AG's office requests $1.7 million to expand pre-charge diversion under Act 180

The Attorney General's Office asked the Judiciary committee on April 9 for $1.7 million to fund and expand pre-charge diversion statewide under Act 180, Attorney General staff said. Willa Farrow, Court Diversion and Pretrial Services Director for the Attorney General's Office, told the committee the request would fund existing providers and support rollout in counties that do not yet offer pre-charge diversion.

Act 180, enacted by the legislature, clarified statewide standards for pre-charge diversion, placed the program under the Attorney General's Office, and set victim-notification and other requirements, Farrow said. Historically, pre-charge diversion services have been funded through Department of Corrections grants to community justice centers; the AG's request seeks a permanent, statewide appropriation.

"Law enforcement can refer people immediately," Farrow said, describing the speed of pre-charge diversion. She told the committee that fast outreach allows restorative-justice staff to contact victims and people accused quickly, which the office views as important both for victims' support and for reducing future offending. Farrow also cited reduced court workload as a pragmatic benefit: pre-charge diversion keeps eligible cases out of court and can shorten case timelines.

Farrow said the House version of the budget included $1.1 million, an amount her office calculated in consultation with its finance director to continue funding pre-charge where it currently exists. The office requests an additional $600,000 to roll the program out statewide, for a total request of $1.7 million. "Any increase would certainly help us move this program forward into a statewide count," Farrow said.

Committee members and other legislators asked where demand for expansion was greatest. Farrow named several counties that have expressed interest or have begun limited pre-charge work, including Lowell County, Franklin County, Orleans County, Addison County, Bennington, Caledonia and Essex. She said some state's attorneys had already developed policies supporting pre-charge diversion and that local law enforcement had approached program directors seeking referral options.

One legislator raised a concern about uneven access across counties tied to prosecutors' discretion, saying there is a "huge disparity" between counties in how states attorneys exercise discretion to admit people to the program. The legislator warned that similar cases could receive different outcomes depending on local practice.

On costs and savings, Farrow referenced a study by the Crime Research Group that compared cases handled in diversion to those handled through court processes; she said one example indicated a diverted case cost about 15% of what the same case would have cost if it went through the full court system. Farrow acknowledged the office has not completed a jurisdiction-specific cost-savings analysis tied to the $1.7 million request but said diversion is generally less expensive than prosecution and incarceration.

Farrow described the office's planned rollout as including a readiness assessment to prioritize funding where local demand and capacity are sufficient. She said the assessment would guide how the office would allocate funds if the legislature does not provide the full requested amount. "Part of that, I think, has to tailor a readiness assessment and prioritize where we will roll the program," Farrow said, adding she remains "very committed for this to be a statewide program."

No formal votes or motions were taken at the hearing segment about the request; the presentation concluded with legislators' questions and follow-up discussion.