The arlington commonwealth attorney's office would like to enhance the offender aid and restoration diversion program, in partnership with the arlington grassroots nonprofit offender aid and…

The County of Arlington, Virginia has been awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.812 Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative) to enhance the Offender Aid and Restoration Diversion Program. This program provides intensive reentry case management and connects eligible defendants charged with property crimes to community resources to address unmet needs. The grant funding will be used to scale the diversion program, train staff on mitigating racial bias in case assessments, and create an outcomes-based contract. The intended beneficiaries are the individual program participants, their families, communities, and the general public, as the program aims to increase public safety through participant stabilization and reduced contact with the criminal justice system. The grant performance period runs from October 1, 2024 to March 31, 2029.

The arlington commonwealth attorney's office would like to enhance the offender aid and restoration diversion program, in partnership with the arlington grassroots nonprofit offender aid and restoration of arlington, alexandria, and falls church. The program provides intensive reentry case management that connects defendants to community resources. Cases eligible for this program include property crimes, namely burglary, robbery, larceny, and theft offenses where the defendant appears to have unmet needs in the community which led them to an encounter with the criminal legal system. Prosecutors are encouraged to evaluate their case load with the director of diversion to determine if the individuals charged may be appropriate candidates for diversion. This program is designed to combat racial bias in our criminal legal system that systematically over-charges and over-prosecutes people of color. Prosecutors are similarly encouraged to consider how a defendant's racial identity might play a role when making referrals.through the pay for success grant, the arlington commonwealth attorney's office will create an outcomes-based contract to scale the diversion program to meet community needs and train staff to better understand how racial bias impacts their case assessments. The intended beneficiaries of this grant are the individual program participants, their families, communities, and the general public as the program works to increase public safety through participant stabilization and decreased contact with the criminal legal system.