VIDEO

This recorded panel discussion introduces Pima County’s deflection model and answers questions about operational aspects of deflection, as well as implementation. Representatives from Pima County Justice Services, Tucson Police Department, Connections Health Solutions, and CODAC share valuable insights on the practical aspects of this model and discuss its implications for the community.

Deflection allows police discretion to replace arrest with outreach to community-based service providers and eliminates involvement in the legal system altogether. Importantly, as police agencies expand deflection programs to more consistently align with treatment engagement literature and the process of recovery, this will include consistent opportunities for deflection – even to people who were previously deflected. This transforms police contacts and traditional stops leading to arrest into opportunities to broker services. Understanding how deflection programs work in practice and how police make decisions about who to triage out of the legal system is key to improving and expanding these programs, reducing jail populations, improving access to care, and helping individuals get the help they need.