Diversion and Workforce Program

The mission of the Diversion and Workforce Program is to create a workforce development and transition program for emerging adults ages eighteen to twenty-four. The program will support emerging adults who have been in contact with the Washington D.C. criminal legal system and are new entrants to the workforce.

This program will connect emerging adults with training and employment opportunities in the environmental sector, paid employment, credential-building opportunities, and access to wrap-around services.

With access to increased income and the development of workforce experiences,  participants will have an opportunity to improve their quality of life and avoid further interactions with the criminal legal system through incarceration and/or recidivism.

In Washington, DC emerging adults are disproportionately imprisoned. Young adults are also more likely to be re-incarcerated than any other age group. The three-year recidivism rate among young adults is 80%, compared to 70% for 25-29-year-olds and 60% for those 40 and older.”

of the incarcerated population

of the US population

approved in FY 2021 to support Youth Rehabilitation Services

Our budget projects this program would cost $3.7M. This money should be redirected to workforce and diversion programs, which would in turn support justice-involved individuals and contribute to labor force development in the growing environmental sector. 

The law demands that the mayor addresses the needs of emerging adults who have come into contact with the criminal legal system; yet, after four years, nothing has been done. This proposal aims to establish a program that aids emerging adults as required by law. The program is centered on workforce training but also provides wrap-around services and educational opportunities.

YRA Key Ingredients (core principles needed for success):

• Intervention plans must be tailored to the individual participants needs and developed with participant’s input.
•  Programming must be strength-based and use rewards instead of graduated sanctions in response to participant behavior.
• Programming should happen in the community, with community participation.
• Programs must be independently monitored and evaluated.

Wrap Around Service Partners

As this program seeks to provide alternatives to individuals who are already disenfranchised, additional wraparound services centering on the individual’s experience and the social barriers that cause people to resort to criminal activity to survive are essential. While many services could benefit participants, returning citizens highlight the following as essential needs in the initial stages of reentry: mental health services, “Know Your Rights” education, and personal document creation and/or retrieval. Additionally, this program must assist individuals with temporary housing as needed.

The program will include microcredential opportunities, with the hope that microcredentials can be transferred to contribute to credits for postsecondary education. Microcredentials are short, focused courses that provide individuals with certifications for in-demand skills. These programs may lead to further education or employment. Emerging adults participating in the Diversion and Workforce Program must be provided with ample opportunities; microcredentialing expands the opportunities available to participants. We plan to partner with Julie Johnson of Strategy Forward Advisors who is a leading expert on microcredentialing.

The Diversion and Workforce Program is modeled after Tall Timbers’ ecological workforce development model in land stewardship and fire prescription (“Veteran’s Natural Resource Training and Workforce Development Initiative”). Participants will receive job training in wildfire management and, upon completion, will be employed for at least six months.

Emerging adults will be exposed to various aspects of resource management through training and employment and, thus, will be more marketable to the forest and ecosystem service industries. While Tall Timbers mainly focuses on prescribed fire, the Workforce and Diversion program will provide pathways to various green jobs, especially those that are in high demand.

This program will focus on recidivism and creating several pathways for justice-involved individuals to reintegrate into society by focusing on developing life skills, increasing access to reliable income, and equipping participants with tools to make them competitive in the current market. While the program’s main priority is diversion, the program does provide support to individuals that are reentering their communities. 

Young people are deserving of the opportunity for rehabilitation and investing in this demographic of the population can help shift dynamics within the legal system. By prioritizing our support to this group, we anticipate a reduction in recidivism rates, closed gaps in environmental and green jobs, in addition to federal savings on prison spending.

The Diversion and Workforce program has been created to evolve to accommodate the needs of current and future District of Columbia justice-involved and incarcerated individuals. The program is intended to (1) reduce recidivism rates and (2) create pathways for green jobs. The program will target industries that are projected to grow substantially over the next ten years. This will help to close the workforce gaps within the district and national workforce. It is unique in that it offers participants the opportunity to experience cities within and outside of the DMV area, allowing participants to travel.The program will focus on developing life skills, increasing access to reliable income, and equipping participants with tools to make them competitive in the current market. 

Participants who have completed the diversion and workforce program will gain access to multiple environmental-focused workforce pathways, wrap-around services, and credential building opportunities. As the program expands, participants will have the opportunity to be hired as staff and/or mentors and have access to continued enrollment in micro-credentialing courses that build toward a degree or credential of value.

While this program is modeled after Tall Timbers, there are a few other similar and successful programs, including California’s Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp. Under this program, Californians ages 18-25 are trained and certified to participate in wildland firefighting operations. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, “the major emphasis of the camp programs is to provide youths with employable skills and to develop within them a strong emphasis on solid work habits.” Root and Rebound, a reentry advocacy group, reported on the success of the program. One of the participants recently became a California firefighter upon his release. Participants of the program spoke not only of the training but about the positive effect of working with others and getting out in the fresh air. According to the post by Root and Rebound, finding employment upon completion of the program is not easy, however. Many participants struggle to navigate the process. This limitation speaks to the importance of the wrap-around and mentorship services outlined in this proposal. 

D.C. has a successful diversion program for youth up to 18 years of age. The Alternatives to the Court Experience (ACE) is housed within the Office of the Attorney General and works "to reduce the number of court-involved youth up to 18 years old by providing youth with services and community supports instead of prosecution." While ACE serves a different age group, its success illustrates the importance of wrap-around services and court alternatives.

According to District-wide data:

• Nearly 75% of the participants who complete the program are not arrested again.
• 88% of the participants who complete the program show improved scores on a behavioral and mental health assessment tool they take upon entering and leaving the program.
• 62% of the participants who complete the program have improved school attendance.

• Further research into access to jobs in DC
• Finding a champion
  • Legislative process
  • DC Council
  • DC organization
  • Mayor's office (MORCA)
• Published Blueprint - as of today, 04/27/2023