Attorney Generals office proposes statewide pre-charge diversion funding; committee hears data and implementation questions

The Judiciary Committee heard on Feb. 14 from the Attorney General's Office about a proposed budget to expand pre-charge diversion statewide and the data used to build that request. Willow of the Attorney General's Office told the committee the proposal would require approximately $1.7 million for fiscal year 2026 and described how the figure was compiled from current grants and projected staffing needs.

The proposal matters because it would shift funding and administration of pre-charge diversion programs that are currently supported through a patchwork of Department of Corrections grants and local contributions. Willow said the office based the estimate on existing providers' costs, DOC FY2024 referral data and a modeled expansion that adds one full-time-equivalent staff member at several local providers.

Willow said roughly one component of the requested funding would sustain existing pre-charge services (amount described as a little over $1 million) by prorating FY2024 base grants for providers that already do…