As the Network continues to wrestle with measuring the impact of our programs, we continue to come back to the challenge around the time it takes for a youth to be arrested and the referral to an accredited diversion program. Thanks to Plymouth State University graduate student Alisha Medeiros, we may soon have answers. Medeiros is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and will be working under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie Halter. Her applied research project will run from December into the spring of 2016 and will start by examining the research literature on referrals. In addition, Medeiros will examine the length of time from arrest to referral and case outcomes by collecting and analyzing 2013 and 2014 data from accredited Juvenile Court Diversion Network Programs. As part of her role in this project, Medeiros will disseminate the information found to the Network though presentations and reports.
Alisha Medeiros graduated from PSU in May 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Child Welfare and Family Studies. In the fall of 2014, she completed a full semester internship with the CADY program in Plymouth, NH and discovered her passion for working with youth in diversion programs, especially within a restorative justice framework. Please click the following link to read more about Alisha Medeiros in PSU’s magazine: https://www.plymouth.edu/magazine/features/and-justice-for-all/.