Journal for Advancing Justice Volume III:
"Emerging Best Practices in Law Enforcement Deflection and Community Supervision Programs"
This special issue of the Journal for Advancing Justice addresses programs and interventions designed to assist individuals with mental health and substance use disorders who come to the attention of law enforcement and community corrections programs. It also analyzes community supervision practices in an effort to contribute to the research on effective strategies for probation, parole, and pretrial supervision programs.
Law Enforcement Deflection Programs
These articles reflect critical issues in the emerging field of law enforcement deflection and prearrest diversion programs. Deflection is a collaborative intervention connecting public safety and public health systems to create community-based pathways to treatment for people who have substance use disorders, mental health disorders, or other service needs without their entry into the justice system. These deflection pathways facilitate connections to treatment, recovery, housing, and social services via case management. The articles in this special issue explore effective practices for police deflection, as well as lessons learned from established programs. In doing so, they offer new knowledge and a more nuanced understanding of such programs.
Community Supervision Programs
This issue also focuses on emerging best practices in community supervision. Community supervision officers must navigate ever-changing obstacles to doing their work effectively, and these pressures are set against a long-standing backdrop of limited research into and evaluation of best practices in supervision, as well as concern among policymakers that community supervision may not be meeting the needs of clients and communities. The articles in this special issue present important research and commentary on ways to limit the use of incarceration by implementing effective practices for individuals under probation, parole, and pretrial supervision.
This project was supported by Grant No. G1899ONDCP02A awarded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy of the Executive Office of the President. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Executive Office of the President.