Pulling people into the criminal justice system has long-lasting consequences. Even without a guilty conviction, a person can have their record haunt them for years to come.
Fortunately, Utah’s two largest counties are trending in a positive direction that better serves the interest of justice.
Both Utah County and Salt Lake County have recently launched new diversion programs to offer low-level offenders an opportunity to avoid prosecution and the long-lasting consequences that follow. These developments will hopefully be replicated in other counties in the future.
Last month, Utah County Attorney David Leavitt started the ball rolling by allowing certain people facing criminal charges to pursue community service, drug treatment or life classes, not as a condition of their post-conviction plea but as a pre-emptive option to avoid prosecution altogether.