Just fine?

It began as a way to help first-time offenders of misdemeanors keep their records clean. Now, the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office's Pretrial Diversion Program is big business. \nIn 2003, each offender paid $304. In 2004, each paid $329. Last year it was $360, and now the Pretrial Diversion Program fetches at least $399 per customer.\nCha-ching.\nAbout 25 years ago, the State of Indiana created the Pretrial Diversion Program as an option for first-time violators of certain misdemeanors. After paying a fee, the defendant completes community service, attends a Saturday-long alcohol education class and agrees to keep a clean nose for a year. After a year, the prosecutor drops the charges. For the past several years, the cost of the fees in Monroe County has risen steadily. Last year, the prosecutor scrapped the program and created a new one called the Defendant Accountability Program in Monroe County. But here's the crazy part -- it was in many ways exactly the same. The only difference was the price tag. Just recently, the prosecutor's office switched back to Pretrial. Confused?\nI'm confused as to why the county has turned law enforcement into a profitable enterprise, especially one that rewards wealthier offenders and punishes those who can't afford the program.\nLet's consider the alternative. Most Pretrial-type offenses are B misdemeanors, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and $500 in fines, not to mention a record of conviction. Nobody wants to go to jail, and certainly nobody wants a future employer or graduate school to see a conviction on during background check. But in reality, when a Pretrial participant completes his year of obedience, the prosecutor simply drops the charges. However, the record still shows an arrest. Is that any better?\nPat Donahue, director of the Career Development Center, said no.\n"Most employers (who perform background checks) are seeing if there are arrests," he said. "Background tests are used to red-flag any behavior that may impact the job and the description of responsibilities."\nDonahue said background checks are quite common, and employers in the health and transportation fields "are extremely concerned."\nSo much for that idea. It looks like the only argument for the Pretrial route is the cost. If the fee continues to increase the way it has, even that line of reasoning will expire. \nSo who does benefit from the program? How much money does the county make off its deferral programs? The prosecutor's office didn't return phone calls by press time, so let's do a little math. During Welcome Week, Indiana State Excise Police issued 107 summonses, and the majority of those summoned were expected to enter into the program. IUPD issued a total of 31 alcohol-related summonses. That's 138 people who paid almost $400 to enter the DAP in one week. That's right, in the space of seven days, the county picked an estimated $55,200 from the pockets of IU students. Granted, that's a big week, but that's not to mention Homecoming, Halloween, Little 500 and two post-midterm frenzies.\nThe bottom line: if you run afoul of Indiana's puritan-esque temperance laws, you're out of luck either way -- unless you're the county clerk.