Overview

• Chapin Hall evaluated 144 participants from 2022 to 2023 and found 18% picked up a new charge compared with 28% in a matched group.
• Eighty-five percent of referred youths graduated, with nearly all connecting to at least one community-based service.
• The court track defers prosecution, links eligible youths to counseling and education, and dismisses cases upon successful completion.
• Eligibility excludes violent crimes and focuses on first-time offenders charged with nonviolent felonies or serious misdemeanors, with most cases involving gun possession.
• The study credited the program with avoiding 125 prosecutions, and State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke endorsed the results as the initiative continues under grant funding through 2026.