Between 2013 and 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) funded two grant initiatives which supported: 1) education and workforce development services for youth with juvenile records; and 2) records expungement and diversion services; and were designed to test several strategies to serve young offenders. Specifically, the Face Forward initiative awarded 54 grants in three rounds, and the Pathways to Justice Careers awarded 13 grants in two rounds. These programs featured partnerships with community-based educational entities, the public workforce system, and justice and emergency service providers. Each grant focused on workforce system strategies i.e. access and entry into careers in justice or emergency services for at-risk and court-involved youth, or criminal justice system strategies i.e. record expungement or diversion services, to help youth and young adults develop into productive, law-abiding citizens.

ETA also funded an evaluation to document and identify promising practices from the grantee's experiences across both initiatives that yielded three issue briefs on expunging records, diversion services and career pathways for at-risk youth, a resource guide on young adult diversion programs, and a case study on operating a vocational training program at a juvenile correctional facility. The issue briefs and case study identify challenges grantees encountered implementing their programs, lessons learned, and key findings. The resource guide focuses on designing and improving a diversion program for young adults in the adult criminal justice system.