Leaders in Fairfax County, Virginia, gathered together Monday to celebrate a diversion program that aims to keep people who’ve been charged with certain crimes out of the court system.
The program is called “Taking Root,” and it offers eligible first-time and low-level adult offenders an alternative to prosecution or jail time.
“We have 100 people in the program and already we’ve had 20 graduates,” said Steve Descano, the county’s commonwealth’s attorney.
It has been about one year since the program honored its very first graduate.
The purpose is to allow nonviolent offenders an opportunity to resolve minor offenses outside the courts and to avoid the stigma of a criminal conviction.
Services available to those deemed eligible for the program include case management, mental health assessments, substance abuse assessment referrals and compliance monitoring, vocation and education referrals, job skill training referrals, and affordable housing.
“It takes a lot of bravery for those individuals to come forward, engage in this program, work on themselves and do what it takes to better their lives,” Descano said.
Essentially, the program aims to reduce the rate of recidivism.
Those eligible must be approved by a judge and plead guilty to the charges against them. The charges are later dropped when the person completes the program successfully.
“It is helping take people out of the justice system and getting them into careers,” Descano said. “If you’re going to do one of these diversion programs, you can turn your life around or build a life for yourself and your family.”
Virginia U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said people who’ve made mistakes deserve a second chance.
“I suspect you can look at your own life and find moments along the way where you made a mistake, but you learned and grew as a result,” Kaine said. “Some peoples’ mistakes are mistakes that wrap them up in the criminal justice system.”
County leaders also announced the start of a new diversion program called Pathfinder Kitchen, which allows people who have brushed against the criminal justice system to not only avoid jail time, but to receive professional restaurant training so they can build a career in the food industry.
“If an individual is put into that program, they’re going to be working at a couple of restaurants, getting that training and getting that opportunity,” Descano said.
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