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Committee reviews LEAD, Kitsap and Thurston models; considers recommending deflection priorities
Summary
A June 16 briefing summarized pre‑arrest deflection, LEAD program results emphasizing housing and wraparound services, and Kitsap County's crisis liaison model; members discussed prosecutorial engagement, data needs and potential recommendations to steering and jail planning groups.
Committee members heard a summary of deflection and diversion models on June 16 that included King County’s LEAD model, Kitsap County’s crisis intervention liaison and Thurston County’s prosecutorial diversion liaison.
The presenter described LEAD (Legal Intervention and Network of Care), noting it is a resource‑heavy model with intensive housing and low caseloads, and said evaluation of the program showed increased engagement with behavioral health services and reductions in jail bookings. Malora and others reported a trip to Seattle and emphasized LEAD’s reliance on substantial funding streams that may not be immediately replicable locally.
The committee also heard about Kitsap County’s crisis intervention position embedded in the sheriff’s office. The presenter cited a statistic from Kitsap reporting that 76% of contacts there were resolved without custody, detention or force through de‑escalation and resource connection.
A central theme was prosecutorial engagement. Presenters and panelists emphasized that many diversion and deflection pathways succeed only with the prosecutor’s buy‑in; Thurston County’s approach of a pretrial diversion liaison who screens new cases jointly with defense was offered as a model that reduced prosecutorial caseloads and enabled service referrals.
Members discussed the committee’s potential role in educating the public and steering the task force on deflection priorities and data needs. Several speakers urged investment in data collection and analysis to justify funding decisions during constrained budget cycles and recommended coordinating any recommendations with the jail planning (J Pop) and Law & Justice groups.
The committee did not adopt a formal recommendation during the meeting. Members agreed the subcommittee might draft possible priorities for steering and to keep exploring partnerships and training that strengthen cross‑sector responses.
