Council of State Governments | Stateline Midwest (August 2019)
A relatively new idea in criminal justice, deflection is a “third way” for police to interact with offenders they encounter.
Police officers often only have a binary choice, arrest or release. Deflection seeks to use alternative remedies such as drug and alcohol treatment, hospitalization, and other diversionary programs, when appropriate, instead of introducing nonviolent, low-level offenders into the criminal justice system or releasing them back into the community without assistance.
Lawmakers on the Midwestern Legislative Conference Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee heard about deflection from Jac Charlier, executive director of the Chicago-based TASC Center for Health and Justice. His presentation, “Legislative Opportunities for Justice,” discussed reforms to pretrial justice and bail and the basics of good re-entry programs and legislation.
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