Diversion Program the focus of national case study

FLORENCE, AZ (March 9, 2022) - The Pinal County Attorney's Office (PCAO) is honored to be a part of a COPS Office-funded research study that is focusing on PCAO's innovative approach to pursuing criminal justice.

This week CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation, a nonprofit research and analysis organization, visited Pinal County to conduct a case study highlighting examples of innovative use of technologies implemented in the criminal justice system throughout the country to (1) reduce crime and disorder, (2) enhance public safety, or (3) build relationships of trust with the community. This case study focused on PCAO's Adult Diversion Program and the use of the iTether platform.

"We are honored to be a part of this case study exploring innovative digital technologies utilized in policing efforts across the country,” said Victim Services Manager Teresa Fuller. “The Digital Transformation of Community Supervision (DTCS) project and the iTether platform are a game-changer for community supervision, allowing defendants real-time access to resources, educational content and connecting them with their assigned officer through a HIPPA compliant telehealth platform"

The case study includes interviews with all of the involved stakeholders, such as participating community organizations, subject matter experts and individuals with lived experience.

The PCAO Adult Diversion Program allows those who qualify to enter into the program, which consists of goal-setting and metrics that must be met in order to avoid resumption of prosecution.

"It has been an honor to be involved with the process of implementing the iTether platform from start to finish,” said Senior Diversion Officer Nicole Buccellato. “I feel this technology is definitely versatile and will help an array of organizations with their own individual needs just as it has our own program"

CNA chose the PCAO Adult Diversion Program for the case study due to the innovative nature of the program, the evaluation element associated with it, and its’ ability to be easily replicated by other agencies.

"Defendants from Diversion are always commenting on how innovative and advanced our methods are,” said Senior Diversion Officer Josh Moreno. “It is a pleasure to work with other agencies that are also interested in advancing criminal justice practices."

This case study is the second in roughly a half dozen that CNA is conducting across the country. They will then write up the case study and work towards publishing it in the coming months.

"One of the reasons this project has been so successful is that we have a wide variety of stakeholders and subject matter experts, whose expertise have been invaluable on this project,” Fuller said. “I am glad their efforts are getting the recognition they deserve"

For more information on the Diversion Program, click HERE.

 

This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-ZB-BX-0006 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.