This document provides researchers and prosecutors’ offices with an overview of the key data elements and study designs for obtaining meaningful findings to inform how diversion programs function, including: key evaluation questions, data capacity considerations, approaches to program evaluation, impact evaluation designs, an illustrative example of different designs impacting findings; and the appendix provides an illustrative example of a Recidivism Analysis.
This report has the goal of providing researchers and prosecutors’ offices with a general review of the key data elements, and a quantitative approach to study designs, that can provide meaningful findings that will inform how diversion programs function. These findings can inform offices on the following: how they should prioritize the programs to invest in, how to scale diversion programs, or how to redesign diversion programs so they can be more beneficial. At the macro level, evaluation findings can help build a stronger evidence foundation for specific diversion approaches and can be used to inform policy conversations and additional research on what works when compared with traditional criminal legal system responses. The report is structured based on two areas: data considerations, and potential study design. Offices are encouraged to consider how both of those areas can help them answer the seven key evaluation questions; the first three questions gauge the first-order impact of diversion programs on the legal system and the last four questions aim to identify the mechanisms or program features that make a diversion program effective.