Staffordshire Data Overview

As more law enforcement and prosecution agencies embrace alternative sanctions, data becomes increasingly important in understanding programme outcomes, equity, and efficacy. AdventFS recently analysed data from online diversion course participants between March 1 and June 1, offering an early look into who is participating, what they’re learning, and how they’re performing.

The report draws on 90 course enrolments from 72 distinct students, many of whom are currently completing conditional cautions. While the sample is still small, the trends emerging from this cohort are already beginning to tell a meaningful storey.

Who’s Participating?

Cohort Size

• 72 distinct students

• 90 total enrolments

(Some individuals are enrolled in more than one course)

Gender

• 80.6% male

• 19.4% female

Ethnicity

• 83.3% White British

• 5.6% Black (overrepresented relative to 0.8% of county population)

• 5.6% Asian (slightly overrepresented vs. 3.3% county population)

While White British students remain the majority, both Black and Asian students are overrepresented relative to their proportions in the general population. This is an important trend for agencies monitoring equity in referral practises.

What Courses Are Students Taking?

A significant majority of course participation is concentrated in just two programs:

Course	Enrolments	Share
Anger Management	41	45.6%
Thinking Skills	28	31.1%

These two courses alone account for over three-quarters of all enrolments. The remaining courses include:

• Harassment & Malicious Communications (14.4%)

• Life Skills (3.3%)

• Fraud Act Offences (2.2%)

• Shoplifting, Theft, and Knife Crime (each ~1%)

Course Status and Completion

At the time of analysis:

• 48.9% of enrolments had been completed and passed

• 51.1% were still in progress

This reflects the short reporting window (3 months) and the fact that many participants are still within their conditional caution period.

Performance Outcomes

The average pass score across all completed courses was 79.1%, with wide variation depending on the course:

Course	Average Pass Mark
Life Skills	92.0%
Thinking Skills	82.4%
Fraud Act Offences	80.0%
Anger Management	77.8%
Harassment & Malicious Comms	72.7%

Courses with fewer completions (e.g., Knife Crime, Shoplifting, Theft) do not yet have enough data for meaningful analysis.

Distribution Insights: Are Scores ‘Normal’?

Score distributions for Anger Management and Thinking Skills followed a bell-shaped curve—indicating a roughly normal distribution. This is a promising sign that:

• Course assessments are well-calibrated

• Most learners are achieving at or near the average

• The programmes are consistently delivered across the cohort

Another interesting takeaway: students from ethnic minority backgrounds scored on average 1.9 percentile points higher than White students in both Anger Management and Thinking Skills courses. Though the sample is small, this may warrant further exploration as more data becomes available.

What This Data Tells Us

1. Participation is highly concentrated.

   Nearly 80% of all enrolments fall into just two programmes. These likely reflect the most common offences or the preferred first-tier options for diversion.

2. Demographic trends need attention.

   Male and White British individuals dominate the cohort, but some minority groups are disproportionately represented, especially Black participants. This could point to either referral practises or the nature of offences charged.

3. Progress is steady.

   Almost half of the cases have already been completed, with more data expected to emerge in coming months as time-limited conditions expire.

4. Early results suggest strong learner performance.

   Average scores are healthy overall, and the highest-performing courses (like Life Skills) may offer models for expanding course offerings or replicating success.

Looking Ahead

While these early insights are promising, the value of this data will only grow as larger cohorts are tracked over time. Soon, the ability to analyse recidivism outcomes, course efficacy, and demographic equity will help agencies fine-tune their diversion strategies and ensure that every participant has a fair shot at rehabilitation.

For prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, and community justice programmes, data like this can be an essential guide not just for reporting, but for improving outcomes.

Diversion Manager supports your force with our fully functional platform configurable to accommodate Out of Court Resolution programmes with advanced workflow, communication, reporting, and integration with your case management system. Contact us today if you’d like to set a meeting to learn more about Diversion Manager or to schedule a demo.