Criminal Justice Commission reports early promise, data gaps in statewide deflection programs under HB 5005

The Public Safety Committee heard an informational briefing April 30 on House Bill 5005 and statewide "deflection" programs from the Criminal Justice Commission, which said the programs show early promise but remain too new for firm conclusions.

The Criminal Justice Commission''s interim director, Ryan Katke, told the committee the programs were quickly implemented after fall legislation and that the commission has begun collecting standardized data: "We're starting to see results as a result of the data capture that goes through with over a thousand people being served by the program," he said. Katke said the programs were intentionally flexible so counties could tailor services to local needs.

Committee members were given a data snapshot showing 1,180 referrals to deflection programs statewide (data pulled April 17) and a breakdown of eligibility and program outcomes. Kelly Officer, research director at the Criminal Justice Commission, described the enrollment flow: deflection grantees are required to enter data into a system called REDCap and, of the referrals so far, 926 were deemed eligible for deflection while 249 were not. Of those eligible, 723 had enrolled; 88 had completed deflection, 223 had not completed, and roughly 412 remained in the program at the time of the report.

Why it matters: deflection programs are intended to connect people who commit certain low-level offenses to services instead of progressing through traditional criminal prosecution.…