Target actors: Law enforcement, service providers, local government.

Increasingly, some police departments are instructing officers not to arrest people for certain actions, such as possessing cannabis or engaging in sex work. Further, many law enforcement agencies have procedures that allow officers to use alternatives to arrest, such as transporting people to the emergency room, shelter, or community-based service providers instead of the police station. However, resources may be scarce, departmental policies and processes often are not well-established, and individual officers may lack awareness of their range of options. In addition to law enforcement agencies better educating officers about existing opportunities for diversion from the criminal legal system, local government should dedicate increased resources to community-based services to maximize the available options.

Learn more:

• Behavioral Health Crisis Alternatives: Shifting from Police to Community Responses (Vera Institute of Justice)