seeking training and technical assistance to replicate the CYS Everychild Restorative Justice diversion model

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Equity Advocacy

CYS’s success in negotiating changes to inequitable policies and practices in numerous LA County police departments, justice agencies, and school districts, continue to spur requests for presentations and consultation with CYS’s Executive Director, Jessica Ellis, from organizations committed to advancing equity through youth diversion and justice transformation.  These organizations include the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Coalition for Juvenile Justice, The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University Law School, The National Center for Youth Law, The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, The National Center for Juvenile Justice, The United States Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and California’s Office of Youth and Community Restoration.

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State of CA Office of Youth and Community Restoration State Advisory Committee

Selection of CYS’s Executive Director to serve on the State of California’s Office of Youth and Community Restoration State Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Restorative Justice Sub-Committee in 2025.

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Community Collaboration

Sustained collaboration with more than 100 trauma-responsive, youth and family positive high-quality community-based organizations and support service specialist partners over five decades.