As part of the Promoting Racial Justice and Transparency in Indiana project, Indiana University researchers examined how pretrial diversion programs (PDPs) operate in Lake and Monroe Counties and evaluated their impact on later criminal case referrals. PDPs aim to address underlying factors that often contribute to justice system involvement, such as poverty, mental health challenges, or substance abuse disorders, while providing eligible individuals an opportunity to avoid prosecution through successful completion of program requirements. This policy brief explores program implementation, participant outcomes—including whether outcomes differed by race or ethnicity—and the potential role of PDP’s in reducing long-term harms for participants while promoting more efficient use of criminal justice resources.
Key findings
- Pretrial diversion program (PDP) participation reduced the new criminal case filings in Lake and Monroe Counties at 6 and 12 months.
- Lake County showed modest but statistically significant reductions (three percentage points at 6 months; four points at 12 months).
- Monroe County saw larger declines (9 percentage points at 6 months; 11 points at 12 months).
- PDP outcomes showed no racial or ethnic disparities, with Black, Hispanic, and white participants all experiencing equally positive results.
- Results were consistent across multiple statistical methods, strengthening confidence in the findings.
- PDPs show strong potential to decrease recidivism, reduce system workload, and promote fairer outcomes.
- Policymakers and practitioners can address remaining challenges by strengthening long-term data systems, evaluating specific program components, and improving implementation fidelity.
