The Culver City Police Department sponsors a Juvenile Diversion Program designed to target Culver City youth from 13-17 years of age and their parents. This program provides for personal contact between members of the Police Department and juveniles who have been selected to participate by the officers of the Juvenile Detective Section. The young men and women participate in approximately eighteen weeks of supervised activities, which will challenge them to evaluate their current value system and behavior. The goal is to improve the teens’ personal growth, maturity and decision making abilities.
The program revolves around three basic areas:

Group projects include field trips (including an overnight camping trip) and weekly classroom style meetings where the teens are encouraged to learn new skills and develop talents they already possess. The exercises are designed to help the youth develop self-esteem, confidence, teamwork and leadership skills.

  Two:  Academic

---

The participants are required to maintain a 2.0 grade point average in their school studies. Individual attention in the form of tutoring is encouraged, and visits to school counselors are routinely made to support the minors in their studies.

  Three:  Counseling

---

Members of the Juvenile Diversion Staff, including volunteer psychologists, conduct weekly group meetings for both the teens and their parents. Among the topics addressed are: self-esteem, communication skills, chemical and drug abuse, family support, cooperation with others, sibling rivalries, and goal setting. Guest speakers discuss etiquette, cultural awareness, vocational goal setting, and health/fitness. Celebrity Speakers discuss personal success and problem solving techniques. These meetings are designed to provoke dialogue and an exchange of ideas by the participants.

  Four:  Parent Project

---

Since its inception, In conjunction with the classes given to the teens, the parents receive instruction on how to deal with “strong-willed, out-of-control” behavior. Parents are taught how to understand a strong-willed teen and the importance of motivation vs. control. The Parent Project, which is a behavioral modification course, is a 16-unit parenting program. Throughout the course, parents are broken down into small groups so they can problem solve group activities then gathered into a “big group” to discuss the solutions they came up with. The group discussions are facilitated by a certified instructor.

The parents are given tools that they can immediately use to deal with destructive behavior. An example is the 6-Step action plan which is aimed at targeting specific destructive behavior and provides the parent an systematic outline to follow when addressing the problem behavior.

In this program, we cover many topics including: influencing and motivating children vs. controlling them, how to address problematic behavior, adolescent drug use, youth gangs and managing conflict in the home. Other subjects covered are:

• Developing personal action plans
• Communicating parental views
• Understanding the dynamics of change
• Building positive self concept, and
• Understanding the dynamics of change

The parents are given a workbook and are receive weekly “homework” which is directly related to the course covered that week. Since this course is certified through Alternative Resources, parental attendance is critical.

During the course, we track the behavior(s) the parents complain are the most serious relative to their child. We track the behavior through three phases. The first phase is that the behavior gets worse before it gets better. The second phase is when the negative, unwanted behavior occurs less often but the intensity is the same when it does occur. Finally, the third phase is when the behavior occurs less frequent and less intense.

Through the process of behavior change parents often need help and support. Because of that, parents are taught how to facilitate a parental support group so they can continue as a support group after the course is over.

  Results

---

Since its inception, the Juvenile Diversion Program has been very successful. Due to the dedication of the staff involved and the participation of the youth and their parents, the program has often resulted in; a noted decrease in delinquent behavior; stimulation in the teen’s desire to continue their educational efforts; and improved relationships between the teens and their family.

  Contact

---

For questions regarding the program, please contact the Juvenile Section at (310) 253-6300.

  Gallery

---