Caminos Hacia el Éxito

What is the Caminos Hacia El Éxito Program?


The Caminos Hacia el Éxito Program is administered by the Watsonville Police Department. It is a diversion program for Watsonville youth who commit a first-time offense (misdemeanor). The program uses evidence-based approaches to hold youth accountable for their actions in a timely and appropriate manner.
The youth who agree to participate in the program must complete the following requirements in order to prevent their case from being forwarded to the Santa Cruz County Probation Department.


1. Community Service hours
2. Counseling
3. Pro-Social hours
4. Case Management meetings  
5. Parenting Component

Who Qualifies?


First-time offender youth between the ages of 12-17 arrested and/or cited with a misdemeanor within Watsonville City limits.

Our Partners:

  • Santa Cruz County Office of Education – Teen Peer Court
  • Santa Cruz County Probation Department
  • Watsonville Police Activities League
  • Watsonville Police Neighborhood Services Division – Neighborhood Accountability Board
  • Pajaro Valley Prevention & Student Assistance, Inc.
  • Pajaro Valley Unified School District 

Caminos Program Stats:

April 2012 - January 2026
Number of youth referred: 757  
Number of youth who accepted: 616
Number of youth who successfully completed program: 520
Number of youth who re-offended within 6 months of program completion: 43
Number of community service hours completed by youth: 24,585
Number of prosocial hours: 8,179
Number of parent component completion: 431
Program success rate: 92% (477 out of 520 youth did not re-offend)

Statistics as of January 26, 2026