ChicoSol reporter Yucheng Tang attended sessions of Mental Health Diversion court on Aug. 5 and Sept. 2 to learn more about how the program is working in Butte County. Only first names of defendants — who sometimes have charges dismissed — are used in this story.
Michael, then a defendant in a Butte County Superior Court vandalism case, was standing at what a judge called the “finish line.”
“How do you feel?” Judge Jesus Rodriguez asked him.
“My life’s changed in three years,” Michael said, adding that he has learned more about trauma, self-reflection, psychology and empathy.
“Your case has been dismissed. Congratulations,” the judge said, as applause filled the courtroom on a morning in early August.