A bill creating a juvenile diversion program, supported by two key state legislative committees, may provide help and opportunities to 鈥渟tudents who are chronically absent鈥� or have committed one or two minor offenses.
Diversionary programs for youth accused of crimes have become increasingly common in 海角换妻 over the past decade, as .
This bill would require the commissioner of the Department of Children and Families and the chief court administrator to provide a point of contact for children seeking diversion services. It would also set standards for eligibility and referrals for services like anger management, substance abuse treatment and family counseling. The proposal is supported by the state's appropriations and judiciary committees.
The bill would prioritize collecting data detailing the performance of youth service bureaus, said Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, who helped introduce the bill. Municipalities run youth services bureaus themselves or through private organizations. They are meant to provide resources and opportunities for children and their families.
鈥淲e want to have a reflection of what these things are showing when they implement them,鈥� Nolan said. 鈥淪o the data 鈥� from how much it's working, the advantages of it, identifying what programs are working, what programs are not 鈥� those are some of the identifiers we are looking at.鈥�
If successful, Nolan said, the program will help reduce the number of repeat offenders.
Christina Quaranta, the executive director of the 海角换妻 Justice Alliance, said diversion is 鈥渢he choice that will help young people be able to learn from their mistakes鈥� and 鈥渉ave the victim get some closure and feel like some amends have been made.鈥�
鈥淟ooking at all the research that's been done over many years, we know that diversion and allowing young people to have a chance to restore and repair the harm that was made, is the better choice,鈥� Quaranta said.
Nolan said he expects the bill will come to a vote before the end of the session this week.
