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EDORA Learn — Pipelines

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Intake to Disposition (Pipeline Overview)

Pipeline 01.1

Transparency note: small-n counties and series breaks (e.g., tool or statute changes) are flagged in source tables; pooled multi-year rates are used where needed.

Overview

This page describes the common stages a delinquency case may pass through: referral, intake screening, detention decision, petition and hearings, adjudication, and disposition. States differ on tools, thresholds, and authority structures, but the core logic is consistent: screen for risk and needs, minimize unnecessary detention, protect due process, and match dispositions to risk and services. We summarize shared structure and note where policy variation shapes data.

What We Track

Referral & Intake

  • Referral source & timestamp recorded
    • Law enforcement
    • School
    • Prosecutor
    • Other agency / caregiver
  • Validated risk/needs screening completed (tool & version)
    • SAVRY
    • YLS/CMI
  • Behavioral-health screening completed
    • MAYSI-2
    • CRAFFT / GAIN-SS
  • Prior-history check completed (sources noted)
  • Same-day intake decision flagged; elapsed hours logged

Detention Decision

  • Detention risk instrument used (name & version; score/cutoffs)
  • Hearing timeliness within 24–48 hours (Y/N)
  • Episode ALOS / median tracked
  • Alternatives available & utilized
    • Evening/Day Reporting
    • Electronic Monitoring
    • Respite/Shelter
  • Overrides to instrument recommendation documented with rationale

Petition & Hearings

  • Prosecutorial decision: file / decline / refer to diversion
  • Right to counsel confirmed (appointed/present)
  • Timelines to adjudication milestones tracked (days from referral/petition)

Adjudication & Disposition

  • Outcomes: diversion agreement, deferred prosecution, probation, placement/commitment
  • Placement criteria applied (least-restrictive; risk/needs fit)
  • Overrides documented when orders depart from tool guidance
  • Conditions set (school, curfew, treatment participation)

Equity & Handoffs

  • Rate ratios by race/ethnicity & rurality for each stage
  • Data handoffs confirmed to:
    • Education (enrollment, credits, IEP/504)
    • Behavioral health (assessment, treatment linkage)
    • Reentry/aftercare (if committed)
  • Return-path feedback from services back to court/probation captured

Typical Flow

  1. Referral received → intake initiated
    • Log source, timestamp, demographics, alleged offense
    • Start same-day decision clock
  2. Screening (risk/needs + MH/SUD) → document any overrides
    • Complete SAVRY/YLS and MAYSI-2 (note tool version)
    • Verify prior history; note missing records
    • If professional judgment departs from tool, record justification
  3. Detention decision using criteria/instrument → release with conditions or hold
    • Apply detention risk instrument; record score & cutoffs
    • If released, set conditions and/or assign ATD (evening reporting, EM, respite)
    • If held, schedule hearing within 24–48 hours; capture counsel status
  4. Petition decision → decline/dismiss, diversion, or file to adjudication
    • Ensure diversion eligibility checks applied consistently
    • If filing, record charge selection and notice timelines
    • Confirm counsel appointed/present before substantive proceedings
  5. Adjudication (fact-finding) → disposition matched to risk/needs, least-restrictive
    • Enter finding; prepare pre-disposition report with tool-driven recommendations
    • Order: diversion, deferred prosecution, probation, or placement/commitment
    • Document any overrides with reasons
  6. Data handoff to supervision/services or commitment pathways
    • Transmit orders and packets to probation/community programs or detention/placement
    • Trigger education & behavioral-health handoffs (enrollment, appointment dates)
    • Establish feedback loop on engagement, compliance, and outcomes

Data & Methods

Measures align to stable denominators and documented windows. Detention ALOS uses episode-level means/medians with pooled multi-year estimates in small counties. Disposition shares distinguish diversion, probation, and commitment. Where states employ different instruments or raise/lower thresholds (e.g., post-reform detention standards), we markseries breaks and avoid naïve trend comparisons. See the Methods pages on recidivism definitions, series breaks, and aggregation & scale for conventions used here.

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