DIVERSION PROGRAM

diversion program. 1.Criminal law. A program that refers certain criminal defendants before

trial  to  community  programs  on  job  training,  education,  and  the  like,  which  if  successfully

completed  may  lead  to  the  dismissal  of  the  charges.  —  Also  termed  pretrial  diversion;  pretrial

intervention.  Cf.  deferred  judgment  under  JUDGMENT.  [Cases:  Sentencing  and  Punishment

2051–2054. C.J.S. Criminal Law §§ 425–444, 449–450.] 2. A community-based program or set of

services  designed  to  prevent  the  need  for  court  intervention  in  matters  of  child  neglect,  minor

juvenile delinquency, truancy, or incorrigibility. • Sustained by government funding, the program

provides  services  quickly  and  in  a  nonadversarial  manner  so  that  there  is  no  need  for  a  formal

court trial. [Blacks Law 8th]