Date of Award
Summer 8-26-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department/Program
Criminal Justice
Language
English
First Advisor or Mentor
Heath Grant
Second Reader
Valerie West
Abstract
As solutions to mass incarceration continue to emerge, court diversion programs and specialty courts across the United States have grown as alternative options to the traditional criminal legal system. The State of Vermont has been utilizing court diversion programs for over 50 years to address harm in their communities. Court diversion has proven to be effective in reducing recidivism, improving cost efficiency and connecting individuals to their communities. However, what has gone unexamined are the potential disparities in opportunities for diversion participation along demographic lines. This study utilized a chi-square test of independence to explore the relationships between age, gender, race and the criminal court where an individual is participating in diversion. Results found a significant relationship among all categorical variables with overrepresentation of black or African Americans in the diversion population, and varying overrepresentation of men and women as it relates to their age range. This study concludes that further analysis is necessary to examine these discrepancies and the impact that they have on opportunities and outcomes for diversion participants in the State of Vermont.
Recommended Citation
Hill, Jennifer, "An Analysis of Relationships Between Demographics in Vermont’s Court Diversion Participants" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/jj_etds/332