Marathon County DA outlines expansion of deflection/diversion programs, cites savings estimates
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Summary
The district attorney’s office described its deflection and diversion efforts, staffing and grants (JAG, COSEP), reported 287 referrals to deflection and strong historical success rates, and presented cost-benefit estimates showing net savings to the community tied to program outcomes.
Marathon County’s district attorney’s office presented a multi-part update on Nov. 11 describing how deflection and diversion programs connect people with substance use and mental-health services and aim to reduce recidivism and court backlog.
Ruth Heinzel of the DA’s office introduced the team and emphasized the programs’ law-enforcement and prosecutorial collaboration. She said Dana Bittner, the lead deflection specialist, “has had a total of 287 referrals so far,” with approximately 100–110 active deflection cases at a time. Bittner’s work focuses on intensive, law-enforcement-led referrals that bring recovery resources, housing and other supports to people in crisis.
Heinzel said deflection funding now flows through the Wisconsin Deflection Initiative and state JAG funding; the office also received competitive COSEP grants. The DA’s office described two COSEP grants and JAG funding that support deflection specialists and treatment supports, and it said JAG renews annually while COSEP has multi-year terms.
Presenters said the program historically reached a roughly 94% success rate when response capacity was smaller; recent staff onboarding briefly reduced measured performance but should recover as new staff complete training. The office presented a cost-analysis leveraging a Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) meta-analysis and its local caseload numbers, estimating a net annual savings of roughly $1,172,000 from the deflection program and larger projected savings if the program’s capacity increases.
The DA’s office also described diversion tracks (pre-charge and post-charge), restitution collection (about $160,000–$1,000,000 figures were cited across programs), and pilot pre-filing and veterans-focused efforts designed to expedite case resolution and reduce court hearings.
Committee members asked whether the grants were competitive and renewable; presenters said JAG is an annual, non-competitive renewal for counties already in the program and COSEP was competitive with defined durations. The office asked the committee to consider routine public reporting on metrics the committee would need for oversight.