Date of Award
5-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Patrick Donnay
Abstract
The main goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate offenders and prevent youth from entering the adult justice system. One approach is through the use of diversion programs. The state of Minnesota requires all counties to offer at least one type of pre-trial diversion program. However, there is no ubiquitous program; the number and types of programs differ between counties, and the reason for these differences between jurisdictions is under-researched. I analyze the number and types of pre-trial diversion programs in Minnesota counties and compare them to various county characteristics to determine which characteristics play a role in the types of diversion programs implemented in different jurisdictions. I use county data collected from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the 2012 election. I find that the majority of Minnesota counties use only the required one type of pre-trial diversion program, and county characteristics do not play a significant role. However, the few outlier counties containing more than one type of pre-trial diversion program are found to have interesting components that suggest further research of specific jurisdictional differences to determine the key factors of a successful diversion program.
Recommended Citation
Schmitt, Kaydin, "Juvenile Diversion Programs: Comparing Minnesota County Characteristics to Determine Their Role in Pre-Trial Diversion Programs" (2020). Political Science Theses and Capstones. 36.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/capstone-polisci/36
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