Above the Law has an interesting take on how some district attorneys' offices are taking advantage of pre-trial diversion programs as revenue generators for their offices. The article gives a brief overview of pre-trial diversion programs and how they work.
Programs like these, as well as deferred sentences, offer folks a chance to keep their record clean, but it is important to know what the requirements are and what the costs are. Knowing what programs are available, when to use them and who really needs them is a tool every lawyer needs in the modern criminal justice system.