Implementation of Youth Empowerment Services (YES) juvenile justice diversion program: A first-person account

In Santa Barbara County, the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Program brought together several government and community-based organizations, as well as a university-based evaluation team, to provide pre-adjudication diversion to youth ages 12 to 17. The primary goals of this program were to reduce the number of misdemeanor arrests and reoffending rates in the county's juvenile justice system, and to support the strengths and needs of youth in a trauma-informed and culturally sensitive manner. This first-person account article shares the experiences of a community-university partnership with the implementation of this program. A history of collaboration, flexibility in the face of a global pandemic, and clinically useful evaluation tools supported the program during its initial external funding period and its continued success with a sustainable infrastructure and internal funding.