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Maricopa County Attorney's Office Changes Structure Of Diversion Programs

By Jimmy Jenkins
Published: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 - 5:15pm

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is making changes to its felony diversion program.

The County Attorney’s Office says it is combining two current diversion programs to “offer a more robust treatment option” to address criminal behavior.

County Attorney Allister Adel said people charged with certain felonies, including drug charges and non violent offenses, would be available for the new program beginning in April.

Adel says the change will allow her office "to do evidence-based, curriculum practices, so that we are treating the offender and not just the offense. The goal with this is to reduce recidivism and to get people back contributing to society and being successful.”

Adel says she expects more than 4,000 people annually to go through the program.

Sage Counseling, a behavioral health organization, will offer six diversion tracks for offenders who will be categorized as low to very high risk.

The County Attorney’s Office said people participating in the current drug diversion program would no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees, but the new program would require some offenders to pay restitution to their victims.