The Choice is Yours: Early Implementation of a Diversion Program for Felony Offenders

R E S E A R C H R E P O R T S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3 The Choice is Yours: Early Implementation of a Diversion Program for Felony Offenders Wen dy S. McClanahan, McClanahan Associates , Inc. Shelli B. Rossman, The Urb an Institute Mer idith Polin, McClanahan Associate s, Inc. Sarah K. Pepper, McClanahan Associates , Inc. Emily Li pman, McClanahan Associate s, Inc. URBAN INS TITUTE Justice Policy Center URBAN INSTITUTE Justice Po li cy Center 2100 M St reet NW Washington, DC 20037 www.urban.org The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization that examines the social, economic, and governance challenges facing the nation. Copyright © September 2013. The Urban Institute Opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors, and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Acknowled gments This research was made possible with funding from The Lenfest Foundation; their support has been invaluable. Programmatic f unding for The C hoice is Yours has been pr ovided by The Lenfest Foundation and The William Penn Foundation, with in-kind support from the O ffice of the District Attorne y, City of P hilade lphia, and The P hilade lphia Municipal Court; the authors thank them for their support a nd dedication to Philade lphia a nd The C hoice is Yours partic ipants. Finally, The C hoice is Yours would not have been possible without Philadelphia’s District Attorney Seth William’s vision for a justice s ystem that strives to solve the underlying causes of crime, while maintaining the highe st leve ls of public s afety. Without the a ssistanc e of The C hoice is Yours staff, this report would not have been possible. Jeffrey B ooth, Executive Director, JEVS Workforce Initiatives; Nigel Bowe, TCY Program Manager; Derek Riker, Chief, Diversion Courts Unit; The Honorable Marsha N eifield, President Judge of the Philadelphia Municipal Court; and Roseanne U nger, Deputy Director, Municipal Court Criminal Division; all revi ewed drafts of the report and provided valuable f eedback. Wendy Clouser and Nigel Bowe of J EVS worke d hard to ensure t he a ccur acy and timeliness of pr ogrammatic data. The authors thank all The Choice is Yours staff and supervisors who partic ipated in the site visit interviews—their candid assessment of the prog ram’s cha lle nges and successes have l ed to a st ronge r effort. Marty McCall, TCY case manager, worke d with the eva luation team to sche dule partic ipant foc us groups. J enna McCready, Elizabeth Forrey, and Erika Parks copy-edited and for matte d the report. Finally, we thank The C hoice is Yours partic ipants for partic ipating in this pilot—their e xperienc es will lay the f oundation for others who follow. Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 The Choice is Yours Vision......................................................................................................................... 1 Evaluation ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Key Research Questions........................................................................................................................ 2 Data Sources ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Report Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 5 The Choice is Yours Program Model ...................................................................... 6 Eligibility Determinations.......................................................................................................................... 7 TCY Court .................................................................................................................................................. 8 TCY Community-Based Program ............................................................................................................... 9 Orientation Phase ............................................................................................................................... 10 Enrollment Phase ................................................................................................................................ 11 Graduation .......................................................................................................................................... 15 The Connection Among Stakeholders..................................................................................................... 16 TCY PARTICIPANTS .........................