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What is LEAD?

LEAD is a national program based on new harm-reduction and trauma-informed processes that provides low-level offenders with unmet behavioral health needs collective support, intensive case management and collaborative resources while diverting them away from the criminal justice system.​

Supporting Data​

  •  First launched in Seattle in 2011, LEAD now has dozens of working sites around the country, and the world, including California, New Mexico, North Carolina, Georgia, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas, Oregon, and even The United Kingdom and South Africa.​

Reducing Recidivism

  •  A 2017 peer-reviewed recidivism study on LEAD Seattle concluded that LEAD participants were 60% less likely to be arrested during their first six months following enrollment and had a 58% lower odds of arrest in the long term.
  •  Following participation, LEAD Seattle participants were was also 87% less likely to be admitted to prison.
  •  According to a study on LEAD in Santa Fe, the average rate of arrest for participants dropped by 30} in the first six months post diversion.
  •  Longmont Colorado’s LEAD initiative showed that within the first 16 months, LEAD participants experienced a 59% decrease in all legal incidents after enrollment and a 50% reduction in arrests.

System Cost Savings

  •  LEAD Santa Fe found a 13% decrease in EMS calls for participants.
  •  Additionally, in LEAD Santa Fe, the cost savings of LEAD over the system “as usual” was $1,558 per client per year, a savings of 17%.
  •  Comparing pre and post participation, LEAD Seattle showed that participants had a significant reduction in legal costs of $2,100 compared to other participants, which showed a cost increase of $5,961 representing a net savings of $8061 in legal costs alone per participant.
  •  As LEAD expands with an increasing number of participants, the average cost per participant decreases, as shown in a LEAD Seattle study beginning with an average of $899 per participant per month going down to $532 as shown in month 29 of the evaluation.

Other Successes

  • Participation in LEAD Seattle was linked to an increased odds of earning a legitimate (or legal) income by 33%.
  • The same study also demonstrated that participants were over twice as likely to have shelter in any month while in LEAD.
  • LEAD Seattle showed that following referral, participants were 89% more likely to have permanent housing.
  • In Longmont, Colorado LEAD and case management contact were both linked to a 20% reduction in arrest.​
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Goals and Core Principles of LEAD

  1. REORIENT government's response to safety, disorder and health-related problems
  2. IMPROVE public safety and public health through research based, health-oriented and harm reduction interviews
  3. REDUCE the number of people entering the criminal justice system for low-level offenses related to drug use, mental health, sex work and extreme poverty
  4. UNDO racial disparities at the front end of the criminal justice system
  5. SUSTAIN funding for alternative interventions by capturing and reinvesting justice systems
  6. STRENGTHEN the relationship between law enforcement and the community

If you have any questions about LEAD, please contact them at:

Email: info@leadbureau.org​
Phone: 206.392.0050 x 732

Address:
110 Prefontaine Place S, Suite 502 Seattle, WA 98104​