BJA FY24 Smart Prosecution—Innovative Prosecution Solutions: Bronx Pre-Arraignment Diversion Collaboration

The goal of the proposed project is to reduce crime and increase public safety in a high-crime Bronx police Precinct. This will be accomplished by developing and implementing a pre-arrest diversion program for low-level misdemeanor arrests. The project has the following objectives: 1) Identify and divert appropriate candidates for services at the earliest possible point in the community where the crime occurs; 2) Expand programming and provide services to suspects as a means to effectively and sustainably prevent and respond to crime; 3) Foster innovative, effective, formalized, and consistent collaboration with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Osborne Association to increase public safety and trust in the criminal justice system, and to develop a referral network and a coordination among service providers; 4) Evaluate the program; and 5) Prioritize limited ADA and court resources to focus on serious violent crime by diverting low-level cases from prosecution that otherwise require resources that can prevent prosecutors from focusing enough on serious violent crime where more resources are needed.