An Overview of Prosecutor-Led Diversion Programs: A New Incarnation of an Old Idea

Johnson, Kalani; Davis, Robert C.; Labriola, Melissa; Rempel, Michael; Reich, Warren A.

doi:10.1080/0098261x.2019.1707136

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The strongest effects of the diversion programs in our analyses were on the more immediate outcomes: case conviction and use of jail. This is understandable, as these are explicit goals of diversion programs; in fact, as the authors’ research across 16 diversion programs in 11 prosecutor’s offices demonstrated, reducing collateral consequences of conviction and/or jail for the defendant was among the preeminent goals the creation of these programs—exceeding recidivism reduction in relative importance according to the stakeholders we interviewed who created the programs (see, also, Johnson et al, 2019). Moreover, having a criminal conviction on one’s record, especially one that led to time spent in jail, is known to be a significant barrier to employment, housing, and education (Clifford & Sullivan, 2017; Doherty et al, 2016; Solomon, 2012), all of which increase criminogenic risk and lead to longer-term challenges to health and family stability (Vallas et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Four diversion programs located at three sites (Milwaukee, WI, Cook County, IL, and Chittenden County, VT) were selected for impact evaluations from 13 programs originally included in a process evaluation (see Johnson et al, 2019, for detail on the larger study).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emphasis on prosecutor-led programs tends to be on mitigating the negative effect of conviction on employment and preserving resources to be used on more serious and complex cases. Some prosecutor-led diversion programs have pushed the envelope on the types of cases accepted to include some violent offenses and felonies (for an expanded discussion of these issues, see our companion paper in Johnson et al, 2019).…”

Section: The Resurgence Of Diversion Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Multisite Evaluation of Prosecutor-Led Pretrial Diversion: Effects on Conviction, Incarceration, and Recidivism

Davis

Reich

Rempel

et al. 2021

Criminal Justice Policy Review

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Recent years have witnessed a resurgence of interest in prosecutor-led pretrial diversion programs, yet up-to-date research on the effectiveness of these programs is lacking. Participants in four prosecutor-led diversion programs, Cook County, IL (separate analyses for misdemeanor and felony participants), Milwaukee County, WI (two distinct programs varying in participant risk level and treatment intensity), and Chittenden County, VT, were propensity-score matched to comparison defendants (total n = 5,040). All programs yielded a significant decrease in instant case conviction (mean odds ratio = .12) and use of jail sentences (mean odds ratio = .33). There was also a trend toward reduced re-arrest at 2 years (mean odds ratio = .79). Three of four diversion programs significantly delayed onset of first re-arrest. Taken together, results support the effectiveness of a diverse set of prosecutor-led pretrial diversion programs that varied in charge severity, participant risk level, and program duration and intensity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Resurgence Of Diversion Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A Multisite Evaluation of Prosecutor-Led Pretrial Diversion: Effects on Conviction, Incarceration, and Recidivism

Davis

Reich

Rempel

et al. 2021

Criminal Justice Policy Review

Self Cite

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“…Diversion was one such alternative to incarceration and emerged as a national crime reduction approach (Ulrich, 2002). Adult pretrial diversion for individuals with first-time, nonviolent charges gained increasing attention as an opportunity for criminal justice reform efforts (Johnson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Initial Development Of Pldpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although not yet widely implemented, early PLDPs prioritized rehabilitation and societal cost-saving by measuring reductions in recidivism (Rempel et al, 2018). In 1967, the Vera Institute of Justice implemented the Manhattan Court Employment Project (CEP), which served as a model for many of the pretrial diversion programs that followed (Johnson et al, 2019). Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, the CEP provided program participants with counseling and career development support and would recommend the dismissal of charges after successful program completion (Vera Institute of Justice and Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, 1970).…”

Section: Initial Development Of Pldpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prosecutorial Diversion Programs

Sawh

Goff

Epperson

2021

Handbook of Issues in Criminal Justice Reform in the United States

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Despite the increased use of decarceration strategies across the country, racial and ethnic minorities, people living in poverty, and individuals living with behavioral health disorders continue to be overrepresented throughout all sectors of the criminal justice system. Across the criminal justice continuum, perhaps no setting is more critical to smart decarceration efforts than local prosecutors' offices, and increasing attention has been given to the role that prosecutors hold as key decision makers within the criminal justice system. As a result, a small, but growing number of progressive prosecutors throughout the United States are rethinking and redefining the meaning of a successful prosecutorial outcome. In recent years, prosecutor-led diversion programs (PLDP) have emerged as a promising front-end criminal justice intervention that provides individuals with an opportunity for an early exit from the criminal justice system. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with a better understanding of the power prosecutors hold within the criminal justice system and to review the limited, but growing body of published research on the development and implementation of PLDPs. As part of criminal justice reform efforts nationwide, we also highlight some examples of progressive prosecution programming currently in use and conclude by offering recommendations for future PLDP research and program development.

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“People make mistakes” stakeholders and participants’ perceptions of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of diversion and deferred prosecution programs.

Pettus-Davis¹,

Pederson²,

Curley³

et al. 2023

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

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Deferred prosecution programs (DPPs-also known as prosecutor-led diversion) are a type of diversion program that diverts individuals from traditional court proceedings to participate in specific program requirements in return for dismissal or expungement of their charge(s). Yet, there is no standardized DPP model applied across programs and jurisdictions, and there is little research regarding the implementation outcomes of these varied programs. The current study contributes to the continuing process of DPP program implementation, evaluation, modification, and dissemination of evidence through a multisite investigation of DPP stakeholders' perceptions of programming. Individual interviews and focus groups with program stakeholders and participants were conducted between November 2016 and May 2017 in three jurisdictions in three Midwestern states. Stakeholders and participants found DPPs to be acceptable, feasible, and appropriate based on their experiences of perceived benefits and challenges. Although the national adaptation of DPPs is in its early stages, DPPs are expanding considerably as criminal justice jurisdictions seek to identify more efficient ways to process cases and reduce incarceration rates while enhancing public safety.

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An Overview of Prosecutor-Led Diversion Programs: A New Incarnation of an Old Idea

Cited by 9 publications

References 13 publications

A Multisite Evaluation of Prosecutor-Led Pretrial Diversion: Effects on Conviction, Incarceration, and Recidivism

A Multisite Evaluation of Prosecutor-Led Pretrial Diversion: Effects on Conviction, Incarceration, and Recidivism

Prosecutorial Diversion Programs

“People make mistakes” stakeholders and participants’ perceptions of the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of diversion and deferred prosecution programs.

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