Pretrial Diversion of Drug and Alcohol-Dependent Offenders

The purpose of the FY 2015 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Maximizing State Reforms Grant Program is to cement or amplify the goals of states’ justice reinvestment reform efforts, deepening their investment in and commitment to use of data-driven decision making and evidence-based practices and programs. The objectives of the program are the following: increase corrections costs saved or avoided by reducing unnecessary confinement; increase reinvestment in evidence-based practices that reduce recidivism; support justice reinvestment reform efforts by promoting and increasing collaboration among agencies and officials who work in criminal justice, including state and local policymakers, law enforcement, prosecution, defense, pretrial, courts, probation, treatment, corrections, reentry, and parole; and enhance the translation of evidence into practice by supporting the use of data analysis results to inform policy decisions.

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) will use funding toward piloting the "Pretrial Diversion of Drug and Alcohol-Dependent Offenders" project. The pilot seeks to reduce the front-end movement of individuals into the prison population, thereby lessening the recidivism rate, decreasing the cost of corrections, increasing access to drug and alcohol treatment, and promoting public safety.

CA/NCF