EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The El Paso Juvenile Probation Department, in collaboration with other organizations, brought together educators, law enforcement, justice professionals and clinicians to create action plans to prevent young people from entering the justice system through the School-Justice Pathways Youth Sequential Intercept Model (Youth SIM) Mapping Project, the Paso del Norte Health Foundation announced in a news release.
Photos courtesy of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation
SIM, a nationally recognized tool for justice diversion planning, was used to map how young people interact with various systems and where interventions can prevent justice system involvement, according to the news release.
“The most valuable outcome of our Youth SIM project has been identifying gaps in the system and developing collaborative solutions to address them,” Chief Rosie Medina of the El Paso Juvenile Probation Department said. “We focused on diversion and prevention strategies at the earliest points of contact, such as when youth first encounter law enforcement. This has sparked numerous exciting opportunities for change.”
The Paso del Norte Heald Foundation said one opportunity is “piloting a school-based First Offense Program (FOP) within the Socorro Independent School District.”
This program, which is led by law enforcement, addresses first-time felony-level THC vaping offenses in schools, according to the news release.
“By focusing on rehabilitation and education instead of punitive actions, the program aims to intervene early and divert students from the justice system, reducing the long-term impact of these offenses,” read the news release.
The results of the Youth SIM project are detailed in a report available here.
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation supports mental health programs under its Mental Health and Well-being Initiative. For more information, visit pdnhf.org.
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