Albany County Court Supervised Diversion Program

The Albany County Court Supervised Treatment Program (ACCSTP) was originally established in 2004 to serve the residents of Albany County, Wyoming in creating a court supervised treatment program for the adult high risk, high need substance use criminal justice involved population. The ACCSTP serves rural Albany County, Wyoming, which has a population of just over 37,600. Laramie is the largest town in Albany County; however, there are several small outlying communities within the county as well. Albany County is also home to the only four-year university in the state of Wyoming, a secondary campus of Laramie County Community College, and a nationally recognized automotive technology school, WyoTech. The traditional college aged population creates a unique challenge for Albany County as it makes up almost a third of the residents and many misdemeanor citations in the court system. Like many communities across the nation, Albany County is also experiencing increased rates of heroin and fentanyl treatment admission rates as well as drug related arrests and convictions. Given its rural nature and small but impoverished population, Albany County has very limited resources available for individuals engaged in the criminal justice system to face the challenges of this growing epidemic. Without ACCSTP, there are ultimately three outcomes available to those who enter the criminal justice system in Albany County through the Circuit or Municipal Court: 1) fines and/or fees, 2) community supervision (supervised or unsupervised, both provide limited to no case management resources), or 3) placement in a detention facility (i.e., local jail). Funding through the BJA FY2023 Community Courts Initiative, Category 1- Planning and Implementation grant will allow the ACCSTP to implement an adult diversion program that will serve both Albany County Circuit Court and Laramie Municipal Court. This program, tentatively titled Community Diversion Program (CDP), will provide an alternative sentencing option through pre-plea diversion to an identified caseload of individuals charged with misdemeanor offenses. Program services will include case management, substance abuse and mental health evaluations and treatment, drug testing and restorative justice opportunities. Intended program outcomes include improving public safety, reducing crime and reducing the harm to the justice-engaged individual and Albany County community; reducing the resources spent on the prosecution of low-risk individuals; increasing access to care for justice engaged individuals through program and community services; and addressing transitional needs that contribute to behavior leading to engagement with the criminal justice system.