What is Pre-Arrest Diversion

Pre-arrest diversion programs, also known as deflection or civil citation programs, have one unifying purpose – providing individual accountability through an alternative to arrest for low-level criminal offenses. Whether for juveniles or adults, there are five key components to a comprehensive pre-arrest diversion program:

Partnerships

Key community partners working together can create innovative and effective pre-arrest diversion options to arrest.
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Public Safety

Creating a new pathway to traditional justice processing for low-level offenses that assures public safety, reduces recidivism, and provides targeted interventions to those eligible to participate.
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Justice Equity

Equity is achieved by recognizing that everyone has different circumstances, and treating everyone justly, according to their circumstances, helps create equal justice, outcomes and access to services.
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Access to Services

Linking all participants to tailored services that are specifically designed to address their unique needs.
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Evaluation

A data driven approach to evaluation is vital to monitoring program effectiveness, assessing outcomes, maintaining accountability, and contributing to knowledge about pre-arrest diversion.
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Juvenile Civil Citation Graduate
"Hanging out with friends, I made a bad choice resulting in a minor offense. I am so grateful for the Civil Citation program because I did not have an arrest on my record. I was admitted to a University Law School with the entirety of my tuition paid for. I worked in the judicial chambers for a Court of Appeals judge. Now I am about to graduate from law school. And this fall, I will be in a courtroom litigating."

Resources

Whether you're looking into developing, implementing, or improving program outcomes for Pre-Arrest Diversion, CCN is there to help you!

Toolkits and Related Resources

Links to helpful toolkits and related information are available in this section as you develop and implement your pre-arrest diversion program.
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Adult Resources

A number of resources for adult pre-arrest diversion programs are available here providing comprehensive information on the need and value of such programs.
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Juvenile Resources

A list of resources for juvenile pre-arrest diversion programs are provided here with detailed information on the need and value of such programs.
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Documents and Forms

Below are links to forms and agreements utilized by both adult and juvenile pre-arrest diversion/civil citation programs. These examples of model agreements and forms can be utilized by local jurisdictions to assist in the implementation of pre-arrest diversion programs.
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Model MOU’s

CCN’s partners with communities to design a strategy focused on optimizing current and future Diversion models.
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