Santa Cruz County Office of Education launches ASCEND diversion program for justice-involved youth

Santa Cruz County Office of Education launches ASCEND diversion program for justice-involved youth

SANTA CRUZ — The Santa Cruz County Office of Education has teamed up with a network of local law enforcement and community-based organizations to launch a new countywide program that diverts justice-involved youth away from detention facilities and into the care of those providing rehabilitation and prevention services. Project Achieving Success through Community, Education, and Nurturing Development, or ASCEND, was announced last week by educat…

Restorative justice is using healing, not punishment, as a response to harm in Santa Cruz County

Five years ago, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office launched the Neighborhood Justice Program, which allows people to take responsibility for harm they caused outside a traditional court process. The program has facilitated more than 403 conferences and has a 1% recidivism rate. The post Restorative justice is using healing, not punishment, as a response to harm in Santa Cruz County appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.