Mental Health Diversion Program

**Total Diverted as of 11/13/2023 - 8,862
In 2018, District Attorney Kim Ogg and other leaders worked together to fund the Judge Ed Emmett Mental Health Diversion Center to address the needs of mentally ill individuals arrested for non-violent misdemeanor crimes.
The Mental Health Diversion Program has successfully reduced the number of mentally ill people languishing in our county jail for low-level offenses by several thousand, saving taxpayers millions of dollars in the process. More importantly, 86 law enforcement agencies now take those offenders to the Mental Health Diversion Center instead of jail. While at the center, they are assessed and connected with treatment providers. Stabilization of these mentally ill individuals has proved far more successful then jailing them, as evidenced by the significant reduction in recidivism.