Diversion
A primary focus of the Office of the Second Judicial District Attorney is diversionary efforts, and our Diversion team is key to this success. This group quickly identifies and resolves nonviolent cases with a number of treatment options and specialty court programs. The Diversion team also includes the Pre-Prosecution Diversion (PPD) team, who focuses on providing treatment and supervision for defendants on a wide variety of misdemeanor and felony charges. With a small number of attorneys and staff, the Diversion team handles a large volume of cases.
Pre-Prosecution Diversion Program (PPD)
PPD is a diversion program at the District Attorney’s Office designed for offenders charges with low level, non-violent felonies, removing those defendants from the criminal justice system who are most amenable to rehabilitation. This program provides defendants with services designed to assist them in avoiding future criminal activity.
ADOBE+
Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is a key crime reduction strategy because 85% of adult defendants have four or more ACEs. Our office is piloting a partnership with the ADOBE+ to accept referrals for children of Domestic Violence victims and defendants in order to reduce ACEs. At a variety of intersections, our victim advocates, social workers, and attorneys seek to connect children of domestic violence victims with ADOBE+. Participation in ADOBE+ is not contingent on participation in the criminal case, but the goal is to provide an opportunity for young people to build resilience in an effort to reduce future crime.
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD)
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) is a pre-arrest diversion program that allows Law Enforcement Officers to divert a non-violent individual with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and/or Serious Mental Illness (SMI) to community-based alternatives and services prior to arrest and booking into jail. LEAD is a collaborative partnership between Bernalillo County, Albuquerque Police Department (APD), Bernalillo County Sheriff, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Law Office of the Public Defender.