How Court Diversion Works
  • Court diversion is an alternative to the traditional legal system for nonviolent adult and youth offenders who accept responsibility for their offense.
  • Offenders meet with a Program Coordinator who is an Apprentice Addiction Professional (AAPs). They screen the individual using the GAIN-Q and Yasi, (two widely accepted evidence and research-based evaluation tools), conduct an intake, and then schedule a hearing with a panel of community volunteers.
  • In addition, Program Coordinators gather information from the arresting officer and any victim(s) affected by the crime.
  • Valley Court Diversion employs a Clinical Supervisor who is a licensed mental-health and substance-abuse counselor. Based on the GAIN-Q scores and collateral information, the Clinical Supervisor might recommend counseling for a variety of reasons, including alcohol or drug abuse, depression issues, or anger management. 
  • At the hearing, the panel volunteers receive a brief written case summary of the offender’s unlawful behavior and personal background.  
  • The hearing panels are made up of community members from all walks of life; each volunteer has been screened, attended training sessions, and agreed to maintain strict confidentiality about all cases that come before them.  
  • In their own words, offenders tell their version of events that got them into legal trouble. Panel members then ask questions about the offender’s behavior, thinking, and attitude at the time of the event. Victims are also encouraged to come to these hearings or provide input in written form. 
  • Then the hearing panel, with strong input from the client, creates a Restorative Agreement (contract) which holds the offender accountable for their crime. The contract may include conditions such as community service at a nonprofit organization, monetary restitution, property repair, substance-abuse and/or mental-health counseling, letters of apology, reflective essays, research papers, and special offense-related projects. Contracts are created with the offender present to demonstrate the collaboration, thought process, and hard work of the community volunteers.  
  • If the offender is successful in completing the contract, the charge is dismissed; if the offender fails to complete the contract within the agreed-upon time-frame (usually 60-90 days), the case is returned for prosecution in court.