In Joe Ribsam’s first year working in New Hampshire, following legislation in the State House was practically a full-time job.Ribsam, the new head of the Division for Children, Families and Youth, found himself reiterating requests for funds and.
PORTSMOUTH —Holding youth accountable for disruptive behavior while providing education and support services, The Chase Home’s Seacoast Community Diversion Program (SCDP) represents an increasingly popular alternative to traditional punishment through
In Granite State, data not the top priority
Police have wide discretion in how they resolve situations. Diversion programs are one alternative to arrest. Bill Gnade
Published: 4/20/2021 6:00:20 PM
Court diversion advocates across the country say diversion saves money and reduces crime. But in New Hampshire, and nationally, the data to support this claim is hard to find.
Without more data collection and analysis, experts warn that it will be difficult to prove to funders and the public that diversion is as effective as advocates say.
Data not a top priority
How many adults and juveniles go through New Hampshire’s court diversion programs each year, and how effective are these programs at reducing crime? Even though New Hampshire’s first diversion program was started more than 40 years ago, these questions are still difficult to answer.
School resource officers ‘the gatekeepers’ of Juvenile Court diversion
Sgt. Anthony DeLuca, a school resource officer at Rochester Middle School. Courtesy
Sgt. Anthony DeLuca, a school resource officer at Rochester Middle School. Courtesy
Published: 4/19/2021 10:19:46 AM
Nicole E. Rodler, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Juvenile Court Diversion Network, calls school resource officers (SROs) “the gatekeepers” of the juvenile diversion system.
While their exact roles vary by school district and police department, SROs are generally tasked with keeping school campuses secure, protecting staff and students, mentoring students, and handling in-school juvenile offenses. They are the officers most likely to know the background and circumstances of young offenders because of their frequent contact with them in school (at least during non-pandemic times).