Expand Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection Programs

From Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Return to Zoom Map - Prioritize SUD Treatment Over Incarceration 

The most common phrase you will hear from law enforcement leadership across the country is, “We recognize we cannot arrest our way out of this problem.” We must provide our first responders and criminal justice system with the tools, resources, and support to ensure those fighting substance use disorder receive treatment and those profiting from their addiction and tragic deaths face harsh justice. Whether in the aftermath of an opioid overdose reversal or while transitioning in and out of incarceration, those battling addiction must be presented with the opportunity for treatment so they can begin their road to recovery.

Strengths of Pre-Arrest Diversion

Pre-arrest Diversion programs  provide law enforcement with an alternative to having to make arrests. Instead, as long as a person meets certain criteria, they can avoid a police record, stay out of the criminal justice system, and modify future behavior, all the while attempting to also uncrowd U.S. correctional facilities.

Goal of Pre-Arrest Diversion

Depending on local community needs and behavioral health capacity, police diversion programs across the country have varying designs, but their goals are consistent:

  • To continue to promote and enhance public safety while also responding more effectively to substance use and mental health problems [1]
  • To low-level offenses, pre- arrest diversion helps to reverse the tide of people with nonviolent offenses entering the justice system[2]

Pre-Arrest Diversion Frameworks

The variety of operational characteristics of pre-arrest diversion programs creates nearly unlimited possibilities for the final program design, some common themes can be observed in deflection programs currently operating.[3]

Naloxone Plus: Engagement with treatment occurs following 

'and overdose response and crisis-level treatment is readily available. Examples: opiate response teams, STEER (MD) '[4]   Active Outreach: Participants are identified by law enforcement, but are engaged primarily by a treatment expert who actively contacts them and motivates them to engage in treatment. Example: Arlington Model (MA)  '[5]  Self-Referral: Drug-involved individuals initiate engagement with law enforcement without fear of arrest, and an immediate treatment referral is made. Example: Angel (MA)  '[6]

Officer Prevention Referral: Law enforcement initiates the treatment engagement, but no charges are filed. Examples: LEAD (WA), STEER (MD)'[7]


Officer Intervention Referral: Law enforcement initiates the treatment engagement, and charges are held in abeyance or citations issued. Examples: Civil Citation (FL), STEER (MD)”'[8]'

LEAD Program

LEAD is a pre-booking diversion program that allows officers to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drugs or prostitution activity to community-based services instead of jail and prosecution. LEAD participants begin working immediately with case managers to access services.
 
According to a 2015 report by the International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC), "One of the [ONDCP] strategy's objectives for 2015 is to break the cycle of drug use, crime, delinquency, and incarceration by increasing by 5% the number of residential juvenile justice facilities offering substance abuse treatment, and increasing by 2.6% the number of treatment plans completed by individuals referred by the Criminal Justice System (ONDCP, 2012, p.18)."[9]
 

Other Programs

The S.M.A.R.T. Approach

SMART supports chronic misdemeanor offenders, particularly those who are otherwise resistant to intervention, with a case manager and offers individualized treatment and tailored housing placements. SMART prioritizes chronic misdemeanor offenders with acute drug addictions and complex social service needs.
See fact sheet here:

STEER

STEER is a police deflection initiative that incorporates prevention deflection and intervention deflection. The priority is to improve public safety by police and human services working together. It operates around the core value proposition of deflection, namely ensuring the proper placement of citizens either into the criminal justice system or away from it and towards the human services system. This results in reducing crime, building community relations, reducing drug use, and restoring the lives of citizens. STEER deflection provides a natural strategy to improve community relations by showing citizens the police know when a citizen needs help inistead of needing to be arrested. STEER makes clear that the police are indeed here to help and not just to arrest.[10]

DTAP - Drug Treatment Alternative To Prison

This program had a high rate of success.  See this evaluation report from 2003 for impressive statistics. 

Tools & Resources

TR - Expand Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Programs


PAGE MANAGER: [insert name here]
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT: [fill out table below]

Reviewer Date Comments
     

Sources