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Kane County Collaborative Diversion is dedicated to helping individuals who have been marginalized and cycled in and out of the criminal legal system as a result of substance use disorder, mental illness, and/or a lack of resources. Collaborative Diversion recognizes the need for compassionate, non-judgmental, and person-centered approaches in addressing unmet needs of the complex individual. Collaborative Diversion case managers use harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and trauma-informed practices to treat underlying conditions that often correlate with repeated criminal behavior.

Collaborative Diversion believes in the utilization of various community resources to meet the spectrum of needs of participants. Case managers partner with local service providers, mental health agencies, and law enforcement to connect participants to needed services. The goal of Collaborative Diversion  is to develop the self-sufficiency of its participants while helping them connect to services in the community and avoid repeated arrests and incarceration. We understand the stigma that comes with untreated mental illness, substance use, and lack of resources and the lifelong struggles that come with cycling through the criminal legal system, and we are working to address the underlying issues that lead to the often repetitive cycle of contact with law enforcement.

Kane County's Collaborative Diversion operates based on the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) model, a national initiative that aims to reconcile and heal police-community relations and also address the high incarceration rate in the United States through the education, training, and practice of harm reduction strategies in responding to low-level offenses perpetuated by substance use, mental health issues and lack of resources.

​Collaborative Diversion Application
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