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Washington County presenters say diversion programs reduce recidivism and save county money; council to assess capacity and eligibility
Summary
Elevate and county partners reviewed three diversion programs (OWI diversion, drug diversion and drug treatment court), presented local outcomes and recidivism results compared with Wisconsin TAD-funded sites, and prompted discussion about eligibility rules, ineligibility rates and the need to right-size funding and referrals.
Washington County officials and their community partner, Elevate, presented an overview of the county's three diversion programs and told the CJCC that local results show reduced recidivism and positive participant outcomes while saving taxpayer dollars through diverted jail days.
Laura Raines, chief executive officer of Elevate, described diversion programming as reducing recidivism, improving participant health and providing cost-effective alternatives to incarceration. Andy Freeman presented program history and core components, noting Washington County began OWI diversion with TAD funding in 2007, expanded drug diversion services afterward and implemented a drug treatment court in 2020 to serve higher-risk, higher-need individuals.
Freeman described shared program…
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