Denver Public Safety Youth Program

  • DPSYP is the youth delinquency prevention arm of the Department of Public Safety. DPSYP works with community and city partners to provide a continuum of prevention programs aimed at diverting youth away from or out of the juvenile justice system. DPSYP provides coordinated case management services for at-risk, and court-involved youth between the ages of 10-18.  Youth are connected to in-house and community-based services intended to reduce risk factors that may contribute to future delinquency. 

    DPSYP Programs include:

    • Municipal Juvenile Diversion
    • Truancy Court Diversion
    • Alternative to Citation Program (DPS)
    • ROCK Project (DPS)
    • Voluntary Diversion
    • Runaway Outreach, Notification, and Intervention (RONI) Project
    • Denver Juvenile Human Trafficking Multi-Disciplinary Team

  • Voluntary Diversion

    To meet a need for prevention services for at-risk youth, DPSYP has expanded its’ Diversion model to serve youth and families on a voluntary basis. Voluntary Diversion provides youth and families access to the same resources and services as youth referred from Municipal Juvenile Court but requires no formal system involvement.  The program is designed to prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system and gives schools an alternative to referring youth to juvenile court. 

    The DPSYP diversion model is a comprehensive case management approach that focuses on identifying and addressing risk factors that the student is experiencing that are contributing to negative/delinquent behavior. Youth are connected to city and community-based services at no cost to the family and DPSYP has an extensive network of program partners. The DPSYP diversion model includes three core components to support youth and families:

  • Intake

    Assessing the problem is the only way to determine how to address the problem. DPSYP staff meet with the youth and parent/caregiver to identify risk and protective factors that may be drivers of risky/delinquent behavior.

  • Intervention Plan

    DPSYP staff reviews the assessment outcomes with the youth and parent and collectively develop an intervention plan that can address the root issues that are contributing to negative behavior. Intervention plans are tailored to the individual and may include:

    • Mentoring
    • Tutoring
    • Individual/Family counseling including in-home services
    • Connection to pro-social activities
    • Family and parent-focused groups

  • Coordinated Case Management

    DPSYP staff connect with other professionals (schools, therapists, mentors) who are working with the youth and/or family to ensure everyone is working together to support the goals identified in the intervention plan. DPSYP staff maintain ongoing contact with the family to remove barriers that may prevent engagement in services such as accessibility. DPSYP staff utilize incentives to promote engagement and provide positive reinforcement to encourage continued service engagement by the youth/family. Efforts are also made to connect the youth and family to resources available in their community.  

  • Learn More

    To learn more about DPSYP services, please visit our website or call 720-913-4620.