Armstrong County Pretrial Diversionary Treatment Program

Proposal Abstract:

The Armstrong County Commissioners are requesting $600,000 to implement the Pretrial Diversionary Treatment Program in Armstrong County, PA.  These funds will be used for the following:

To implement a Pretrial Diversionary Treatment Program designed to provide individuals suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD), the opportunity to work towards rehabilitation in lieu of criminal charges if they successfully complete the treatment program.
To create an Outreach Coordinator position in the Armstrong County District Attorney’s office to manage the Pretrial Diversionary Treatment Program, identify and track participants, communicate with the magistrate district judges, verify that the treatment provisions were completed, and provide written documentation stating that charges in reference to the officers’ investigation will be withdrawn.
To create a dedicated Criminal Justice Case Manager at the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission (the Single County Authority/SCA) that will provide assessments, care coordination, and follow-up services to the participants in this program, as well as make referrals to recovery support services at the SCA.

Armstrong County is hoping to serve 500 individuals in the Pretrial Diversionary Treatment Program between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2024.

The major deliverables include: 1) prepare policies, procedures, and forms to implement the program; 2) hire and train the Outreach Coordinator; 3) hire and train the Criminal Justice Case Manager to be employed by the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission; 4) educate law enforcement officers on the policies, procedures, and forms used for the program; 5) educate magistrate district judges on the policies, procedures and forms used for the program; 6) educate criminal defense attorneys on the policies, procedures and forms used for the program; 7) establish and maintain communication with the Outreach Coordinator, the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission, and the treatment providers in the County; 8) develop a tracking system for the Outreach Coordinator to maintain the status of participants in the program; and 9) report out on a monthly basis the status of the program to the stakeholders involved.