PIERRE, S.D.  (MITCHELLNOW) Nearly two-thousand South Dakota juveniles were successfully diverted from the state’s court system this year, according to a new report. A 2024 law has added fiscal incentive for counties to continue these diversion efforts. When low-risk youth are diverted from the court system, they are 45-percent less likely to reoffend, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Diversion can take many forms, from mural-painting to skateboarding programs. State’s Attorney Lara Roetzel in Pennington County, where diversion programs have been used for about 25 years, says they can help unveil the root cause of a child’s misbehavior.

  “Diversion gives you a chance to really get to know that young person and get them the help that they need – because it’s not always obvious.”

For example, she says, a child caught stealing may be doing so to support a drug habit and would be best served through addiction counseling. The Department of Social Services has also expanded community-based treatment options for youth, including functional family therapy and aggression replacement therapy, according to a draft 2024 report from the state’s Juvenile Justice Oversight Council.

When a child avoids court or incarceration, the state saves money – so, the state compensates counties for the cost per child of successful diversions. South Dakota Senate Bill 47, passed this year, increased the amount paid from 250-dollars to 750 per child. Roetzel says that allows the diversion programming to continue.

  “It meant that I just wrote a check this week that will allow me to pay for classes for almost all of the young people that will go through my juvenile diversion programs next year.”

This is particularly helpful, she says, because otherwise the outstanding costs land on parents, who often can’t afford to pay them.