Pre-Petition Diversion & Deflection (Informal Adjustment)

Pipeline 01A

The best case is the case that never needs court. Deflection models—law enforcement cite-and-release, stationhouse adjustment, school or intake-led informal adjustment—redirect youth to services before a petition is filed.

Overview

This node maps early off-ramps that precede prosecutorial screening or filing. We capture eligibility, timing, documentation, and the guardrails that keep deflection equitable and lawful.

What We Track

Eligibility & Timing

Define who qualifies (offense types, prior history, safety constraints)
Record when offers are made (at contact, at intake, pre-petition)
Track decision clock (contact → offer hours/days)

Deflection Models

Law enforcement: cite-and-release, stationhouse adjustment
Intake-led: probation/intake informal adjustment
School-based: campus diversion, problem-solving teams

Participation & Notice

Informed consent documented (youth & caregiver), language access noted
Counsel pathways communicated (how to access legal advice if desired)
Provide plain-language terms (conditions, duration, exit criteria)

Completion & Outcomes

Engagement: attendance, session milestones, dosage achieved
Completion status within 30/60/90-day windows
Short follow-up for re-referral/petition within 6–12 months

Equity & Overrides

Compute rate ratios by race/ethnicity, gender, rurality for offers & completions
Log discretion & overrides (why eligible youth were petitioned or ineligible youth were offered)

Simple Flow

Referral/Contact (police, school, caregiver)
- Log source, timestamp, and safety notes
Screen for deflection eligibility and safety
- Apply local criteria; exclude where safety/seriousness disqualifies
- Check prior history; confirm service capacity
Offer informal adjustment / community program
- Provide plain-language terms; capture consent; note counsel access
Engage services; track attendance and completion
- Monitor milestones/dosage; address barriers (transport, schedule)
Close deflection or route to formal screening if ineligible
- Closure within 30/60/90 days; short follow-up for re-referrals

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 place occurred or was 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.
referral_source_code	enum	✅	referral_sources.yml#source(10) law_enforcement school prosecutor caregiver other_agency community_org school_attendance caregiver_petition child_welfare_cross_referral law_enforcement_other	Origin of the referral/contact (police, school, caregiver, other agency).
contact_datetime	datetime	✅	—	Timestamp of the initial contact that triggered deflection screening.
deflection_eligibility_code	enum	✅	deflection_eligibility.yml#eligibility(4) eligible ineligible_safety ineligible_statute capacity_block	Result of eligibility screen (eligible, ineligible_safety, ineligible_statute, capacity_block).
deflection_offer_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp when an informal adjustment/deflection was offered.
deflection_model_code	enum	✅	deflection_models.yml#model(4) cite_and_release stationhouse_adjustment intake_informal_adjustment school_campus_diversion	Model used: cite_and_release, stationhouse_adjustment, intake_informal_adjustment, school_campus_diversion.
consent_obtained_flag	boolean	✅	—	True if youth & caregiver informed consent documented for deflection participation.
consent_mode_code	enum		consent_modes.yml#mode(3) written electronic recorded_verbal	How consent was captured (written, electronic, recorded_verbal).
counsel_access_provided_flag	boolean		—	Youth/caregiver were provided pathway to consult counsel before accepting.
language_access_flag	boolean		—	Language access/translation noted in documentation.
provider_id	string		—	Community provider or program organization identifier.
program_start_datetime	datetime		—	Program intake/first session timestamp once offer is accepted.
dosage_planned_units	integer		—	Planned dosage units (e.g., sessions or hours).
dosage_completed_units	integer		—	Completed dosage units (sessions or 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 reached during participation.
deflection_completion_status_code	enum		completion_statuses.yml#status(3) successful neutral_exit failure	successful, neutral_exit, failure.
deflection_completion_datetime	datetime		—	Timestamp when the deflection episode was closed.
deflection_failure_reason_code	enum		failure_reasons.yml#reason(3) new_offense withdrawal noncompliance	Reason for failure (new_offense, withdrawal, noncompliance).
override_flag	boolean		—	True if discretionary override used contrary to guidance.
override_reason_code	enum		overrides.yml#reason(4) safety_exception capacity_constraint policy_exception supervisor_override	Reason for override (why eligible youth were petitioned or ineligible youth offered).
routed_to_screening_flag	boolean		—	If ineligible/failed, referral routed to prosecutorial screening or petition decision.
Download CSVwhat_we_track.csv

Data & Methods

Denominators are contact- or referral-based. We annotate small-n cohorts, series breaks from policy memos, and comparability notes. See Referral & Intake Screening and Diversion Pathways for context.

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