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]