Van Buren County prosecutor wins approval to use Advent online diversion program for low‑level offenses

The Van Buren County prosecutor's office won approval to enter a three‑year contract with Advent to offer an online diversion program for selected first‑time and low‑level offenders, the board agreed during its meeting.

The program pairs online coursework with court‑assigned community service and can be used as a condition of diversion for offenses such as retail fraud, minor family fights classified as assault and certain traffic matters. Under the model described by the prosecutor, defendants who complete the required online classes and community service by a specified follow‑up pretrial hearing would have the case dismissed.

The prosecutor said the county would assign a passcode and enroll defendants at pretrial. "It's your first offense for retail fraud. You have to then complete this class on theft, and you need to do 6 hours of community service in Van Buren County," she told the board. She added that defendants would typically be given about 30 days to finish the requirements and that "as long as they completed everything within 30 days, it would be a nollie. ... If they don't complete it, we would just proceed on with prosecution."

Why it matters: the program is intended to reduce the number of low‑level cases proceeding to trial and to provide an alternative that avoids a criminal conviction if defendants complete conditions. The public defender's office told the prosecutor it was supportive of diversion options and said it might use Advent classes even outside formal diversion agreements.

Program details provided at the meeting: Advent's platform requires a three‑year contract. The prosecutor said the program cost is $1,200 per year for the county contract (the company also collects fees from defendants to purchase classes, which the prosecutor said she saw priced at about $35–$55 per class). Advent can optionally collect fines, costs and restitution and remit a single check monthly to the district court if the court elects to participate.

Enrollment and tracking: defendants would be authorized for the program at a pretrial in the prosecutor's office, be given login credentials, and Advent would track completion and send a certificate of completion to the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor said staff can also view progress directly in the Advent system. The prosecutor cautioned that the program would add work for her staff because it requires case enrollment and monitoring, but she said it could save court time and avoid trials for some retail fraud and other minor matters.

Limitations and planned uses: the prosecutor said the program "isn't gonna be for everybody" and that it is targeted to first offenders or cases that the office finds unsuitable for prosecution. She said the county had discussed possible use for certain traffic violations but that Secretary of State rules sometimes complicate that application.

Board action: a motion to approve proceeding with the Advent contract carried. Board members did not name a mover or record a roll‑call vote in the portion of the transcript; the public record in the meeting transcript shows the motion was seconded and the chair announced "Motion carried." The prosecutor indicated a signed copy will be returned to the county for execution and the contract will be placed on a future agenda for final signature.

The program, as described at the meeting, will be run by the prosecutor's office; use, scope and which charges are eligible will be determined by the office.