For Immediate Release
Contact: Lindsay Corcoran 508-368-7252 or 774-670-8811
WORCESTER – The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office has received a $50,000 grant to expand its youth diversion program to the residents of Southbridge and Fitchburg, according to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr.
The grant from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) will allow the office, in collaboration with Choices, Inc., to expand the Early Diversion Worcester (EDW) program, which diverts vulnerable adolescents between the ages of 12 to 18 who might otherwise enter the criminal justice system due to the impact of school suspensions.
“By reaching kids early, we can work to adapt and modify behavior, while hopefully preventing a lifetime of involvement with the criminal justice system,” Mr. Early said. “This is crime prevention at its best.”
The current Early Diversion Program has successfully enrolled and screened 60 youth since its full implementation in February 2024. One parent of a participant shared, “The Choices program is a supportive, accepting environment that has had a huge impact on my son and our family. In just a couple of months, he has made new friends and has found the motivation to strive for his dreams again. We are forever grateful.”
Research by Citizens For Juvenile Justice (CFJJ) has shown that youth are twice as likely to be arrested during periods of school suspension or expulsion. In response to this issue, the Healey-Driscoll Administration allocated nearly $200,000 through the Title II Formula Grant Program to support nonprofit organizations, local police, and state agencies working to prevent at-risk youth from entering the juvenile justice system. The funding is designed to improve outcomes for adolescents through community-based organizations that offer essential services and support.
The program offers a pre-arrest diversion model that provides comprehensive, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, and equity-based behavioral health services to youth and their families. These services will be provided at the Choices program center in Worcester, where participants will receive individualized care.
Voluntary participants in the program will undergo a comprehensive intake and assessment, which will guide the development of a person-centered care plan. This plan will consider the child’s current risk status, history, available resources, and the needs of both the child and their family. In addition, participants will have access to daily programming and free transportation to the Choices center in Worcester. It is anticipated that the program will assist 20 to 25 youth through the duration of the grant.