Tuesday: Congressional Briefing on Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)

On Tuesday afternoon, there will be a Congressional briefing on Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), a highly successful pre-booking diversion program.

The briefing will take place on Tuesday June 20, at 1230pm at SVC 209-08. Lunch will be served.

Senator Capito (R-WV) and Senator Warren (D-MA) will offer remarks, and then we will hear from experts from the field including:

• Dana Petroff – Director of Addiction Services, PARC East, West Virginia
• Captain Eric Johnson – Charleston Police Department, West Virginia
• Jamie Allen – Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission
• Lisa Daugaard – Seattle Public Defender Association
• Tyrone Roper – Baltimore Health Department
• Najja Morris – LEAD Program Supervisor, Seattle

LEAD is a pre-booking diversion program that allows officers to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug activity to community-based services instead of jail and prosecution. LEAD participants begin working immediately with case managers to access services. LEAD’s goals are to reduce the harm a drug offender causes him or herself, as well as the harm that the individual is causing the surrounding community. This public safety program has demonstrated the potential to reduce recidivism rates for low-level offenders and preserve expensive criminal justice system resources.

Currently, 28 states are either exploring, developing, launching, or operating a LEAD program.  They include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania , Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

LEAD has been featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, among other publications.