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Houston Matters

Report: Expanding Drug Diversion Programs Would Improve Safety and Save Tax Dollars

A new report from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition suggests there are economic and social benefits to expanding Harris County’s drug diversion programs. To explain, we talk with one of the authors of that report, Jay Jenkins. He’s the coalition’s project attorney for Harris County. The Harris County DA’s office is implementing a “First Chance […]

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A new report from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition suggests there are economic and social benefits to expanding Harris County's drug diversion programs.

To explain, we talk with one of the authors of that report, Jay Jenkins. He's the coalition's project attorney for Harris County.

The Harris County DA's office is implementing a "First Chance Intervention Program" which essentially diverts a first-time defendant arrested for possessing a small amount of marijuana. We discuss where that program stands and impact it could have.

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Michael Hagerty

Michael Hagerty

Senior Producer, Houston Matters

Michael Hagerty is the senior producer for Houston Matters. He's spent more than 20 years in public radio and television and dabbled in minor league baseball, spending four seasons as the public address announcer for the Reno Aces, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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