Knox County’s court diversion program has been a success in its first two years according to State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin.
The program is meant to keep qualifying offenders out of the criminal justice system and avoid stigma, reduce odds of recidivism, and reduce costs.
Karlin said in a news release that so far 106 people have been diverted from the county criminal justice system, with the highest number of offenders charged with misdemeanor or felony theft.
Conditions of the program vary by offense but are monitored by the state’s attorney’s office.
Of those diverted, 82 completed the program and the others were referred back for prosecution.
Of those who completed the program, two have committed another crime.
Karlin said that’s much lower than the recidivism rates for those who go through the criminal justice system, with around 18% of those sentenced to probation for misdemeanor or felony offenses recidivating within a year.
“These results prove that diverting appropriate people early in the criminal justice system not only avoids negative outcomes to the offender associated with criminal prosecution but makes our community safer by reducing recidivism,” Karlin said.
Reduced recidivism also reduces court costs and increases efficiency, Karlin said.
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