Examining the effectiveness of youth diversion programming

The ability to divert youth, found guilty of offences under the Canadian Youth Criminal Justice Act, away from formal sentencing sanctions is a fundamental principle and cornerstone of Youth Justice. This research paper contains both an analysis of the existing literature and the expert opinion of a Youth Diversion Program Coordinator in British Columbia (who will be referred to as Informant A). An examination of the existing literature indicated that youth diversion programs are effective in reducing recidivism rates among youth. This paper focuses specifically on the elements which contribute to a successful diversion program. These include: collaboration with the community and various stakeholders, mentoring, youth taking accountability and responsibility and police ‘buy in’ of the program. Interestingly, gender was found not to be a contributing factor to referral rates or successful completion of the diversion program. Various deficiencies in the literature are also discussed, including: challenges defining youth diversion, small sample sizes and lack of Canadian content. In summary, this research paper demonstrates that youth diversion programs are an effective measure in reducing recidivism rates among youth. These programs, when they contain the aforementioned elements above, are an acceptable means to hold youth accountable to the community.