BALTIMORE, MD (WBFF) — Reoffending juveniles, along with a lack of planning, data collection, and follow up with youth, has created an inconclusive outcome for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement’s (MONSE) Sidestep program, according to the latest Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of Baltimore City report.
MONSE piloted the SideStep Youth Diversion program between January 2022 and 2024 in the western district of Baltimore in partnership with the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) and Department of Juvenile Services (DJS).
The SideStep program aims to provide juveniles who are 17 years old or younger with an alternative to the formal justice system.
How SideStep aimed to function
According to the report, juveniles that were first-time offenders charged with a qualifying Category 2 offense, like shoplifting, larceny or misdemeanor assault, and had no active warrants were eligible for entry into the SideStep program…