Diversion programs offer justice-involved individuals a chance to avoid prosecution for charges if they complete a court-ordered course of treatment or community service. In 2017, following a surge of opioid overdoses and deaths, the Madison, Wisconsin police department initiated the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI) which was later expanded through a three-year federal grant to the Madison Area Addiction Recovery Initiative (MAARI). It targets individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) who have committed non-violent offenses related to addiction such as possession of controlled substances, theft, or prostitution. MAARI involves an initial assessment by a counselor and recovery coach to determine eligibility for the program, then referral to a six month course of addiction treatment. If the applicant completes treatment and commits no further offenses, the original charges are dropped, thus avoiding a criminal record of the offense and easing the burden on overloaded courts and detention facilities. MAARI has recently expanded to include community outreach, naloxone distribution, and rapid response teams.

In offering a public health response to addiction-related crime, MAARI involves close collaboration between treatment providers, first responders, the district attorney's office, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Evaluations of the program here, here, and here suggest it has been effective in channeling those with SUD into treatment who would otherwise have faced criminal prosecution. A presentation with data on utilization and outcomes is available here. Contact information for MAARI is available at the program website.