Those who sign up for the program pay a $100 administrative fee as well as a fee for the class, which ranges from $250 to $450. The district attorney’s office contacts those eligible for the jail alternative and gives them 30 days to sign up for the program. After completing the classes, the criminal charges are dropped and will not show up on any background checks.

Participating in these courses is not an admission of guilt. Under this program, a person charged with a misdemeanor offense may be able to take one or two-day classes on theft and property, drug and alcohol, life skills, anger management, vehicle code violations, and/or victim impact rather than face jail time. Orange County launched the same program in 2011, and it has had positive effects. San Luis Obispo County recently launched a diversion program that will offer some first-time misdemeanor offenders classes as an alternative to jail time. To help reduce inmate populations, some counties are introducing new alternatives to serving jail time. The recently passed Prop 47 changed some felony and wobbler offenses to misdemeanors, but local jails continue to feel the burden of overcrowding.

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