Horten said improved screening processes within the jail identify applicants sooner for alternative courts.

“People are getting in two or three weeks faster I think, so they’re getting out of jail and getting treatment that much quicker,” Horten said.

Another project prompts prosecutors to identify probationers struggling to satisfy court-ordered conditions. Then public defenders and the Women’s Justice Team reach out to them and offer services to help meet requirements, such as holding down or finding a job.

“It’s really like the earliest intervention to try to make sure people struggling with probation don’t get apps filed,” Horten said, referencing court filings to revoke a suspended sentence or accelerate a deferred sentence — common pathways to jail.

Trying to avoid loss of job or housing

Assistant Public Defender Glen Blake noted that his office now works with Special Judge April Seibert on the misdemeanor docket to do an initial screening of cases to “fast track.”

Public defenders each morning examine the misdemeanor docket for people who aren’t on probation or have pending cases. If it appears a case can be moved up for a faster disposition, they do it.