12:37 PM JAABLOG email to SAO PIO:
… Mr. Pryor stated he was in favor of DUI diversion, similar to Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade, as supported by MADD.
Is this still the case, and when can a DUI diversion program be expected to be in place?
SAO PIO response at 5:06 PM:
The goal is to have a DUI diversion program, supported by MADD, established in 2022. Senior prosecutors and others are still meeting and gathering data and information to establish a program that emphasizes public safety and fairness.
5:15 PM JAABLOG response:
In the meantime, shouldn’t there be some consideration given to those with open DUI’s who are first offender’s, and who meet the necessary requirements for the anticipated diversion program, which will likely mirror the neighboring MADD approved, long standing diversion programs in Miami and Palm Beach? Is it necessary to fully prosecute these individuals who happen to have the misfortune of being charged while awaiting the new program, instead of offering breakdowns?
(JAABLOG will update Monday with the SAO’s reply)
Independent – Baltimore ends war on drugs
” … What surprised many people – including Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison – was that the reduction in low-level prosecutions appears to have triggered a decline in nearly all categories of crime in the city … As violent crime skyrocketed in cities across the nation, those crimes in Baltimore – a city that is still among the most violent in the country – did not.”
