Assignment: Diversionary Strategies

Assignment Questions

1

Diversionary Strategies

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Walden University

Dr. Danielle McDonald

Devan Yokum

November 8, 2020

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Diversionary Strategies

Case Study Overview

A 15-year-old boy was caught robbing a convenience store with a gun. The boy

threatened the clerk; luckily no one was injured. The offender has no prior record. Upon being

spotted by law enforcement, he ran, and once apprehended, he did not resist arrest. The boy’s

mother works two jobs leaving him unattended for long periods while the father is absent and

incarcerated for a violent crime. The grandmother was his primary caregiver; she passed away a

year ago. Since the grandmother’s passing, the offender has become truant and started to act out.

The offender is cooperating but will not provide further information on how he acquired the

firearm.

Classification of Offense

The crime that this boy committed was larceny. The amount of money received during

the commission of the crime is not stated, so the distinction cannot be determined between petty

and grand larceny. In most cases (the laws vary in different states), the distinction between petty

and grand larceny is somewhere between $500- $1,000 (petty larceny) and anything above that is

determined to be a grand larceny charge.

Short and Long-Term Plan

Due to the firearm being present during the commission of the crime, a short-term

placement of 6 months into a juvenile detention program would be best recommended. The

offender has the opportunity of early release based on good behavior. I believe the placement

into a detention center is necessary because of the presence of the firearm, making this a much

more serious offense. The offender will not be charged with court fines due to the financial

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3

instability of the mother who is the sole provider in the house hold but will be charged restitution

to pay back the money that was taken during the crime. Once released from JDC, in addition to

probation, the offender will be given 100 hours of community service to be completed within 1

years’ time. Failure to comply will result in a violation of probation.

Additionally, the offender must comply to long-term rehabilitation strategies as well.

Once released from JDC, he will be placed on probation until the age of 18. Also, it would be in

the best benefit of the offender to attend court-mandated counseling to process the loss of his

grandmother, the often absence of his mother, and the loss of his father to incarceration;

providing healthy ways to cope and deal with his emotions. Because rehabilitation is the primary

goal, it is best to provide this child with the treatment he needs that will allow him to move

forward with his life and becoming an upstanding citizen (Krisberg, 2018). Truancy is also a

violation of probation so the offender must attend and finish school or will be in violation of his

probation. Failure to comply with these terms may result in placement back to JDC. Frequent

social service visits will also be in order until the age of 18 to ensure that the child is properly

taken care of. The offender must meet with his probation officer once a month.

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Intake Plan for Offender

This intake plan was developed for a 15-year-old offender who has committed a robbery with the

use of a firearm.

Jurisdiction

The offender is a 15-year-old boy and does qualify for juvenile proceedings. The crime

committed was a robbery with the use of a firearm during the commission of the crime. No one

was hurt during the commission of the crime. The juvenile remains controllable and compliant.

He attempted to flee the scene but did not resist arrest once he was caught and detained. The

juvenile has no priors. The role of his parents is very absent. The mother is the only guardian to

this child; she works two jobs which leaves the offender unattended for long periods. The father

is incarcerated for a violent assault crime and drug possession. The grandmother was his primary

caregiver while his mother worked, however, she recently passed away a year ago. The juvenile’s

behavior slowly started to decline once this happened.

Legal Rights

The child admitted to the robbery immediately but refuses to provide information on how

he acquired the firearm that was used in the commission of the crime. The most prevalent issue

for this case is the family dynamic. His grandmother is recently deceased, his mother is working

two jobs while his father remains incarcerated. This is a lot to process for someone his age

making day to day situations seem out of control or uneasy. The offender could use mental health

counseling due to the stress factors of his family life; although, I do not believe there is evidence

of a mental illness. Drug or alcohol use was not mentioned in the crime report.

Intake Decision

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5

With all circumstances considered, this case would be best handled through the juvenile

court as it was the delinquent’s first offense and no one was injured during the process of the

crime. Diversion should be considered and will be part of his compliance; Youth Court,

Restitution, Mental Health Services, Parenting Services, Community Service Work, Counseling,

and Good Behavior Release.