You took the first step! Opt for Help & Hope is excited to partner with you on your path to recovery. Opt for Help & Hope is a prosecutor-led diversionary program aimed at diverting non-violent, low-level offenders (“participants”) whose crimes are motivated partly by substance use into treatment rather than formal prosecution. By providing recovery resources and offering an alternative to avoid a criminal record, Opt for Help & Hope seeks to provide the stability and guidance needed to help participants get their lives back on track and out of the criminal justice system. 

To accomplish this goal, police officers are trained to identify eligible arrestees and offer them a chance to participate in Opt for Help & Hope. Once in the program, participants meet with a certified peer recovery specialist who will help to determine recommended substance use treatment and/or services. Charges will be held in abeyance while participants focus on treatment and recovery. If the participant has “meaningfully engaged” in treatment and/or the recovery process and complies with the recovery recommendations, charges may be dismissed altogether.

Beginning in February 2024, Opt for Help & Hope will be available to eligible offenders in Franklin Township, Somerset County.   The program is funded by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and will be overseen by the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.   This opportunity would not have been possible without the participation of our community-based treatment provider, Richard Hall Community Health and Wellness Center - Reach4Recovery. Richard Hall is a public, not-for-profit behavioral healthcare system run by the Somerset County Department of Human Services. Located in Bridgewater Township, with approximately 100 staff, it is the largest provider of behavioral healthcare in Somerset County.  

Download our brochure and card.