In the Beginning: History of the Pre-Charging Diversion Program

The Prosecuting Attorney's Pre-Charging Diversion Program began in 1992 with the office's formation of a joint-venture with Watershed human and Community Development, Inc., a private, non-profit agency that helps the poor and those who are in trouble with the law. The early pilot program had a peer panel that handed down community service for juveniles to complete at Watershed in addition to counseling at the agency.

In 1995, the Prosecutor's Office opened a second community-based Pre-Charging Diversion site at the Black Community Developers, a non-profit section of Hoover United Methodist Church. It also worked in a similar way as the Watershed site.

In 1996, the Prosecutor's Office launched a school-based diversion site at Southwest Junior High in Little Rock. It too worked in a way similar to the other sites.

In 1998, the Prosecutor's Office is going to expand half of this Pre-Charging Diversion Program into a trial model teen tourt (see section above titled, Teen Courts Across the United States and in Arkansas). The trial model teen court will allow the office to work with a new group of teens not usually served by the office -- those law-abiding youth that are interested in the practice of law.