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Garfield County commissioners award grant to YouthZone juvenile diversion program

YouthZone in Glenwood Springs is located at Ninth Street and Blake Avenue.
Chelsea Self / Post Independent

Garfield County commissioners on Monday awarded a grant of over $66,000 to help fund YouthZone’s juvenile diversion program. 

Juvenile diversion programs like YouthZone’s hold youths accountable for their actions while redirecting them from the justice system. Through YouthZone, teen first-offenders who are offered diversion can avoid prosecution and instead complete a YouthZone program. Those who complete the program successfully may have their sentences reduced or charges dropped. 

“We continue to have approximately 350 unique kids that we serve,” Jami Hayes, YouthZone executive director, told commissioners on Monday. “That doesn’t reflect the kids who come back who need additional interventions and additional support. Those numbers obviously don’t reflect all the families and other siblings that we support as well.”



Those in YouthZone’s juvenile diversion program are paired with one of the center’s youth advocates, who offer support while guiding the teen through the court system. 

YouthZone’s diversion program is the only one in Colorado that has municipal, county and state contracts, receiving referrals from multiple levels of court in all cities and counties within the 9th Judicial District. 



“ We believe highly in prevention work,” Hayes said. “As we say, we like to swim upstream.  rather than picking fish out of the water downstream.”

“I like to swim upstream with our partners and make sure that we’re providing services for families and kids at the first point of risk or the first point of offense,” she added.

In Garfield County, around 72% of juvenile diversion program referrals come directly from court, according to YouthZone. Common charges include possession of marijuana or alcohol, petty theft, criminal mischief and assault and battery. About 18% of referrals are from schools or pre-ticket interactions with law enforcement, preventing youth from entering the judicial system in the first place.

In the 2023 to 2024 fiscal year, 93% of Garfield County youths in the juvenile diversion program did not reoffend while receiving services at YouthZone and successfully completed their contracts. 

 ”We pride ourselves on our kids gaining the skills that they need so that when they reintegrate into their communities they have life skills and increased resiliency and the ability to refrain from high risk behaviors with the support of their families and the community,” Hayes said. 

YouthZone also hosts substance use education classes and restorative justice sessions. The nonprofit recently added a new family support program, Community Reinforcement and Family Training, for families of high risk youth experiencing high levels of substance use.

“ Thank you for that,” Commissioner Tom Jankovsky told Hayes on Monday after hearing that the majority of youths in the program do not reoffend. Commissioners then unanimously agreed to award a $66,825 grant to YouthZone for the juvenile diversion program.


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