Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Pa. House approves expansion of youth diversion programs with broad bipartisan support

Pa. House approves expansion of youth diversion programs with broad bipartisan support

Rep. Rick Krajewski    February 4, 2026 | 3:34 PM

HARRISBURG, Feb. 4 – Today, the Pennsylvania House garnered significant bipartisan support to pass House Bill 144, voting 153-45 to standardize the use of juvenile diversion programs statewide.  

“Diversion helps youth take accountability, saves taxpayer dollars and makes our communities safer,” said state Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-Phila., prime sponsor of H.B. 144. “It shouldn’t depend on what county you’re from; all of our children should have access to these services.”   

The legislation would standardize the use of diversion programs for all non-violent juvenile offenses. A range of stakeholder groups support the legislation, from child advocates to criminal justice reform champions to advocates of fiscal responsibility. 

Krajewski said every county in Pennsylvania already offers some degree of youth diversion programming, but there are wide differences in approaches. Some counties divert most new allegations – others very few.   

“Our juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania is long overdue for real reform, and House Bill 144 is a significant step in the right direction,” said Youth Sentencing & Reentry Project Policy Director Margot Isman. “Kids always do better in their communities, and it’s incumbent on the grownups in the system to make that equally possible for all kids across the state.” 

Decades of evidence suggests that for the vast majority of kids who are arrested – those arrested for nonviolent offenses, misdemeanors, and summary offenses like loitering or possession of alcohol – diversion works better to reduce reoffending and at a fraction of the cost.  

The average cost for a diversion program is around $10,000 per youth per year, while the average cost to incarcerate a youth is 16 to 24 times greater.  

“Expanding diversion is a win-win-win,” said Stefanie Arbutina, Vulnerable Youth Policy Director at Children First and author of the Children First Diversion Report. “Youth have better outcomes, the system is less clogged with low-level kids, and the community is safer and stronger.” 

Krajewski’s bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. 

“I appreciate so many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle recognizing that diversion programs with comprehensive wraparound services are more beneficial to struggling youth than endless punishment,” said Krajewski. “Diversion cuts costs, promotes public safety, and sets youth on a path for success. Diversion works.”