Diversion and Discrimination
The New York Times is publishing a series that examines the use of diversion programs, which are designed to allow people to avoid the harsh consequences of the criminal justice system for first-time and minor offenses. However, since these programs are run by local prosecutors, there is unequal treatment. Often, this leads to a substantially different treatment of poorer people.
In the second part of the series, the paper takes a closer look at one county in Alabama and demonstrates the ways that unequal treatment by the prosecutor has affected several citizens.
There is also a very helpful interactive feature that allows readers to examine the difficult choices that one may potentially face when choosing diversion.