An innovative program designed to shepherd individuals battling substance abuse and mental health disorders into recovery was introduced to Monmouth County’s largest and second-most populous municipality this morning, when candidates for the MCPO Recovery Diversion Program (RDP) first met with Program representatives at Howell Township Municipal Court. It marked the completion of a rapid initial expansion of the program, which has grown from one pilot location to five municipalities during the course of just the current calendar year, at the direction of Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago. Here’s how it works: first, upon arraignment, a Municipal Prosecutor will offer participation to a defendant charged with a non-violent, low-level crime who has a substance use or mental health disorder. If interested, the candidate will be scheduled for a preliminary RDP session, during which he or she will meet a recovery specialist, who will explain the program and introduce the candidate to a clinician who schedules an intake appointment and mental health evaluation. After attending the appointment, the participant will begin treatment at the recommended level of care, with regimens ranging in length from 12 weeks to six months. The RDP team receives monthly compliance reports for each participant, and if he or she completes all recommended treatment, maintains contact with their caregivers, and remains arrest-free, the Municipal Prosecutor will make a motion for dismissal of the charges against them before the Municipal Court Judge. Dismissals are then left to the discretion of the Judge.
Monmouth County Prosecutor Announces Recovery Diversion Program
