What County Has the Top Diversion Program in The USA?

Today’s Brief:

• Jail Diversion Briefs

• Ohio’s Crisis Intervention Team Trains 25,000+ to Transform Mental-Health Response

• Mecklenburg County’s CIT Program Earns Platinum-Level Certification

• Social Media Briefs

  Total Read Time: 3 minutes

👮 Jail Diversion Briefs

Lorain County Adult Probation Department Earns State’s Top Diversion Award

The Lorain County Adult Probation Department won the 2025 Clifford Skeen Award for the best pre-trial diversion program in Ohio. The award, given annually by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and the Bureau of Community Sanctions, honors programs that successfully steer eligible individuals away from prison and into community-based supervision.

Hawaii Lawmakers Sound Alarm on Mental-Health Diversion Program’s ‘Revolving Door

In Hawaiʻi, a group of state senators questioned whether the diversion law Act 26 is functioning as intended, citing its link to repeat admissions of people with serious mental illness at the State Hospital Hawaiʻi instead of stable treatment. They noted that many individuals are released after short hospital stints and then quickly re-arrested, raising concerns about whether the system is truly diverting or simply cycling people through jail and hospital again

Washington County Approves Over $500K to Extend Men’s Jail-Alternative Program

The Washington County, Arkansas Quorum Court approved more than $500,000 to fund the continuation of the “Returning Home” program, a transitional housing and support initiative designed for men charged with non-violent offenses as an alternative to incarceration. The program offers safe, sober housing, job training and counseling, and the funding will carry it through April 2027, though some officials expressed concern over oversight and clarity of expenditure.

👮 Ohio’s Crisis Intervention Team Trains 25,000+ to Transform Mental-Health Response

The Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED)’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program, celebrating its 25th anniversary, has trained over 25,000 law enforcement officers and professionals across all 88 counties in Ohio since its launch in 2000. The program brings together officers, mental-health professionals, advocates and people with lived experience to shift responses from incarceration to community-based treatment pathways. CIT aims to improve outcomes for individuals experiencing a mental-health crisis by providing de-escalation training and creating local networks for diversion away from jail. Officials from Ohio’s justice system—including the Attorney General and former Supreme Court Justice—attended the anniversary event, underscoring the program’s growing recognition and impact. Looking ahead, the CIT model is now being scaled nationally, offering a blueprint for community-based crisis intervention beyond Ohio’s borders.

Mecklenburg County’s CIT Program Earns Platinum-Level Certification

The Mecklenburg County Crisis Intervention Team Program has been awarded Platinum Level Certification by CIT International, marking the highest tier of recognition for crisis intervention teams. The program brings together law-enforcement, behavioral-health professionals and people impacted by mental-illness, substance-use disorders or developmental disabilities to improve responses to behavioral-health crises. With 18 years of collaboration among public health, 16 local law-enforcement agencies, first-responders, 911 call-takers, mental-health agencies and community volunteers, the program earned its standing through strong partnerships and shared innovation. The certification reflects that the program closely aligns with best-practice standards in the “Memphis Model” of CIT programming and is now recognized as a leading example.