How is law enforcement affected by Diversion in our Criminal Justice System?
Diversion, as an incarceration alternative, is an effective way to prevent the excessive incarceration of mentally ill people. However, it can be time consuming thus diverting police officers from other duties. It has been touted as a just and effective program (see link below). I’m not sure that this program will prove to be as useful as many expect it to be. Many mentally ill people who require continual confinement in an institutional setting don’t get the help they need, even after the diversion process. They end up on the street creating the same problems over ad over. Time will tell. We keep forcing the chronically mentally ill to fend for themselves by putting them back on the street. However, history has demonstrated that they are often incapable of functioning in society on their own. I don’t think that programs like this will be of much use until mental health professionals start to understand the necessity of institutionalizing many of those people who are putting such a str
