Examining Case Dismissal Outcomes in Prosecutor-Led Diversion Programs
Prosecutors’ offices are a critical site for criminal legal reform and decarceration efforts. Prosecutor-led diversion programs (PLDPs) are a prosecutorial innovation that process cases away from punitive prosecution and, instead, offer various services and supports. Successfully completing a PLDP r...
Autor principal: | |
---|---|
Otros Autores: | ; ; ; |
Tipo de documento: | Electrónico Artículo |
Lenguaje: | Inglés |
Publicado: |
2023
|
En: |
Criminal justice policy review
Año: 2023, Volumen: 34, Número: 3, Páginas: 236-260 |
Acceso en línea: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Verificar disponibilidad: | HBZ Gateway |
Palabras clave: |
Sumario: | Prosecutors’ offices are a critical site for criminal legal reform and decarceration efforts. Prosecutor-led diversion programs (PLDPs) are a prosecutorial innovation that process cases away from punitive prosecution and, instead, offer various services and supports. Successfully completing a PLDP results in the dismissal of the charge, which helps participants to avoid formal entry into the criminal legal system and a range of collateral consequences. This paper reports findings from over 11,000 participants in six PLDPs in three Midwestern jurisdictions, and examines race/ethnicity and charge characteristics associated with successful program completion and case dismissal. Findings indicate that PLDPs have the capacity to provide alternative processing to a large volume of defendants with high completion rates, although the likelihood of racial/ethnic minorities to successfully complete the program is mixed. PLDPs are discussed as a promising policy and programmatic innovation that can help to move away from an era of mass incarceration. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1552-3586 |
DOI: | 10.1177/08874034221138738 |