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Pre-booking diversion enables police officers to divert individuals to supportive services in lieu of prosecution for minor crimes related to substance use. We surveyed 204 Philadelphia Police Department officers authorized to initiate pre-booking diversions. We used bivariate x2tests and multivariate logistic regression to examine differences in respondent perspectives. 78% agreed that pre-booking diversion provides important services to people who use drugs, 69% wanted to expand the geographic score of programming, and 52% wanted to expand eligibility. Yet 59% questioned whether diversion is “what police should be doing”, and only 27% believed that it will improve public safety. In logistic regression, the perceived value that the police department places on referrals correlated with agreement that PAD improves safety, provides important services for people who use drugs, and fits within officers’ role. Tension between beliefs that the program provides important services but may not improve safety reflects both potential value and inherent challenges of pre-booking diversion models.

Numerous cities are experimenting with pre-booking diversion programs that allow police officers to divert community members to supportive services in instances that would otherwise result in arrest and prosecution. These programs aim to decrease harmful involvement with the criminal justice system while reducing crime and public disorder. Although previous research has explored the experiences of people receiving diversion referrals and of police officers initiating them, none have examined the perspectives of community members who can offer crucial insights into planning, evaluation, and implementation barriers. We administered a survey to 293 people living in four police districts where the Philadelphia Police Department operates a pre-booking diversion program. The survey explored residents’ perspectives on the program as well as their broader views on associated issues like decriminalization of substance use, sex work, and minor theft. Bivariate χ2tests and multivariate logistic regression examined differences in responses between subgroups. Perspectives were diverse and varied based on demographic attributes of the respondents as well as on district-level attributes, like crime patterns. Most surveyed community members perceived pre-booking diversion to be a valuable tool for improving the experiences and outcomes of policing. However, residents living in areas with more crime and with more public disorder held significantly less positive perspectives. Their skepticism may reflect the possibility that pre-booking diversion and similar reforms are necessary but not sufficient to transforming individual health and public safety in some areas.

Introduction No one who attended the 2010 national public health law conference hosted by the Public Health Law Association (PHLA) and the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME) [...]

With the publication of the final report of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, it becomes clear that there is considerable convergence between a policy agenda rooted [...]