Congress Spent Nearly $100M on This. Now There’s a Problem

Nearly $100 million in federal funding for the Seattle-born Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, known as LEAD, is facing renewed scrutiny over how the program's crime reduction results were presented to lawmakers. The Washington Policy Center argues that inaccurate descriptions of early LEAD research were repeatedly presented to policymakers as evidence that the criminal justice diversion model dramatically reduced crime and arrests. WPC says those claims helped LEAD gain national support and eventually secure nearly $100 million in federal appropriations. LEAD began in Seattle and King County as an alternative to traditional arrest, prosecution and incarceration for some people involved in low-level criminal activity, substance use and behavioral health issues. Instead, participants can be connected with case management and social services. At the center of the controversy is a widely repeated statistic involving a 58% reduction in arrests or criminal reoffending. The peer-reviewed LEAD evaluation actually reported that participants had 58% lower odds of arrest over the longer-term evaluation period compared with a control group. That statistical finding is different from saying LEAD produced a 58% absolute reduction in the number of arrests. LEAD co-founder Lisa Daugaard has acknowledged that the research should not be simplified as showing a 58% absolute reduction in arrests. Washington Policy Center Director of Public Safety Solutions Policy Eric Zimmerman argues that inaccurate descriptions of the research were presented to policymakers for years and is calling for Congress to scrutinize future LEAD funding. Zimmerman is also calling for organizations receiving federal LEAD funding to publicly report additional participant outcomes, including mortality, employment, income and housing independence. The controversy is expanding the debate over how government evaluates criminal justice reform programs before committing taxpayer dollars. Andrea Suarez of We Heart Seattle also criticizes LEAD in this Washington in Focus interview, arguing that policymakers should reconsider their support for the diversion model and examine its outcomes more closely. Supporters of LEAD have pointed to research showing statistically significant reductions in the odds of arrest and felony charges compared with control participants. Critics including the Washington Policy Center argue that those findings have repeatedly been overstated in public descriptions of the program's effectiveness. Washington in Focus examines Seattle's LEAD program, nearly $100 million in federal funding, Congress, criminal justice reform, crime diversion, Seattle crime, drug addiction, taxpayer money, the 58% LEAD statistic, Eric Zimmerman, Lisa Daugaard, Washington Policy Center, We Heart Seattle and the national debate over government funding for alternatives to arrest and incarceration. #Seattle #LEAD #TaxpayerMoney #Congress #PublicSafety #CriminalJustice #GovernmentSpending #SeattleCrime #FederalFunding #WashingtonState #WashingtonNews #GovernmentAccountability #TheCenterSquare #WashingtonInFocus