The Cost of Letting Offenders Skip Prison for Treatment

California’s diversion law was designed to steer some defendants away from jail and into treatment. But when the same statute produces very different outcomes across the state, what determines how much risk the public is expected to accept? In this episode, Deputy District Attorney Matt Greco and San Francisco public defender Matt SotoRosen explain how the law works in practice and where its impact holds or falls short. 00:00 – Introduction 01:50 – Serious Crimes Committed While in Diversion 05:33 – Alternatives to Diversion and the Cost of Incarceration 30:03 – Effectiveness of Diversion and Judicial Discretion 42:35 – Diversion and Its Impact on Public Safety Matthew is the author of California Criminal Mental Health Manual November 2025. You can find the Kindle version here: https://a.co/d/4AWh5K7 📩 Email Us YOUR Story: [email protected] 👉 Read California News: https://californiainsider.com/ Views expressed in this video are the opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider. -------------------- 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Watch our Documentary "Leaving California" at https://leavingcamovie.com/ 🟡 Sign up for our newsletter: https://californiainsider.com/email-s... 💟 Support us: https://donorbox.org/california-insid... • Facebook -   / cainsidershow   • X (Twitter) -   / ca_insider   • Instagram -   / california.insider   -------------------- #California #CaliforniaNews #CaliforniaInsider #CriminalJustice #LawEnforcement #Lawyers #LegalEducation