Homeless diversion pilot program; parish of Orleans; creation

A. (1) The district attorney for Orleans Parish shall create and administer a pilot program for homeless defendants. The district attorney, at his discretion, may choose to be the operator of the program using his own office personnel or may choose a vendor as the operator of the program. (2) The pilot program may be offered, at the discretion of the district attorney, to a homeless defendant as part of a pretrial diversion program. B. The terms of the pilot program shall be decided by the district attorney, which shall have all of the following essential characteristics: (1) The integration of health care, education, and housing assistance, as well as employment, job training, disability compensation counseling, and other rehabilitative services in the processing of cases in the criminal justice system. (2) Early identification and prompt placement of eligible participants into the program. (3) The use of nonadversarial approaches involving prosecutors and defense attorneys to promote public safety and protect the due process rights of program participants. (4) Access to continuum of alcohol, controlled substance, mental health, suicide assessment, intervention, treatment and management, and other related treatment and rehabilitative services. (5) Careful monitoring of treatment and services provided to program participants. (6) A coordinated strategy to govern program responses to participant compliance. (7) Ongoing judicial interaction with program participants. (8) Monitoring and evaluation of program goals and effectiveness. (9) Continuing interdisciplinary education to promote effective program planning, implementation, and operations. (10) Development of partnerships with public agencies and community organizations, including but not limited to Louisiana Works, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and any other local, state or federal agency, or organization that can provide assistance to participants.