Calibrate: Prosecution-led Pretrial Diversion Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

We are deconstructing our role as prosecutors within the criminal justice system and rebuilding a process that treats people as individuals. Calibrate is a formalized prosecution-led pretrial diversion program whose target population is first time criminal offenders, whose needs do not necessarily rise to the level of judicial intervention. The goal of the program is to reduce the number of justice-involved citizens in the community, thereby saving taxpayer dollars, while still providing for community safety. A screening process, which includes consultation with victims and law enforcement, is utilized to determine who is accepted into pretrial diversion. Once accepted, participants are required to adhere to agreed-upon conditions for a set time frame. Conditions of pretrial diversion are tailored to a participant’s individual needs and circumstances. Participation in Missoula County, Montana’s diversion program is voluntary. Successful completion of the program results in dismissal of the criminal charge—reducing recidivism and freeing resources to invest in higher risk offenders.