In March of 2019, Volunteers for Youth Justice acquired the Misdemeanor Referral Center (MRC) under their umbrella. The MRC was established to assist law enforcement officers with juveniles charged with misdemeanor offenses such as petty theft, fighting at school, or simple assault.
The law enforcement officers can bring juveniles up to age 17 to the MRC and return to their duties quickly. Intake officers at the center will contact the parent(s)/guardian(s) to take custody of the juvenile. If this is their first offense, the intake officer will screen the juvenile for diversion services such as Power of Choice. This process also reduces the population in the Juvenile Detention Center, thus allowing the JDC to operate much more efficiently.