Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Diversion Program Community Service topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockingham County diversion program converts service hours to donations, dozens of local nonprofits benefit
Summary
An adult diversion coordinator told commissioners the county's diversion program offers participants a monetary conversion of required community-service hours; donations since the pandemic have supplied local agencies with goods ranging from stuffed animals to holiday packages for Meals on Wheels recipients.
Allison Mailer, who manages Rockingham County's adult diversion program, briefed commissioners on Jan. 16 about a practice in which diversion participants may convert some court-ordered community-service hours into monetary donations that the program uses to buy items requested by local nonprofits.
Why it matters: The diversion program serves people charged with misdemeanors and some felonies and aims to rehabilitate participants so they can exit the criminal justice system without a conviction. Mailer told the board the donations program preserves the community-service obligation while allowing nonprofits to receive urgently needed supplies when pandemic-era restrictions limited volunteer options.
Mailer said the conversion option began during the COVID-19 period after she consulted the courts and a former superintendent and was allowed to proceed. At that time the program used a conversion rate of $1 per hour; participants bought gift cards or the coordinator purchased specific items from "wish lists" provided by local nonprofits. Mailer said participants still have the option to complete traditional community service or use a hybrid of service and donation.
Nonprofits named by Mailer that have received donated items included Gather, an animal rescue in Northwood, the Rockingham County Child Advocacy Center (which received roughly 50 stuffed animals in one distribution) and Rockingham County Meals on Wheels (for which diversion participants adopted about 10 recipients and provided items such as socks, note cards and puzzles during the holidays). Mailer said every donation is recorded and receipts are provided to participants.
Supporters at the meeting described the program as rehabilitative and cost-saving. A commissioner and county staff reiterated that diversion can reduce jail population and incarceration costs, arguing the program "pays for itself" by reducing the number of people held in custody and associated expenses.
Mailer said the program has continued the donation option since the pandemic and that she consults the courts and corrections supervisors on the practice. She asked the board to note the program's positive results and community impact.
Commissioners and other attendees praised the coordinator's work and the program's contribution to local nonprofits. Several speakers asked that the coordinator continue reporting on outcomes and that the court and corrections partners remain engaged in monitoring the program.
