More Results
The county’s Rapid Diversion Program started as a pilot in June 2019. Because the original pilot program was so successful in supporting its participants, it has seen multiple phases of expansion, helping people in more areas in Los Angeles County get access to critical resources and support.
From the launch in June 2019 to January 2021, the Rapid Diversion Program supported 134 people. The program had a 0% rearrest rate for graduates of the program. All of the program’s graduated clients were connected to stable housing, job resources, and secured ongoing access to mental health services. The Rapid Diversion Program is also fast: as of January 2021, 68% of participants were being placed in treatment within a week; 42% were placed the same day.
Because of its success, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted in January 2021 to fund expansion of the initial pilot. The Rapid Diversion Program is currently one of the initiatives under the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Initiative, which is helping to grow the reach of the program. The ATI Initiative’s goal is to build a more equitable justice infrastructure by expanding rapid diversion program to additional courts, and expanding eligibility to felony offenses, giving judicial officers an alternative to incarceration for individuals residing in communities with the greatest needs.
The impact of the Rapid Diversion Program can best be told through its participants’ experiences. For example, client L. had a degree and a steady job, until his mental health worsened. He lost his job, became homeless and was jailed and arrested multiple times. The pilot program staff interviewed him at a misdemeanor arraignment and were able to place him at an in-patient program with mental health services. L. graduated from the program, and now has a steady job and an apartment by the beach. During a recent interview, he emphasized that without diversion he would still be homeless and cycling in and out of jail.
Remaining Challenges
Los Angeles County is focused on addressing its remaining challenges in its local justice system.
First, the County Board of Supervisors (BOS) ordered a part of the County Jail known as “Men’s Central Jail” (MJC) closed within 12 months. That motion was adopted in July 2020, and the jail is currently set to close in 2022.
Referrals to diversion under the pilot program have been limited by the few treatment programs and housing available in the county. The expansion of the Safety and Justice Challenge pilot program will include widening the availability of services and housing in the catchment areas of courthouses involved.
In addition, racial and ethnic disparities have continued to persist in the local jail despite the reduction in the jail population. The solutions in place now are designed to address deep, systemic changes that will create equity in the long-term.
Cultural change with regard to the county’s over-reliance on jails will be slow. By allowing access to the pilot program and other ways to allow safe release of individuals from jails, stakeholders in the justice system are working to change the local culture that has long viewed jails as a solution to community problems that have deep socioeconomic causes. Los Angeles County is shifting to treatment rather than punishment, leading with the strategy “care first, jails last.”
Last, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on every aspect of the county’s local justice system and continues to uniquely affect those incarcerated in local jails. The foundation of collaborative, data-driven strategies, including the necessary structures and collaboration from local stakeholders that are in place to support these strategies, has set the county up well to respond to the pandemic effectively.
