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Senate hearing: Diversion coordinators and OCA say Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program reduces reoffending but access varies by county
Summary
The Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice heard detailed testimony about the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program and how community diversion coordinators work with young people and families to keep low‑level cases out of court.
The Senate Committee on Juvenile and Emerging Adult Justice heard detailed testimony about the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program and how community diversion coordinators work with young people and families to keep low‑level cases out of court.
"Diversion works," Melissa Threadgill, senior director of policy and implementation at the Office of the Child Advocate, told the committee. Threadgill said the statewide program reached an about 80 percent successful completion rate in 2024 — 258 out of 321 referred cases — and contrasted diversion outcomes with the fiscal and human costs of incarceration; she cited a statewide average cost per incarceration of $178,000.
The nut graf: witnesses and providers said diversion can provide faster connections to mental‑health care,…
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