18 Goals and Objectives The basic goal of this strategy is simply to divert first-time offenders from proceeding through the criminal justice system by engaging them in treatment alternatives that will benefit their long-term control of substance use disorders. Local programs have varying criteria for eligibility, but they generally focus their efforts on non-violent, first-time offenders. It can be difficult to quantify the impact of diversion programs, but indirect measures – for example, the percentage of people remaining in treatment over time and the recidivism rates related to re-arrest for drug-related charges – can be indicators of programmatic success. Theory of Change The likelihood of extended opioid use will be reduced by diverting individuals from the criminal justice system. Offenders can be reintegrated into the community and sustain productive lives if they receive treatment rather than being criminally prosecuted and convicted. Examples Numerous successful law-enforcement programs have been created around the country. In King County, WA, police officers can refer individuals facing possible drug charges to case workers who conduct in- house assessments and then connect the individuals to treatment services. An evaluation concluded that participants in the program were less likely to be arrested and incarcerated than those in a comparison group.63 TheCityofAlexandria,VA,hasintroducedanovelprogram,calledtheBurnerPhoneInitiative,thataimstoguideoverdose patients onto a path that leads to treatment rather than the criminal justice system. Individuals in Alexandria who are revived from an overdose by a city official are taken to recover in a hospital, where a detective will meet them and exchange their personal cell phone with a burner phone. The burner phones are pre-programmed with the numbers of a detective and the city’s substance use treatment program. When calling the latter number, patients speak with a social worker about their substance use and treatment options. Even if they do not pursue treatment, they are counseled about harm-reduction approaches, where to get free Narcan, etc. They can call a detective to discuss issues such as whether the drug they took was tainted. The phones are also used by treatment staff to try and engage overdose survivors. In 2016, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services hosted a forum with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Police Executive Research Forum to study the experiences of police agencies in collaborating with public health agencies to prevent or reduce opioid substance use through diversion programs. The report contains numerous examples of successful programs, including Montgomery County, MD, Dayton, OH, and Gloucester, MA.64 There are over 3,100 drug courts in the nation, and a substantial number of program descriptions are available from the resource centers cited below. Resources The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) provides support and resources to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Any law enforcement or public safety agency that creates such pathways can join PAARI free of cost to access resources such as technical assistance, coaching, program templates and tools, seed grants, convening, connections to treatment providers, a network of like-minded law enforcement agencies, and capacity-building and recovery coaches through AmeriCorps. The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) within the U.S. Department of Justice has a Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program, through which grant funds are available for diversion projects. The Association of Prosecuting Attorneys has created a toolkit to support prosecutor-led diversion programs. The National Drug Court Resource Center lists a wide variety of evidence-based practices that are useful in implementing drug courts at the local level. In addition, the National Center for State Courts publishes a directory of resources for implementing drug/DWI court programs. The OJP lists resources (including grant programs) available to support drug court programs, and has also published a listing of all of its programs that have to do with substance use disorder.