In recent years, policy makers have explored the use of targeted diversion programs to reduce gun violence, enhance public safety, and develop new alternatives to incarceration. An example of such an innovation are prosecutor led gun diversion programs, programs that divert people charged with illegal gun possession or other gun-related offenses from traditional court proceedings in exchange for taking part in a special program that will result in charge dismissal upon successful program completion.
During this webinar, researchers from The Marron Institute and the Smart Decarceration Project housed at the University of Chicago present new findings from evaluations of two such prosecutor led gun diversion programs: in Brooklyn, New York, and Minneapolis, Minnesota respectively. Presenters talk through the development, challenges, and promise of these programs and what this new research has to say about how other jurisdictions might use this approach to address gun violence.
Special thanks to Angela Hawken, PhD and Matt Epperson, PhD, MSW.
About The Joyce Foundation
Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.