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Ventura County OKs $11.2M State Grant to Start Community-based Diversion for Some Felony Defendants
Summary
The Board approved an $11,217,000 agreement with California Department of State Hospitals to fund a five‑year pretrial felony mental health diversion program; county leaders said the local program aims to keep some defendants out of secure state hospitals while courts decide who is appropriate for community treatment.
Ventura County supervisors on April 8 unanimously ratified an $11,217,000 grant agreement with the California Department of State Hospitals to fund local pretrial felony mental health diversion services from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2029.
The grant will pay for community-based treatment alternatives for felony defendants who have been found incompetent to stand trial but who are not charged with the most serious offenses and may be appropriate for permanent diversion. "This funding is intended to basically stand up that program," said Dr. John Shipper, chief of forensics, justice and reentry services in the county behavioral health division, who described the effort as part of a larger remediation following changes the state implemented in 2022–23.
The county presented the program as a targeted, low‑volume intervention. "We would anticipate probably…
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