The Economic Case for Diversion Court
Cook County, like most metropolitan areas, has been hit hard by the recent financial crisis. Services are being cut, city staffers are being laid off and taxes are rising. Many of you may be asking why Chicago Appleseed is pushing for a new diversion court in this difficult financial environment. However, our proposal would actually save taxpayers money. Here’s how.
First, our proposed diversion court will reduce processing costs. The baseline cost of processing a diversion eligible felony case in Cook County under the current system is estimated at $6,550 per offender. The estimated cost to process a diversion eligible case in our diversion court is $4,700 per case, $1,850 lower than the current process. With an estimated capacity of 4,000 cases per year, our proposed diversion court would save Cook County taxpayers just under $7.5 million per year in reduced upfront processing costs alone.
Second, our diversion court will reduce recidivism. Research has shown that the reduction in the rate of recidivism for drug court participants (a similar model to our diversion court) is between 8% and 44%. The most extensive study on recidivism for drug court participants (both graduates and non-graduates) found that the average amount saved per defendant over a 5-year period as a result of reduced recidivism was $8,136. Using a similar model adjusted for the cost of inputs for Cook County, we estimate that taxpayers would save an additional $4,750 per diversion participant over a 5-year period as the direct result of avoiding additional processing costs associated with recidivism. Once the program has been running for 5 years with an estimated 4,000 participants a year, Cook County taxpayers would realize a cost savings of nearly $20 million per year.
Third, our diversion court will reduce victimization costs and create a higher tax base. While these benefits are difficult to quantify, our proposal will reduce property and personal crimes in Chicago and create a class of diversion court “graduates” that have a higher chance of finding a job (and therefore of contributing to our shared Cook County tax base).
Please join us in our efforts to create a new diversion court in Cook County and to save taxpayers over $25 million per year. You can direct your encouragement to:
The Honorable Timothy C. Evans
Chief Judge
Circuit Court of Cook County
50 W. Washington Street, Suite 2600
Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
Sheriff Thomas Dart
Cook County Sheriff’s Office
50 W. Washington Street, Room 704
Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
The Honorable Anita Alvarez
Cook County State Attorney
69 W. Washington Street, Room 500
Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
The Honorable Abishi Cunningham, Jr.
Cook County Public Defender
69 W. Washington Street, Room 1600
Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602