South Dakota

2017 RED Minnehaha County/Sioux Falls 

Contacts: 

Annie Brokenleg, REF Coordinator, Lutheran Social Services

Joni Cutler, Judge, Unified Judicial System

Carole James, Senior Deputy State's Attorney, Minnehaha County State's Attorney's Office

Jason Leach, Police School Resource Sergeant, City of Sioux Falls

Andrew Robertson, Senior Deputy Public Defender, Minnehaha County Public Defender's Office

Capstone Description: 

Reduce disparities for low-level juvenile offenders in Minnehaha County. Key strategies include:

1. Developing a MOU between schools, courts, law enforcement, and local government, which establishes standard institutional responses to behavioral incidents in schools.

2. Creating a Diversion Coordinator position to oversee the process of pre-arrest diversion and to connect families and youth to services.

3. Providing implicit bias training to local stakeholders and improving access to culturally informed programming for youth of color.

Capstone Update (2024):

The team created a Diversion Coordinator position within the State's Attorney's office. This has helped to substantially increase the number of youth being diverted in the county, especially for youth of color. 

2015 Diversion Sturgis Team

Contacts:

Dadra Avery, Professional School Counselor - Meade 46-1 School District

Kara Graveman, Executive Director - Action for the Betterment of the Community

Benjamin Mumm, Patrolman - Sturgis Police Department *Note* Ben is no longer with the Sturgis Police Department

Capstone Description:

Develop and expand a structured, multi-level diversion program for identified youth in the 4th Judicial Circuit by providing evidence-based community service to non-violent diverted youth and establishing a monthly dual county diversion workgroup to support the implementation of diversion services.

Capstone Update (2017):

The team has recruited the support from the Chief of Police of Sturgis Police Department, who also sits on the board chair for Actions for the Betterment of the Community (ABC). With the new Senate Bill 73 that went into effect January 2017, providing evidence-based community services is essential to the success of youth in the juvenile justice system. The initiative calls for the implementation of evidence-based programs such as those ABC provides. The team implemented the proposed diversion program and expanded the diversion program to Belle Fourche, SD and Lead/Deadwood, SD, as well as the Spearfish School District. Between October 2015 and September 2016, 137 received Delinquency Prevention programming; of those youth, approximately 66% of youth exhibit a decrease in substance use during the program, and 11.5% were arrested 6 to 12 months after exiting the program. To date, ABC has served 352 youth in the school districts.