Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion/ Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD) is an evidence-based community diversion program that is a harm reduction response to the criminalization of people with unmet behavioral health needs. LEAD is a voluntary pre-arrest/community diversion program. Operating under the harm reduction model, participants identify personal needs and work together with their case manager to meet the goals outlined in an individualized care plan. There is no time limit to LEAD services. Case management services are offered as long as the individual wishes to participate and as long as they remain eligible.

LEAD Referrals

There are 3 referral pathways into LEAD: prebooking diversion, social contact referral and community referral. All referral pathways aim to refer the same priority populations to LEAD, just at different moments in time. LEAD aims to serve people who have had repeated contacts with the legal system and due to unmet mental health needs, substance use and/or extreme poverty AND are typically excluded or underserved by existing social safety net programs, including: people who are transgender, people experiencing homelessness, immigrants, people with living with HIV, and people who’ve experienced racial disparities in arrests and incarceration.

Prebooking diversion: law enforcement identifies people who have had frequent contact with the justice system and are at the point of arrest for an eligible LEAD offense. The law enforcement officer offers LEAD in lieu of arrest and prosecution. If the person agrees, a case manager meets this individual and law enforcement in the field and begins to work with the participant on goals that are important to them. Charges are held in abeyance for 30 days while the participant completes an assessment and care plan with the case manager. Once these are completed, charges are not filed and the participant has no further legal obligations related to LEAD. The participant and case manager continue to work together on things the participant identifies as important for as long as the participant wishes to remain in LEAD.

Social contact referral: law enforcement or other justice partners, such as probation, prosecutors and public defenders, identify people appropriate for LEAD during regular duties (but not at point of arrest) and refer to a LEAD case manager. Case managers offer the same services, but there are no charges being held in abeyance with a social contact referral.

Community referral: non-justice entities can refer individuals to LEAD who have had or are at risk for repeated law enforcement contact.

Los Angeles County LEAD Sites

ODR currently operates three LEAD sites in Los Angeles County: South Los Angeles/North Long Beach, Hollywood and East Los Angeles.

South Los Angeles/North Long Beach started in November 2017. The partners include: SSG-HOPICS, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Long Beach Police Department, and Long Beach City Prosecutor.

Hollywood started in May 2019. The partners include: Community Health Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department, City Attorney of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and USC Keck School of Medicine.

East Los Angeles started in May 2021. The partners include: Alma Family Services, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Department of Public Health – Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, LACADA and USC Keck School of Medicine.

Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND)

DHS Providers LA 50k Partners OEND Direct to Community Jail Vending Jail In Custody Totals
Total Kits Distributed 9,729 3,441 19,343 20,437 300 53,250
Total Doses Distributed 19,458 6,882 38,686 40,874 600 106,500
2019 Kits 841 - - - - 841
2019 Doses 1,682 - - - - 1,682
2020 Kits 5,144 - 9,739 14,304 - 29,187
2020 Doses 10,288 - 19,478 28,608 - 58,374
2021 Doses 3,744 - 9,604 6,133 300 19,781
2021 Doses 7,488 - 19,208 12,266 600 39,562
LA 50K (since 7/1/21) Kits 2,724 3,441 3,251 1,770 - 11,186
LA 50K (since 7/1/21) Doses 5,448 6,882 6,502 3,540 - 22,372
Total Reported Uses - 132 4,776 - - 4,908
LA 50K Reported Uses - 132 1,092 - - 1,224

Summary of LEAD Referrals by Site

Hollywood SLA / NLB East LA All Sites
SPA 4 SPA 6,8 SPA 7
N % N % N % N %
Total Active 38 56% 153 47% 11 100% 202 50%
Total Refereed Inactive 30 44% 176 53% 0 0% 206 50%
Total Referrals (incl. re-ref) 68 100% 329 100% 11 100% 408 100%

LEAD Referrals by Referral Type, Status and Site

Pre-Booking Social Contract Community Referral Total
Hollywood
SPA 4 		Active N 0 33 5 38
% 0% 87% 13% 100%
Total N 1 62 5 63
% 1% 90% 7% 100%
South LA / North Long Beach
SPA 6, 8 		Active N 42 121 0 163
% 27% 79% 0% 100%
Total N 131 198 0 329
% 40% 60% 0% 100%
East Los Angeles
SPA 7 		Active N 0 11 0 11
% 0% 1% 0% 1%
Total N 0 11 0 11
Total Active N 42 165 5 212
% 20% 78% 2% 1%
Total N 132 271 5 408
% 32% 66% 1% 100%

LEAD Participant Demographics by Status and Site

Gender Female Male Trans Women Trans Men Other
Hollywood
SPA 4 		Active N 6 25 7 0 0
% 16% 66% 18% 0% 0%
Total N 18 34 14 0 1
% 26% 50% 21% 0% 1%
South LA / North Long Beach
SPA 6, 8 		Active N 112 40 0 0 0
% 73% 26% 0% 0% 0%
Total N 228 99 1 0 0
% 69% 30% 0% 0% 0%
East Los Angeles
SPA 7 		Active N 4 7 0 0 0
% 36% 64% 0% 0% 0%
Total N 4 7 0 0 0
Total Active N 122 72 7 0 0
% 64% 38% 4% 0% 0%
Total N 250 140 15 0 1
% 63% 35% 4% 0% 0%
Ethnicity African American Black Asian Pacific Islander Caucasian White Latinx Native America Other
Hollywood
SPA 4 		Active N 19 1 13 3 0 1
% 50% 3% 34% 8% 0% 3%
Total N 35 1 20 7 0 3
% 51% 1% 29% 10% 0% 4%
South LA / North Long Beach
SPA 6, 8 		Active N 82 0 28 31 3 0
% 54% 0% 18% 20% 2% 0%
Total N 157 4 72 33 3 0
% 48% 1% 22% 25% 1% 0%
East Los Angeles
SPA 7 		Active N 0 0 0 11 0 0
% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0% 0%
Total N 0 0 0 11 0 0
Total Active N 101 1 41 45 3 1
% 53% 1% 21% 23% 2% 1%
Total N 192 5 92 101 3 3
% 48% 1% 23% 26% 1% 1%

LEAD Outcomes

Based on evaluation of South LA/North Long Beach Site

An evaluation conducted by CSULB1 of the South Los Angeles/North Long Beach LEAD site determined that LEAD participants were less likely than non-LEAD comparison group to have misdemeanor or felony arrests or felony cases after 12 months in LEAD. LEAD participants also had less time on probation.
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At 12 Months

  • Felony arrests were five times lower for LEAD participants.
  • Felony cases were almost five times lower for LEAD participants.
  • LEAD participants spent about 4 x less months on probation as people in comparison group.
  • Misdemeanor arrests were 50% lower for people in LEAD.
The evaluation also determined that this LEAD site is indistinguishable from the LEAD Seattle model and evaluation indicated that the Los Angeles LEAD site was implemented with fidelity. The evaluation noted demonstrated successes in relationship building, stakeholder investment, and participant outcomes.
1. Malm, A, Perrone, D, Magana, E. (2020). Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) External Evaluation Report to the California Legislature. Submitted to Board of State and Community Corrections.

LEAD participants had lower odds of:

Outcome AOR 95% CI
Misdemeanor arrest at 6 mo 0.52 0.35,0.78
Felony arrest at 6 mo 0.13 0.07,0.29
Felony filed cases at 6 mo 0.14 0.05,0.37
Misdemeanor at 12 mo 0.65 0.45,0.91
Felony arrest at 12 mo 0.19 0.08,0.45
Felony filed cases at 12 mo 0.21 0.07,0.59
Probation months at 12 months 0.24 0.10,0.60

Summary of LEAD Referrals by Site

South LA / North Long Beach Hollywood East Los Angeles All Sites
N % N % N % N %
Total Referrals 329 100% 68 100% 16 100% 413 100%
Pre-Booking 131 40 1 1% 0 0% 132 32%
Total Referrals (incl. re-ref) 198 60% 62 90% 16 100% 276 67%
Total Referrals (incl. re-ref) 0 0% 5 7% 0 0% 5 1%

LEAD Participant Demographics by Status and Site

South LA / North Long Beach Hollywood East Los Angeles
N % N % N %
Female 228 69% 18 26% 4 36%
Male 99 30% 34 50% 7 64%
Trans Women 1 0% 14 21% 0 0%
Trans Men 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%
Other 0 0% 1 1% 0 0%
African American / Black 157 48% 35 51% 0 0%
Asian / Pacific Islander 4 1% 1 1% 0 0%
Caucasian / White 72 22% 20 29% 0 0%
Latinx 83 25% 7 10% 11 100%
Native American 3 1% 0 0% 0 0%
Other 0 0% 3 4% 0 0%