Priority Access Diversion Program

Priority Access Diversion (PAD)

Some people suffering from mental illness and substance abuse need help, not incarceration.  The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office created the Priority Access Diversion (PAD) program as an option to provide that help.

The PAD program started as a pilot “alternative sentencing” program for high-frequency offenders arrested in Long Beach who were diagnosed with substance abuse and/or mental illness conditions.  Almost all PAD participants are also homeless.

When a potential PAD case is identified, clinicians with Department of Mental Health Court Linkage program and Los Angeles Center for Drug and Alcohol Abuse (LACADA) perform assessments to determine the needs of the person.  The clinicians also identify appropriate residential (live-in) recovery-based treatment programs.

All participation in PAD is voluntary.  The defendant must agree to treatment, and there must be agreement between the prosecution and the defense attorney, followed by approval from the court as to PAD terms and conditions. 

In 2018, a review of the first 40 PAD cases revealed that an astonishing 83% were still in residential services 60 days later.

Also in 2018, the City of Long Beach hired a mental health clinician to work with the Long Beach Police Department to divert offenders from jail and identify possible PAD participants.  Now, PAD participants can be diverted before a case is even filed in court. 

Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert says, “Prosecutors need to look at alternatives to the traditional criminal justice response for people who are chronically homeless.  Program like PAD make neighborhoods safer by addressing the underlying problems that lead to criminal conduct.”

The Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office plans to expand PAD as a response to the growing need for programs to assist persons suffering from substance abuse and mental illness, especially those who are homeless.  

If you are a nonprofit organization wishing to partner with the City’s PAD program, please contact Prosecutor@longbeach.gov.