NCJ Number
81095
Date Published
1980
Length
38 pages
Annotation
Regulations for the implementation of the Virginia Community Diversion Incentive Act which supports community-based corrections, are presented.
Abstract
The act authorizes the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections to provide direct funding to counties and cities or combinations thereof to develop and maintain community diversion programs for certain nonviolent offenders who may require less than institutional custody but more than probation supervision. Work release and restitution centers, intensive community supervision and treatment, and group residential care are only a few of the options which communities could develop through voluntary participation under the act. The only restrictions are that the funds be used for programs incorporating certain minimum activities operated within State minimum standards and that they not be used for capital expenditures. The act mandates that each locality participating shall be represented on a Community Corrections Resources Board. This voluntary citizen-based body is the key component for any community diversion program. The board receives referrals from the circuit court judge, obtains diagnostic evaluations as necessary, and provides nonbinding recommendations to the judge on the offender's ability to benefit from an alternative to institutionalization. At the time the board recommends a diversion plan, it shall have developed an individualized treatment plan and a behavioral contract with the offender. Administrative and finance arrangements are mentioned, and procedures regarding administrative review, program evaluation, and certification are outlined. The act, a list of Department of Corrections regional offices, and a proposed system for identification of the divertable population are appended. A map is included.