CHICAGO (AP) — Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez has dismissed charges against the first group of people who entered a new deferred prosecution program.
Alvarez said Wednesday that the 32 people who appeared in court were non-violent offenders who agreed to a series of conditions in order to avoid trial. Participants had to get permission from victims of their crime, make restitution, obtain a job and take GED classes if they did not have a high school diploma. The program lasts 12 months.
Alvarez says her office has diverted more than 370 people into deferred prosecution. About 94 percent of those people have not been arrested for new charges.
Alvarez says the program holds offenders accountable while letting them avoid the stigma of a felony conviction.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
