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When I ask people what they believe the role of district attorney is, most respond “to lock people up.”

As a prosecutor for nearly eight years, I can say that I have never considered putting people in jail as the central focus of my job. My focus is on taking steps to make our community a safe place to live and helping those who need it the most. This point of view isn’t new among prosecutors and has precipitated years of innovation that have helped advance our perspective and approach to criminal justice.

Prosecutors have long come to realize incarceration is not always the appropriate penalty or in the best interests of society. Every day, district attorneys exercise discretion in countless ways rarely seen by the public, including the Alternative Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, probation without verdict, plea-bargaining and juvenile diversion programs such as the Youth Aid Panel.

Luzerne County utilizes many pretrial diversion programs and specialty courts to keep worthwhile cases out of the traditional criminal justice system. The specialty courts include Mental Health Court, Drug Treatment Court and Veteran’s Court. Typically, these defendants have little to no criminal history, no history of violence and have been charged with non-violent offenses. We also try to identify the underlying cause of the individual’s crime, which typically involves mental health issues and/or substance abuse of drugs and alcohol, which has ultimately led to the expansion of eligibility for diversion courts. Our office does not intend to criminalize mental health and substance abuse; however, misconduct fueled by addiction cannot be excused and the collateral damage inflicted in its wake cannot be ignored.

In January, our office began piloting a pre-arrest diversionary (PAD) program. This program is the first county-level PAD program implemented in Pennsylvania.

Individuals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis for participation in PAD; however, all police departments in Luzerne County are eligible and encouraged to participate. Police officers are able to identify individuals whose crimes are principally driven by drug and/or alcohol abuse or dependency.

Instead of filing criminal charges, the police officers will hold those charges in reserve until the individual completes drug and alcohol counseling and treatment programs. By participating in PAD, the individual can avoid a criminal record and the collateral consequences that often follows an arrest.

Even in PAD’s infancy, it is already producing results. There are currently a dozen people participating in PAD, and three participants have already successfully completed the program and have chosen to continue treatment.

The goal of PAD and other diversionary programs is not to save money, but to save lives. Diversionary programs ensure that defendants are held accountable for their criminal conduct, are strictly supervised and that they receive appropriate medical and/or substance abuse treatment. This approach balances society’s interest in deterring future crime with the need to recognize that incarceration does not solve every problem.

These are vital programs that have reduced the strain on the criminal court, reduce recidivism and save valuable time and money, which benefits all Luzerne County taxpayers.

Taxpayers also benefit when we focus on crime prevention. That’s why we have placed dozens of prescription drug drop-off boxes in convenient locations throughout Luzerne County and placed naloxone in the hands of our law enforcement, first responders and family members of those suffering from substance abuse.

We work closely with outreach programs such as Fight Crime, Invest in Kids, develop outreach programs that put us in schools to speak to the students as well as parents, and regularly attend community programs to educate our residents on public safety and let them know we are here to help.

Not to mention, we are leaders in the effort to reduce recidivism by working with the legislature on the Clean Slate Law, as well as reentry programs through the Department of Corrections.

A 360-degree approach to fighting crime isn’t new or progressive. Rather, I hear similar stories when my fellow district attorneys and I meet and share ideas through our professional organization, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association.

The people at that table are all interested in finding smart and common sense ways to address the modern day issues.

Prosecutors committed to their job and their oath of office find solutions that keep communities safe, are dedicated to the truth, abide by the rule of law and stand up for victims of crime, who are often marginalized and ignored. By doing so, we are doing the job the constitution requires and the voters elected us to do.

Stefanie J. Salavantis

Guest Columnist

Stefanie Salavantis is the Luzerne County district attorney.