Gun Violence Intervention Curriculum for Juvenile Probation | Licensing

Beyond the Trigger: The Gun Violence Intervention Curriculum Built for Juvenile Probation

Contact dcollins@thediversioncenter.com for custom pricing or programming for lower tiers.  

 

Beyond the Trigger is a licensable gun violence intervention curriculum from Diversion Center for justice-involved youth ages 11–17. It's grounded in CBT and solution-focused practice. Probation officers and counselors deliver it in groups or one-on-one, and it has published pilot outcomes on ERIC (ED677781). Agencies license it, their own staff get trained to run it, and groups can start this quarter.

 

The results, up front

 

In a published pilot with 80 youth ages 11–17 across two community sites:

 

Outcome Before After

Correct knowledge scores 44% 89%

Chose a nonviolent response in high-risk scenarios 45% 86%

Emotional regulation ratings — ~68% improvement

Recidivism (preliminary disciplinary data) — 30% reduction

 

Pilot evaluation of the Tier 2 Student Safety System (Beyond the Trigger + Anger Management). Full report: eric.ed.gov/?id=ED677781

 

Read that middle row again. Before the program, fewer than half of these young people would pick the nonviolent option when things got hot. After it, almost nine out of ten did. That's the whole job.

 

Why is there no gun intervention program for juvenile court?

 

Because the industry never built one. The Sentencing Project surveyed 74 juvenile justice professionals across 34 states and D.C. Not one could name a program in their jurisdiction that addresses why youth carry firearms. Seventy percent said they knew of no effective practice in their state for youth gun possession cases at all.

 

Meanwhile, here's what's coming through the door:

 

• Nationally: youth weapons arrests went from under 12,000 (2019) to more than 17,000 (2023).

• Texas: firearm referrals rose 51% from 2018 to 2023, while every other category fell.

• Florida: gun possession arrests rose 45% while all other juvenile arrests dropped 19%.

• Maryland: gun possession referrals doubled, from about 500 a year to over 1,000 in 2023.

• South Carolina: weapons referrals doubled past 1,000 a year.

• Detention: weapons cases detained went from 28% to 44% (2012–2021), while every other offense stayed flat or fell.

 

More kids, more beds, more cost, and nothing to put them into. That's not on probation chiefs. It's a market failure. The industry took adult anger management, put a teenager on the cover, and called it a gun program. Everybody in the room knows it doesn't land.

 

Why do teenagers carry guns?

 

Mostly because they're scared. Most research on adolescent carrying finds the main motive is protection and self-defense. Youth with five or more types of childhood trauma are more than five times as likely to carry a weapon as peers with none.

 

You can't punish fear out of a child. You have to work it out of him. You can't do that in clinical language he tunes out in ten minutes.

 

Beyond the Trigger talks the way a real conversation goes in a barbershop, not the way a treatment manual reads. It names retaliation. It names street cred. It names what happens on Instagram at 11 p.m. that turns into a shooting at midnight. It respects the kid enough to tell him the truth, and the pilot numbers show he listens.

 

What does Beyond the Trigger cover?

 

• Violence and conflict: gun safety basics, conflict resolution, triggers, retaliation, street cred, bullying, warning signs, assertiveness, anger management, domestic violence.

• Mental health and healing: trauma, PTSD, grief, coping skills, depression, self-esteem, forgiveness.

• Thinking and change: cognitive distortions, mood management, denial, stages of change, family conflict, self-image, living by principles, self-care.

• Life skills and accountability: consequences of violence, social media and digital safety, credit, budgeting, professional development, accountability, gratitude.

 

How is it delivered?

 

In a group or one-on-one, with the same workbook and the same license. You can run the full curriculum for court-ordered violence intervention groups, diversion cohorts, and detention alternatives. You can also assign targeted sessions during probation contacts, case management, aftercare, and reentry, based on each youth's risk and need. That's real RNR in practice, not just a slogan. Every officer contact becomes an intervention.

 

What outcomes does your agency get?

 

1. Measurable change you can report. Session-based structure, clear completion criteria, and a built-in outcome measurement system that produces the pre/post data grant reports require.

2. A capability, not a vendor contract. Dr. Derek Collins trains your officers and counselors on-site, so the program keeps running when the grant ends. That's the sustainability story reviewers score.

3. Fewer bed-days. A structured group intervention costs a fraction of detention and is the one line item built to change the trajectory. We'll help you put that math in your proposal.

4. Groups running this quarter. Building your own takes 12–18 months and a six-figure spend before the first group meets. Beyond the Trigger is finished: workbooks, facilitator guide, session structure, completion criteria, and training.

 

How can agencies pay for a gun violence curriculum?

 

With money that's already appropriated. Beyond the Trigger is a grant-ready deliverable that maps to these funding streams:

 

Funding Stream Administered By Fit

CalVIP Cohort 5 California BSCC $107M to 42 grantees; agreements run April 2026–Sept 2029. Curriculum is an allowable cost.

DCJS FVIP (CY2026–2027) Virginia DCJS Firearm-specific; funds both prevention and intervention.

PCCD VIP + BOOST Pennsylvania PCCD $68.3M proposed for FY2026-27.

TJJD DSA & RDA Texas Juvenile Justice Dept. Flows to county probation for "identified service gaps."

Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention Texas Governor's Office Violence prevention and juvenile justice improvement.

Byrne SCIP Colorado DCJ / OAJJA Goal: CVI capacity in 40+ organizations by Sept 2028.

JJDPA Title II Formula Every state's SAG Weapons reduction is an eligible purpose area in all 50 states.

JJCPA / YOBG California county probation Curriculum purchases are routine line items.

Juvenile Justice Formula Grants New York DCJS Funds weapons and violent crime reduction.

Byrne JAG BJA via state agencies Evidence-based programming for justice-involved populations.

OJJDP Delinquency Prevention & CVI Federal Use it, but don't bet survival on it. DOJ terminated 373 grants in April 2025. An owned license keeps running.

 

The window is now. CalVIP Cohort 5 grantees are standing up programs right now. Virginia's FVIP cycle is active. Colorado's buying happens in the next 24 months. At the same time, new laws in Mississippi, Utah, Florida, and Georgia are pushing more youth into supervision. Caseloads are growing by statute. The only open question is what you put those young people into.

 

Who licenses Beyond the Trigger?

 

• Juvenile probation and parole departments, and court service units

• Juvenile and family courts

• CVI programs and credible messenger organizations

• OJJDP, CalVIP, DCJS FVIP, PCCD VIP, TJJD, and Byrne SCIP grantees

• Detention alternatives and diversion programs

• Schools and alternative education programs

• Reentry and aftercare providers

• State departments of juvenile justice

 

License Beyond the Trigger for Your Agency

 

Licensing includes participant workbooks, the facilitator's guide, the outcome measurement system, and optional on-site training with Dr. Derek Collins. Pilot, regional, and statewide tiers are available. We also work with your grants team on the program narrative and performance measures at no extra cost.

 

Request the Licensing & Training Packet → dcollins@thediversioncenter.com | thediversioncenter.com

 

Also available: facilitator certification for anger management and parenting, plus curricula for substance use, domestic violence, theft prevention, fatherhood, and financial literacy.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the best gun violence intervention curriculum for juvenile probation?

Beyond the Trigger by Diversion Center is written specifically for youth who carry firearms, not adapted from adult anger management. It's grounded in CBT and solution-focused practice. In a published pilot of 80 youth, it raised nonviolent-response choices from 45% to 86% and showed a preliminary 30% reduction in recidivism.

 

Does Beyond the Trigger have outcome data?

Yes. A pilot evaluation published on ERIC (ED677781) tracked 80 youth ages 11–17 across two sites. Knowledge scores rose from 44% to 89%, emotional regulation improved about 68%, and preliminary disciplinary data showed a 30% drop in recidivism.

 

Why do juveniles carry guns?

Research consistently finds the main reason is protection and self-defense, not intent to harm. Trauma is a major driver: youth with five or more types of childhood trauma are more than five times as likely to carry. Effective intervention has to address fear and trauma, not just anger.

 

How is this different from anger management?

Anger management assumes the problem is anger. For most youth who carry, it's fear, trauma, and a perceived need for protection. Beyond the Trigger addresses retaliation cycles, street credibility, social media escalation, and trauma, in language written for a 16-year-old.

 

Can Beyond the Trigger be funded with CalVIP?

Yes. CalVIP Cohort 5 awarded $107 million to 42 grantees, with agreements running April 2026 through September 2029. Curriculum licensing, participant materials, and staff training are standard allowable costs. Diversion Center supplies scope-of-service language for your budget narrative.

 

Does it fit Virginia's DCJS FVIP grant?

Yes. FVIP funds both prevention and intervention for youth affected by firearm violence. Beyond the Trigger is firearm-specific, serves both categories, and its session structure supports DCJS performance measures.

 

Can Pennsylvania PCCD VIP funds pay for it?

Curriculum and facilitator training for violence intervention programs are consistent with VIP's purpose, which has $68.3 million proposed with BOOST for FY2026-27. Confirm allowability with your PCCD program officer. Diversion Center provides any documentation they request.

 

How do Texas probation departments buy it?

Through TJJD Discretionary State Aid or Regional Diversion Alternatives, which fund community-based programs that fill identified service gaps. Texas firearm referrals rose 51% from 2018 to 2023. The Governor's Office Juvenile Justice & Truancy Prevention grant is a second route.

 

Can it be delivered one-on-one?

Yes. It works in facilitator-led groups and in individual probation contacts, case management, and aftercare. Officers can assign targeted sessions based on each youth's risk and need.

 

Who can facilitate it?

Probation officers, counselors, social workers, educators, and community-based staff. Dr. Derek Collins provides on-site facilitator training, so your agency runs the program internally.

 

How do we license it?

Email dcollins@thediversioncenter.com for licensing tiers, workbook quantities, and training options. Pilot, multi-county, and statewide licenses are available.

 

Eight programs in a country with 3,000 juvenile courts. If your firearm numbers are climbing and you have nothing to put these young people into, you're not behind. You're normal. But normal is costing your county detention dollars and costing these kids their futures.

 

Let's fix it.

 

Dr. Derek Collins

CEO, Diversion Center | Founder, NACATP

PhD, CADC-II, MATS, SAP