SB285 - Pretrial Diversion Programs Summary

• Authorizes any district attorney or municipality in Alabama to establish discretionary pretrial diversion programs without requiring a local act, with basic operating standards and judicial oversight of charge dispositions.

• Permits voluntary participation by offenders represented by counsel with court-approved agreements; allows reductions, dismissals, or mitigation of charges upon successful program completion.

• Establishes administration fees (capped at $1,000 or maximum offense fine for municipalities) with provisions for waiver based on indigency; fees deposited into District Attorney's Solicitor Fund and municipal general funds.

• Makes statutory drug courts and specialty courts paramount to pretrial diversion programs; allows districts with existing local diversion programs to adopt this act in whole or in part.

• Requires Office of Prosecution Services to develop and maintain a statewide pretrial diversion offender database containing offender information, charges, and disposition outcomes accessible to prosecutors and courts.