In Pennsylvania, youth who are charged with crimes can either be processed through the juvenile justice system and potentially incarcerated, or they can be routed into a diversion program. Diversion programs hold youth accountable for minor offenses without the cost, administrative burden, or well-documented harms to the youth of going to court. Decades of research show us unequivocally that when youth are charged with less serious crimes, they have better outcomes – for public safety and in their lives – when they are diverted from the juvenile justice system.

In the near future, I will introduce a bill to expand and standardize diversion practices across the Commonwealth. Although diversion is hugely successful when it is used – more than 80% of youth complete it successfully and do not return to the system – it is used unevenly across the state. Our youth deserve to be treated the same no matter what they look like or where they live. And we should be making smart public safety decisions that reduce recidivism while also saving taxpayer resources.

Specifically, this bill will:

• Require diversion when a juvenile is arrested on a first or second time misdemeanor offense, with some exceptions

• Require diversion for a first time non-violent felony offense

• Create a fund to provide counties with resources for creating and maintaining diversion programs

Please join me in ensuring we take a smarter, fairer approach to juvenile justice.