Ohio Diversion Program Effective In Helping Juvenile Offenders With Mental Disorders

About two-thirds of Ohio juvenile offenders involved in an 11-county behavioral health disorder diversion pilot program successfully completed and exited the program; most had improvement in functioning and decreases in risk factors for recidivism. The program provided community-based mental health and addiction treatment.

One year after completing the program, 17.9% of participants were charged with a felony, and 42.9% were adjudicated delinquent. Felony recidivism rates were 29.6% among youth who had been charged with a felony in the 12 months prior to enrollment in the diversion program. Treatment completion rates were also lower among . . .