In November 2016, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) issued a request for proposal (“RFP”) for services for adults that the HCAO diverts from the formal criminal justice process. These case are diverted prior to felony charges being filed, or in some cases after formal charging. The HCAO diverts approximately 760 cases each year. The cases diverted generally involve first time offenders and less serious felony charges. Diversion Solutions, LLC was selected through the RFP process. There were three responders to the RFP. Diversion Solution’s proposal was ranked the highest in terms of substance as well as the least expensive option. It currently provides diversion services for nine Minnesota counties, including Dakota County. Diversion Solutions also performs this work for the city of Minneapolis. 

Diversion Solutions, LLC will provide direct client services to individuals the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office deems suitable for diversion.  Individuals may be diverted prior to formal charging or after formal charging. Individuals referred to Diversion Solutions will have an opportunity to consult with counsel before voluntarily enrolling in diversion. The enrollment will occur at an administrative calendar where the individual will waive their right to speedy proceedings, and sign a written acknowledgment of responsibility for the conduct. Use of the administrative calendar will remove nearly 1,000 appearances from the court omnibus hearing calendars. Conditions may include restitution to victims, chemical dependency treatment or education, urinalysis, personal responsibility classes, community work service, and remaining law abiding. When individuals enroll in the Diversion Solutions program, an advisor will monitor the individual’s compliance with program requirements. In addition, Diversion Solutions will use email, text message and phone calls to notify individuals of upcoming obligations.

When clients have successfully completed the program, a recommendation is made to the County Attorney’s Office for a dismissal of the pending charge. Failure to complete the program will result in the case being referred to court by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.  

The contract also requires the vendor to provide ongoing data, such as client demographics, fulfillment of sentence to serve or community service hours, restitution collected, chemical health assessments, employment referrals, and favorable termination rates, for effective monitoring and evaluation purposes.

The NTE of $325,686 is comprised of $96,186 for transitioning existing clients from the current vendor to Diversion Solutions, and $229,500 to cover the number of individuals expected to be referred to Diversion Solutions over an 18 month period, from July 1, 2017 to December 31, 2018.