Models of Police Diversion at the Point of Arrest

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract/Description

Alternatives to criminal legal system punishment have been established at every stage of the justice process, from pretrial court diversion to sentencing and beyond. To prevent over-policing of vulnerable populations and communities of color, and to avoid overburdening police forces, police-initiated diversion programs have begun in many jurisdictions since the 1960s, and have expanded and evolved in multiple directions over time. In this thematic panel, five papers will approach models of police diversion at the point of arrest from multiple angles, ranging from pragmatic analyses for practitioners’ use, to critical theory. Caroline Harmon-Darrow will summarize practitioners’ advice to other practitioners about promising practices, Sam Mandara will examine critical tensions in police diversion work, Jenny Afkinich will use an implementation science framework to outline key findings about how police diversion programs are best implemented, Devon Ziminski will zero in on program models and practices in New Jersey police diversion programs, and Nancy Digby Franke will speak about how the twin pandemics of COVID and police violence led to rapid theoretical shifts in police diversion programs.

Sub Unit

• Area VI. The Criminal Justice System / 43. Police Strategies, Interventions, and Evaluations

Individual Presentations

• Promising Practices in Police Diversion Programs - Sam Mandara, Rutgers University School of Social Work

• Mapping Police Diversion Programs: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Implementation and Sustainment Using the EPIS Model - Jenny Afkinich, North Carolina A&T State University

• Police Diversion in New Jersey: Statewide Collaboration and Localized Programming - Devon Ziminski, Rutgers University

• Critical Tensions in Police Diversion: Unpacking the Current Constraints, Philosophies, and Tradeoffs Across the Field - Caroline Harmon-Darrow, Rutgers University School of Social Work

• Navigating Context and Change: The Evolution of Police Diversion Programs in Response to Political, Social, and Theoretical Shifts - Nancy Digby Franke, La Salle University

Discussant

• Ashley N. Jackson, Rutgers University