DAVID: EVEN THOSE CHARGED WITH A
NONVIOLENT CRIME CAN STILL AVOID
PROSECUTION.
THAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND THE
PROGRAM.
WE SPOKE WITH THE PROGRAM
OFFICER TO FIND OUT HOW THIS
UNIQUE PROGRAM WORKS AND HOW IT
IS HELPING SOME DEFENDANTS DID
THEIR RIGHTS BACK -- GET THEIR
RIGHTS BACK.
CRYSTAL: NICOLE, GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING
US.
WE ARE COVERING A TOPIC THAT A
LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE MAINSTREAM
PUBLIC MAY NOT REALLY UNDERSTAND
OR EVEN KNOW ABOUT.
YOU SAID THAT IT DOES HELP
WITH
CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITY, SO LET'S
TALK ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND WHAT
IT IS.
NICOLE: PRE-PROSECUTION
DIVERGEN --
DIVERSION IS
RUN THROUGH THE PUBLIC
DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
WE INTERVENE EARLY ON IN THE
CASE IF A DEFENDANT QUALIFIES
AND WE ENROLL THEM IN OUR
PROGRAM AND PART OF THE PROGRAM,
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THESE
DEFENDANTS IS TO GAIN FULL-TIME
EMPLOYMENT.
JOINT
TREATMENT, SUBSTANCE
ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT.
SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN ENROLLING
AND GETTING THEIR GED AND
ENROLLING IN COLLEGE, GETTING
THE SERVICES THAT THEY REALLY DO
NEED.
CRYSTAL: LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT,
YOU MENTIONED OTHER TYPES OF
TRAINING.
HOW HAS IT CHANGED SOME OF THOSE
DECISIONS, HOW HAS IT CHANGED
THEIR LIVES?
NICOLE: IT'S HUGE,
I THINK A LOT
OF PEOPLE THAT WE SEE IN OUR
PROGRAM JUST DON'T REALLY HAVE
THE RESOURCES OR SUPPORT THAT
THEY NEED TO ENROLL IN SOME OF
THESE THINGS.
WE'VE HAD CLIENTS THAT LEAVE
GETTING THEIR GED AND FULLY
ENROLLED IN COLLEGE.
WE'VE HAD CLIENTS THAT HAVE BEEN
IN OUR PROGRAM THAT ACTUALLY
COMPLETE COLLEGE DURING THE TIME
IN OUR PROGRAM.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST NEED A
LITTLE BIT OF GUIDANCE.
CRYSTAL: YOU DID MENTION THERE
ARE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS FOR
THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO ENTER THE
PROGRAM, ONE OF THEM BEING
NONVIOLENT CRIMES.
NICOLE: YES.
NONVIOLENT AND NORMALLY, A
FIRST-TIME FELONY OFFENSE.
CRYSTAL:
AS I MENTIONED,
SOMEBODY IN THE PUBLIC WHO HAS
NEVER BEEN IN THIS SITUATION,
THEY MIGHT BE WONDERING HOW DOES
IT BENEFIT ME AND MY FAMILY
WHERE I LIVE?
NICOLE: WELL, YOU KNOW,
AS A
DEFENDANT?
CRYSTAL: AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER.
NICOLE: ABSOLUTELY.
A LOT OF FIRST-TIME FELONY
OFFENDERS ARE COMMITTING CRIMES
FOR A LOT OF REASONS AND WE ARE
FINDING THE MOST COMMON IS DRUG
ABUSE, MENTAL HEALTH, LACK OF
RESOURCES.
IF WE ARE INTERVENING EARLY
ENOUGH WITH THESE AND PROVIDING
THEM WITH TREATMENT AND SUPPORT,
THE LIKELIHOOD THAT THEY ARE
GOING TO COMMIT CRIMES AGAIN IS
REALLY, REALLY LOW.
NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT IS
LOWERING OUR INCARCERATION RATES
FOR THESE LOW-LEVEL OFFENDERS
WHO REALLY JUST NEED TREATMENT
AND SUPPORT.
HAVING THEN INTERVENE EARLY AND
GETTING THE HELP THAT THEY NEED
MEANS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO
COMMIT LESS CRIME IN OUR
COMMUNITY LATER IN THE FUTURE.
CRYSTAL: CAN YOU TELL ME IF YOU
GUYS HAVE RUN INTO ANY HURDLES
OR ANY OBSTACLES?
NICOLE: ONE OF
OUR BIGGEST
HURDLE AT THIS POINT IS GETTING
PEOPLE INTO THE PROGRAM.
RIGHT NOW THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S
OFFICE IS REJECTING ABOUT 85% OF
OUR OFFERS, SO IT IS REALLY HARD
WHEN OUR OFFICE AND THEIR
OFFICE
AREN'T REALLY WORKING WELL
TOGETHER.
AS I SAID BEFORE,
EARLY
PREVENTION IS THE BEST WAY TO
PREVENT FUTURE CRIMES AND WE
SHOULD REALLY BE WORKING
TOGETHER FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE
PUBLIC DEFENDER'S CLIENTS.
WE NEED THAT COHESION WITH EACH
OTHER IN ORDER FOR THIS PROGRAM
TO FULLY WORK.
CRYSTAL: FOR SOME OTHER
VIEWERS
MAY BE THINKING HOW CAN I GET
MORE DETAILS ABOUT THIS PROGRAM,
IS THERE ANY PLACE TO FIND OUT
MORE INFORMATION?
NICOLE: ON THE DISTRICT
ATTORNEY'S WEBSITE THERE IS
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
THERE IS ALSO INFORMATION
IN THE
STATUTE, IN THE LAW.
THE BEST THING TO DO
WOULD BE TO
GO TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S
WEBSITE.
CRYSTAL: NICOLE, YOU HAVE GIVEN
US SOME GREAT INFORMATION.
I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US.