County says state accepted its felony diversion plan; Prop 36 work underway

County behavioral health staff told the board that the Department of State Hospitals conducted a virtual site visit to review Humboldt’s felony Incompetent‑to‑Stand‑Trial (IST) diversion program and that the state accepted the county’s implementation plan. Staff said the program seeks to divert people with mental‑health needs into outpatient treatment rather than state hospitalization where appropriate and that signatures on the implementation plan are underway.

"They accepted our implementation plan, and that's going around for signature right now," Paul said, describing the state site visit. County staff also said they are developing a Prop 36 project (treatment in lieu of incarceration for certain substance‑use cases) and coordinating with public defenders, the district attorney and probation to create assessment pathways and referral processes. The board discussed how the diversion approach can reduce state‑hospital transfers and highlighted the need for local capacity and interagency agreements to support diverted cases.