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Alternatives program reports low recidivism for completers; manager announces departure
Summary
The Alternatives program reported that participants who complete recommended treatment had a 12% recidivism rate in the latest Department of Management analysis. Program manager Shelby announced her resignation effective Nov. 6 and introduced Nicole, the care coordinator, as her successor.
Shelby, program manager for the county's Alternatives program, told the board on Oct. 28 that Department of Management tracking shows a 12% recidivism rate among program completers in the most recent reporting period; the overall recidivism rate for all participants was 17%.
Shelby said non-completers'who often face higher needs such as homelessness'had a substantially higher recidivism rate of 61%. She described complements of those who complete the program as showing very low rates of new felony, violent and drug charges compared with non-completers.
"For program completers ... the recidivism rate is only 12 percent, which has steadily gone down every year of the program," Shelby said. She also reported 218 referrals and 80 participants in fiscal year 2025 and said the program aims to reach first-time offenders and younger adults: the mean age was 28 and roughly 63% of participants were between 18 and 25.
Shelby announced she has resigned; she said she will leave the position Nov. 6 to join the Department of Corrections and introduced Nicole, the program's care coordinator, who will assume management responsibilities. Shelby and the board thanked staff and partners, including the county attorney's office and local law enforcement, for support that enabled referrals and program participation.
The presentation also reviewed referral sources (community members, prosecution, and law enforcement), substance-use reporting (marijuana most frequent among respondents, followed by alcohol and meth) and a request to the Department of Management to run a supplementary comparison rate for simple misdemeanors to improve benchmarking.
