🧠 Why This Step Matters
This is more than a checkbox. It’s a philosophical and ethical fulcrum. A premature custody placement can upend a youth’s trajectory — while timely, thoughtful diversion can restore hope and build trust. In every state we studied — from Texas to Tennessee — one lesson echoed: detention must be rare, necessary, and humanely justified.
📋 Critical Decision Criteria
- Legal Eligibility — Does the charge qualify for secure custody?
- Risk Score — Is the youth’s risk tier supported by the assessment tool?
- Protective Factors — Are stable housing and adult supervision confirmed?
- Community Resources — Can restorative or treatment-based diversion meet the need?
🧾 EDORA Decision Grid
📄 Legal
Charge level, prior offenses, jurisdictional limits🧪 Risk Tool
Validated score (SAVRY, RAI, YASI, YLS/CMI)🏠 Environment
Housing stability, guardianship, family risk🎓 Education
IEP/504 status, truancy history, school engagement🧍 Stakeholders
Case manager, judge, counselor, parent/guardian🧩 Prior Interventions
Diversion attempts, therapy history, past placements✅ Custody Threshold Checklist
Secure detention should only be considered if all of the following conditions are true:
- Youth poses imminent risk to others or themselves
- No safe alternative living arrangement exists
- Court or judge has legally mandated the hold
- All diversion options have been explored and documented
👥 MDT Review Required
States like Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas use a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to ensure custody decisions are not made in isolation. EDORA enables this collaboration by making every field and justification transparent and printable.
— Texas Diversion Study, 2020