Ayala creates diversion programs for suspended license, prostitution, underage drinking offenses

A few weeks before she leaves office, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala announced Monday she plans to roll out three new diversion programs to help people avoid convictions on charges of prostitution, underage drinking or driving with a suspended license.

Ayala said the programs aim to “reduce recidivism” among those arrested and direct prosecutorial resources toward more serious crimes.

“These programs are important because they are a better use of resources and more effective than traditional prosecution and incarceration for nonviolent crimes,” Ayala said during a video press conference. “It really is a display of prosecutorial accountability where we as prosecutors play our role in preventing the perpetual injustice … born from a broken system that is in serious need of reform.”

The diversion program for those accused of driving with a suspended license will be effective immediately in Orange County first, while the underage drinking program will start in about a week for both counties, Ayala said.

State Attorney-Elect Monique Worrell, whose term starts next month, is on board to implement the prostitution diversion pilot program in spring 2021 in Orange, Ayala’s office said.

Through a partnership with the Orange County Clerk of Courts office, the diversion program geared toward those arrested for driving with a suspended license will help defendants obtain a valid license and reduce their court debt, Assistant State Attorney Lisa Gong Guerrero said.

The six-month program is divided into two levels: One for is directed at those who have the ability to pay off their debt and will reinstate their license by their first court appearance. The second focuses on people who don’t have the financial means to pay off their outstanding fees immediately but will get a valid license by the end of the program.

Orange Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell said her office would also recall court debt from collections and put people on payment plans.

If defendants complete the program, the state attorney’s office will dismiss their case, Gong Guerrero said.

The prostitution diversion program is aimed at combating human trafficking, Ayala said.

Assistant State Attorney Jenny Rossman, who is chief of the office’s sex crimes unit, said the purpose is to educate defendants on the difference between illegal sex work and human trafficking.

“A very large majority of human trafficking victims and survivors have been arrested and potentially charged and convicted of illegal commercial sexual activity,” she said. “The goal of this program is to hopefully end that cycle.”

The program will be offered four times a year, Rossman said. The course will be about four hours and will educate defendants on human trafficking, as well as provide information about community resources.

Gong Guerrero said the underage drinking program will divert from further prosecution minors who have been arrested for alcohol possession or attempting to illegally gain access to bars and other places that serve alcohol.

“We really saw a need to provide more in-depth education to minors about the dangers of alcohol use and underage drinking,” Gong Guerrero said.

The diversion program’s educational aspect was pitched by Shannon Waiters and Danielle Padilla, two students from the University of Central Florida, as part of a legal studies class assignment. Ayala’s office selected their idea to develop it into a video.

“We’re excited to be able to provide this type of education and to be able to partner up with some UCF students who are really in the mix of the conversation,” Gong Guerrero said.

Ayala said she is proud of the new diversion programs created by the office during her administration.

“We are proud of our substantive change that we’ve been able to provide for public safety and those that benefit real people in real tangible ways,” she said.

mcordeiro@orlandosentinel.com