Ajuvenile court is assessing the impact of a diversion program. this diversion program curtails the use of secure confinement and increases the use of informal sanctions for minor delinquents. the evaluation shows that keeping minor delinquents out of secure confinements would not significantly increase the crime rate. the crime rate would remain stable because there are very few juveniles who would be eligible to participate in the diversion program. a citizen who is concerned about wasting financial resources argues that before conducting an evaluation of impact, the researcher should have conducted an evaluation of: