Shoshone County Rolls Out Innovative Diversion Program

WALLACE –– The Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney is taking a proactive step to reduce substance abuse and recidivism in the community through the launch of an innovative adult criminal diversion program, called the Shoshone County ILED Program. ILED (Idaho Law Enforcement Diversion) is a statewide coalition of local diversion initiatives that create an alternative pathway to treatment early in the criminal justice process. Individuals in Shoshone County facing a non-violent drug charge who also meet specific eligibility criteria will be offered substance use treatment and intensive case management in lieu of incarceration.

Participants who demonstrate success and abstinence for a sufficient period of time (usually 12 months) will graduate from the program and be screened out of the criminal justice system, decreasing the workload of local law enforcement agencies and attempting to reduce the financial burden of criminal activity on detention centers and court facilities.

While Shoshone County is not the first ILED Initiative in Idaho – other ILEDs exist in southern Idaho and the Idaho State Police launched their own north Idaho Initiative last summer in partnership with Panhandle Health District, treatment providers, and Prosecuting Attorneys in Kootenai County – Shoshone County will be the first program in the state of its kind with two significant deviations from traditional ILED programs.

First, referrals will come after an initial arrest has been made and defendants have a period of forced sobriety in incarceration to decrease the likelihood of immediate relapse as defendants begin treatment. Second, defendants who meet the criteria for eligibility and desire to obtain treatment will move directly from incarceration to treatment with no waiting periods. This process will be made possible through the use of a treatment provider that will work directly inside the courthouse and have a caseload dedicated solely to Shoshone County defendants. As an added component, the program also calls for a urinalysis testing center to be implemented inside the courthouse, streamlining treatment processes and ensuring accountability.

“If we are going to tackle the issue of drug addiction which continues to plague our small rural towns across Idaho, we have to address the issue at its source, which means not only having the ability to act swiftly to remedy noncompliance but also providing the treatment mechanisms for those desiring help to be able to address their addiction,” Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Allen said.

The implementation of Shoshone County’s innovative solution comes at a critical time in Idaho’s deadly drug overdose epidemic. The number of Idahoans who lose their lives to an overdose continues to climb, increasing another 8% this past year according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Drug Overdose Prevention Program, with Shoshone County showing up near the top of that list yet again. Fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid that comes in powder or counterfeit pill form, has saturated Idaho’s illicit drug supply and greatly contributed to the surge of overdose deaths in Idaho.

The hiring of a new treatment professional, arguably the focal point of Shoshone County’s diversion program, will try to meet these statistics head on, and will be made possible through a grant from the Idaho Department of Corrections which Allen helped write for the County this past year. The final grant award, which will allow the County to offer expedited access to treatment for some of the community’s most vulnerable citizens who otherwise may wait months in line for treatment elsewhere, will dedicate over $420,000 over the next three years to facilitate the rollout of this program. While the ILED planning board that was assembled to oversee the program’s implementation has worked tirelessly over the past year to develop the processes and procedures necessary for the program’s success, one key piece of the puzzle remains that is preventing the program from starting - an actual treatment provider.

Experienced Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselors interested in joining this exciting local partnership between criminal justice, law enforcement, public health, and behavioral health are encouraged to visit the Shoshone County website or directly contact the Program Administrator, Colleen Rosson, at crosson@co.shoshone.id.us. This position, which was formally approved this month by the Shoshone County BOCC, is a full-time position that offers applicants both the benefits of government employment and the unique opportunity to be at the forefront of this groundbreaking initiative.