I would like to respond and expand upon issues relating to the article ["The Problem with Diversion Programs: Should cops and the courts be gatekeepers for addiction and mental health treatment?" by Brian Sonenstein] published in the Phoenix [on March 22, 2018] which questions the role of diversion court programs. 

I have been the defense attorney sitting on the Co-Occurring Disorders and Veterans Court (CODVC) since 2011. This Court is designed to get help for people who have engaged in criminal conduct but struggle with mental health issues and substance use disorders. These are individuals who have suffered from childhood trauma, poverty, broken families, unrelenting and life-breaking addiction; but they have committed crimes because their mental illness is untreated or their addiction drives irrational and desperate acts. As a member of this team, I have seen the lives of so many clients who have been in the Court, transformed.Â