Our History

Youth Diversion and Development’s History:

In 2017, the division of Youth Diversion and Development (YDD) was established within the Office of Diversion and Reentry. This division is focused on advancing youth development infrastructure in Los Angeles County and implementing an evidence-informed model of pre-booking youth diversion that empowers community-based organizations as the providers of individualized care coordination in lieu of arrest with the goal of equitably reducing young people’s involvement with the justice system. To learn more about the history of YDD, please visit our Collaborative Chronicle, developed in collaboration with youth leaders and core partners with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation: Collaborative Chronicle.

In 2019, youth leaders shared their experiences and vision for the future of Los Angeles County’s youth development movement. 

In 2020, the Los Angeles County YDD and the Chief Executive Office launched the County’s Youth Justice Work Group, a collaborative planning process facilitated by a Consultant Team led by the W. Haywood Burns Institute that has been tasked with exploring the feasibility of transitioning Los Angeles County’s youth justice system out of the Probation Department and designing a transformed model that would achieve meaningfully different outcomes than the current system. For more information about the Youth Justice Work Group’s efforts and recommendations, please visit https://lacyouthjustice.org

In 2021, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to create a new Department of Youth Development to support the development of young people in Los Angeles County by coordinating and building capacity for a wide range of Youth Development services, opportunities, supports, and other care first efforts with a focus on transforming the County’s youth justice system.