Coconino County juvenile services report shows high diversion success, seeking ways to sustain programs amid funding uncertainty

Juvenile court leaders presented data to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors on May 7 showing that locally-run diversion programs and the Hope Receiving Center have limited deeper system involvement for most youth.

The presentation, led by juvenile services staff and presiding judge Angela Kercher, focused on the court’s two-branch model—delinquency and dependency—and a third preventative unit, the Hope Receiving Center. “We aspire to strengthen our community where individuals can use the strengths they already possess to thrive through connection, compassion, and mutual respect,” a juvenile services presenter said as they described the office’s vision.

Why it matters: County officials and juvenile staff said programs that intervene early appear to reduce long-term justice involvement and costly out-of-home placements. Juvenile services reported that in 2024 the Hope Receiving Center served 282 youth and that 92% of those youth did not “penetrate further into the system.” Across the Hope Center’s operation since 2021, 510 youths were served and about 95–96% did not enter deeper court involvement, the presentation said.

Key facts and figures: Juvenile court staff described the division structure—treatment, probation, detention for delinquency; dependency services and court-appointed special advocates (CASA) for dependency matters—and noted specific outcomes: a 95% success rate for diversion cases handled outside the formal petition process; 0 youth committed to the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) in the prior year; an average daily population of about 2.8 in detention with length of stay down roughly one day; and 38 youth served in ARPA-funded “Hope beds” as a detention alternative, totaling 256 bed nights.

Staff and operations: Juvenile court said it provides in‑house counseling and therapies, an alternative school serving 20 students (43 credits earned, five graduations), mobile acupuncture available to the public on Fridays, and a facility-dog program used in courts and schools. The court reported stable staff retention in probation and that some detention recruitment problems the prior summer were resolved after creating a pay plan mirroring the adult jail and adding a hiring bonus; staff said the result was full staffing in detention within a year.

Concerns and next steps: Presenters and supervisors flagged uncertainty about federal grants and other external funding. Juvenile leadership said they have plan A, B and C options to preserve services if federal support declines, and noted a statewide trend of increased referrals entering probation. Supervisors pressed for more disaggregated data on race/ethnicity and socioeconomic factors; juvenile staff said they are examining overrepresentation (noting a higher share of Native males, particularly Navajo young men) and are applying culturally appropriate practices developed with Georgetown University.

What’s next: The juvenile office said it plans to digitize probation files, add capacity for young-adult (18–24) caseloads in a pilot with adult probation, expand the facility-dog program by one or two dogs to support schools, and continue supporting diversion and treatment alternatives that staff say reduce both recidivism and costly out-of-home placements.

Sources: Juvenile services presentation to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, May 7, 2025; remarks by the presiding juvenile judge and juvenile services staff.

Ending: Supervisors praised juvenile staff for program outcomes and asked to see follow-up data on demographic disparities and contingency plans should grant funding decline.