Diversion Pathways (Pipeline Node)

Pipeline 02

Transparency note: completion rates below 20 participants are pooled to protect confidentiality; series breaks occur when eligibility criteria change.

Overview

Diversion routes eligible youth away from formal adjudication toward structured accountability and support programs. These programs vary widely—from informal warning and counseling to structured evidence-based models like MST (Multisystemic Therapy) or ART (Aggression Replacement Training). The goal is to resolve cases without creating lasting records while addressing underlying needs. This section describes how cases enter, proceed through, and exit diversion pathways, emphasizing measurable consistency and equity.

What We Track

Eligibility & Screening

Define eligibility criteria used by prosecutors/intake
Confirm validated risk tools are applied (note version)
- Examples: SAVRY, YLS/CMI
List exclusion factors
- Offense type (statutory disqualifiers)
- Prior history thresholds

Program Models

Identify diversion type
- Informal (warning, brief counseling)
- Contract-based (agreements, community service)
- Restorative (RJ conference, circles)
- Evidence-based (e.g., MST, ART)
Specify required dosage
- Sessions per week
- Total weeks or service hours

Completion Metrics

Track successful completions vs. neutral exits vs. failures
- Failure reasons: new offense, withdrawal, noncompliance
Measure average time to completion

Equity Monitoring

Compute entry and completion rate ratios
- By race/ethnicity
- By gender
- By geography (urban/rural)
Document overrides when eligible youth are petitioned

Re-referral

Track new referrals or petitions within 6–12 months after completion or failure
Align follow-up windows with program end date

Typical Flow

Referral received and screened for diversion eligibility
- Apply eligibility rules (offense, prior history, local policy)
- Confirm validated risk/needs tool version; note any disqualifiers
- Record capacity constraints that prevent otherwise-eligible youth
Program assignment based on risk/needs and capacity
- Match to program model (informal, contract, restorative, evidence-based)
- Set expected dosage (sessions/week, total weeks or hours)
- Provide plain-language terms; capture youth/caregiver consent
Engagement period tracked by sessions and milestones
- Attendance, milestone completion, and barriers (transportation, schedule)
- Adjust plan/dosage as needed; document any pauses or transfers
Completion or failure documented; case closed or returned
- Completion statuses: successful, neutral exit, failure
- Failure reasons: new offense, withdrawal, noncompliance
- If failed or withdrawn, return for petition decision with audit trail
Follow-up window (6–12 months) for re-referrals/new petitions
- Anchor to program end date (completion/closure)
- Track re-referral, petition, or adjudication events within window

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Codeset	Description
pipeline_place_id	uuid	✅	—	Unique identifier for this pipeline place row.
pipeline_stage_id	enum	✅	stages.yml#stage_key(8) intake detention adjudication disposition supervision commitment_and_placement reentry closure	One of the 8 canonical stages.
pipeline_place_key	enum	✅	pipeline_places.yml#place_key(45) intake pre_petition_diversion_and_deflection diversion youth_assessment_tools prosecutorial_screening status_offenses adjudication case_planning family_engagement case_timeliness language_access restorative_justice detention_screening community_atds electronic_monitoring court_appearance_and_fta initial_hearing pretrial_supervision probation intensive_supervision …and 25 more	Canonical key for this place (maps to route/slug).
youth_id	string	✅	—	Salted/hashed or state UID. No plaintext PII.
staff_id	string		—	Staff primary actor for this place, if applicable.
occurred_datetime	datetime	✅	—	Timestamp when this diversion episode was opened/recorded.
jurisdiction_code	string	✅	—	County/parish/circuit or standardized local code.
location_site_id	string		—	Site/facility/office identifier.
actor_role_code	enum		roles.yml#actor_role(7) Intake_Officer Prosecutor Defender Probation_Officer Case_Manager Facility_Staff Coach_Reentry	Role primarily responsible for this place.
legal_case_id	string		—	Docket/case identifier if already created.
source_system	string	✅	—	Origin system name.
source_file	string		—	Source batch/file id if flatfile.
extract_run_id	string		—	ETL run id for lineage.
series_break_flag	boolean		—	Comparability break applies to this row.
series_break_reason	enum		series_breaks.yml#reason(4) definition_change vendor_change coverage_change policy_change	Reason for break when flagged.
diversion_eligibility_code	enum	✅	diversion_eligibility.yml#eligibility(4) eligible ineligible_safety ineligible_statute capacity_block	Eligibility screen outcome for diversion (eligible, ineligible_*, capacity_block).
exclusion_factor_codes	array<string>		diversion_exclusions.yml#exclusion(8) offense_disqualifier_violent offense_disqualifier_weapon offense_disqualifier_sex prior_history_threshold_met active_no_contact_order victim_objection_recorded restitution_infeasible out_of_area_residence	Enumerated exclusion factors (offense disqualifiers, prior thresholds, victim objection). For CSV, semicolon-delimit.
risk_tool_name	enum		instruments.yml#risk_tool_name(2) YLS_CMI SAVRY	Validated risk/needs instrument applied (e.g., YLS/CMI, SAVRY).
risk_tool_version	string		—	Version identifier or effective date for the risk tool.
risk_total_score	integer		—	Total score produced by the risk/needs instrument (raw or scaled).
diversion_model_code	enum	✅	diversion_models.yml#model(7) informal_warning brief_counseling contract_agreement community_service restorative_conference restorative_circle evidence_based	Diversion model (informal, contract, restorative, evidence_based subtype).
evidence_based_model_code	enum		ebp_models.yml#model(2) MST ART	If evidence-based, specify model (e.g., MST, ART).
program_start_datetime	datetime		—	Start timestamp for diversion programming/services.
dosage_planned_sessions_per_week	number		—	Planned sessions per week.
dosage_planned_total_weeks	number		—	Planned total weeks.
dosage_planned_service_hours	number		—	Planned total service hours.
dosage_completed_sessions	number		—	Completed sessions.
dosage_completed_hours	number		—	Completed service hours.
milestone_code	enum		program_milestones.yml#milestone(6) orientation_completed first_session_completed midpoint_review_completed service_hours_50pct service_hours_100pct restitution_completed	Latest milestone achieved during participation.
completion_status_code	enum		completion_statuses.yml#status(3) successful neutral_exit failure	successful, neutral_exit, or failure.
completion_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp when diversion episode was closed.
failure_reason_code	enum		failure_reasons.yml#reason(3) new_offense withdrawal noncompliance	If failure, reason (new_offense, withdrawal, noncompliance).
override_flag	boolean		—	True if eligible youth were petitioned/declined contrary to guidance.
override_reason_code	enum		overrides.yml#reason(4) safety_exception capacity_constraint policy_exception supervisor_override	Reason for override; approver stored in audit trail.
program_end_datetime	datetime		—	Episode end anchor for follow-up windows (often same as completion_datetime).
followup_window_code	enum		followup_windows.yml#window(4) followup_30d followup_90d followup_180d followup_365d	Window used for check (e.g., months_6, months_12).
followup_check_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp when the re-referral check was performed.
re_referral_flag	boolean		—	True if a new referral/petition occurred within the window.
re_referral_type_code	enum		re_referral_types.yml#type(3) new_referral new_petition technical_violation	new_referral, new_petition, technical_violation.
re_referral_reference_id	string		—	Identifier of the new referral/petition episode detected in follow-up.
routed_to_next_node_code	enum		next_routes.yml#route(3) prosecutorial_screening petition other	If not participating or after failure, where the case was routed (prosecutorial_screening, petition, other).
Download CSVwhat_we_track.csv

Data & Methods

Diversion indicators use referral-based denominators and report both program-level and jurisdiction-level outcomes. Completion is a binary indicator with duration recorded in days.

Eligibility drift: when rules, screening tools, or thresholds change, flag series breaks to avoid misreading trend shifts.
Small cells: suppress or pool per Suppression & Small-n.
Comparability: for multi-year views, follow Trend Interpretation & Baseline Selection, and prefer stable baselines (e.g., referral cohorts).
Follow-up framing: align 6–12 month re-referral windows to the program end date; handle censored/attrited cases consistently.
Overrides & capacity: capture why eligible youth were petitioned and when capacity limits blocked assignment (for equity review).

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