Diversion instead of detention
A 17-year-old facing a first felony charge was diverted into a coordinated treatment plan — trauma-focused therapy, school re-engagement, and family support — with charges dismissed at the 12-month review.
Member
Marcus (17)
Who we help
Justice Involved (JI)
Location
Alameda County, CA
Timeframe
12-month diversion
What changed
The outcome for Marcus (17)
Dismissed
Charges at 12-month review
No formal adjudication on record.
1.8 → 3.1
Grade point average
Across two academic semesters.
94%
School attendance
Up from 61% at diversion entry.
0
New law enforcement contacts
Across the diversion period.
Where things started
The situation.
Marcus, a high school junior, was arrested during a group incident. A juvenile defender flagged untreated trauma from childhood exposure to community violence and requested a mental health diversion pathway.
“They didn't treat me like a case number. My therapist knew my little brother's name.”
The hard part
What stood in the way.
- 1
First formal court involvement; risk of long-term justice-system entanglement.
- 2
Two-semester slide in school attendance and grades.
- 3
Undiagnosed PTSD symptoms surfacing as anger and isolation.
- 4
Mother working two jobs with limited bandwidth for court, school, and clinic logistics.
Our approach
How we built the plan.
Step 1
Coordinate one care plan across defense counsel, probation, school, and family.
Step 2
Trauma-focused CBT delivered by an adolescent clinician who looked and sounded like Marcus's community.
Step 3
Progress letters filed with the court every 90 days so treatment counted toward dismissal.
The support
What we actually did.
- 01
Month 1 — Diversion plan filed
Assessment completed within 10 days; diversion contract signed by court, family, and Atlas care team.
- 02
Months 2–6 — TF-CBT + school
Weekly therapy, credit-recovery enrollment, and an IEP review that unlocked accommodations for anxiety.
- 03
Months 7–12 — Step-down & review
Biweekly therapy, mentor pairing, and a full attendance record submitted at the 12-month judicial review.
Behind the scenes
The team and services on this case.
You could be next
Tell us what's going on — we'll take it from there.
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