Offenders In Seattle Pre-Booking Diversion Program 58% Less Likely To Be Rearrested

Low-level offenders in Seattle, Washington who participated in a pre-booking diversion program called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) between October 2011 and July 2014 were 58% less likely to be rearrested than other low-level offenders who did not participate in LEAD. The LEAD participants were 34% less likely to be re-arrested for a non-warrant offense, and 39% less likely to be charged with a felony.

LEAD was developed to address the problem of open-air drug markets in Seattle and King County. The first program site launched in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood in October 2011 . . .