Pretrial Diversion, Recidivism, and Race: An Impact Evaluation of a Prosecutor-Led Pretrial Diversion Program

• In Event: Innovations in Prosection: Initial Screening Decisions and Diversion Programs

Abstract

Objective: Prior research on prosecutor-led pretrial diversion program effectiveness has neglected the comparison of program participants to comparable individuals who did not have a case filed against them. This prior research has also given little attention to racial differences in program outcomes. I address these gaps by examining whether participation in a prosecutor-led pretrial diversion program impacts long-term recidivism outcomes for program participants compared to 1) those who experienced traditional case-processing and 2) those who did not have a case filed. I also examine whether there are racial differences in recidivism outcomes. Methods: The sample includes 4,225 individuals who had a case referred from law enforcement to a midsized midwestern prosecutor’s office from 2016 to 2018. Defendants were an average age of 25.72 (SD=10.68), primarily male (n=2954, 69.9%), and white (n=3708, 87.8%). I linked local jail and prosecution data to conduct propensity score weighted regression models examining whether program participation impacted future recidivism outcomes five years after case disposition. Results & Conclusions: Preliminary results and conclusions will be presented.

Author

• Carmen Diaz, Indiana University Bloomington