FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — The Fayetteville Police Department’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program is celebrating a decade of connecting people in need to help instead of jail.
Since its inception in 2016, 158 people have enrolled in the program, which focuses on diverting individuals with mental health or substance abuse challenges away from the criminal justice system and toward treatment and support services.
Shanon Drummond, lead case manager at Coastal Horizon, has been helping people for years, but says becoming a case manager two years ago has been the most rewarding work yet.
“Just because you messed up, that’s not the end of your story,” Drummond said.
Drummond is part of a coalition of mental health and substance abuse providers who gathered Friday with local officials to mark the milestone. The group reflected on the program’s mission and impact over the past ten years.
“We typically have a full caseload. My interactions are meeting with people, kind of strategizing with them on how they’re going to proceed forward in a different way than what they currently been doing,” Drummond said.
Fayetteville was the first city in North Carolina and the fourth in the nation to launch a LEAD program. Since then, the initiative has reduced repeat offenses and improved access to care. Data show that participants are four times more likely to get treatment and 36% less likely to be re-arrested or face new charges six months and one year after enrolling.
Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West praised the program’s approach.
“We realized that that sometimes there’s going to be relapses and slip ups and that sort of thing. And the process really somewhat slows down the criminal justice system while the person tries to deal with their underlying addiction,” West said.
“We’re able to get that person wraparound services and hopefully get them in a life outside of the criminal justice system,” he added.
As the Fayetteville LEAD program marks ten years, those involved see it as a proven path to recovery and a second chance for many in the community.
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Source: abc11.com
