Outcomes of Court-Based Jail Diversion Programs for People with Co-Occurring Disorders

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: Incarceration is widely believed to be unnecessary and harmful for criminal defendants with psychiatric disorders, most of whom have co-occurring substance use problems. An increasingly popular approach for such defendants is diversion away from the criminal justice system and into treatment. In this article, we present the findings of a quasi-experimental study evaluating the post-booking, arraignment court-based model of diversion used in Connecticut. To improve upon previous quasi-experimental studies, we employ propensity scoring to compare similar defendants from courts with diversion and with no diversion programs. Methods: Persons with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders were recruited into the study from among criminal defendants in seven criminal courts with diversion programs (n = 113) and five courts without diversion programs (n = 98). Structured research interviews, including measures of mental health, substance use, criminal involvement, employment, and quality of life, were conducted at baseline and at 3 and 12 months following baseline. Additional data was collected from administrative sources in the correctional department and court system. Results: The most striking differences between the diversion and the comparison groups were that the diversion group spent significantly fewer days incarcerated in the year following the index arrest, and were also less likely to be re-incarcerated. Grouping by time differences also suggests greater improvements in life satisfaction favoring the diversion group. Conclusions: Post-booking diversion programs can successfully divert individuals with co-morbid psychiatric and substance use without increased risk to the individual or the community, and with modest improvements in life satisfaction for the defendant.