Attorney General Dave Sunday on Monday announced that his office will launch a pilot program to aid people with mental illness who commit minor crimes by connecting them with treatment without fear of facing criminal charges.
Under the initiative, officers can forgo charging individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health disorders — instead, referring the suspect to relevant treatment programs.
The initiative is intended to reduce recidivism and address the “root-cause-issues on public safety,” Sunday told a gathering of local law enforcement officials in Union County during a news conference.
“This is not what we call a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card,” Sunday said. “Treatment and accountability go hand in hand, and LETI has allowed law enforcement to ensure appropriate and necessary accountability.”
LETI is an acronym for Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative, which Gov. Josh Shapiro started in 2020 during his tenure as attorney general. The new initiative announced by Sunday is an expansion of the preexisting LETI program for people who suffer from substance abuse disorder.
As of early October, more than 2,500 individuals statewide have been referred to LETI, according to Sunday’s office.
Sunday, a first-term Republican, served as York County district attorney before being elected attorney general last year. He said much of his time in the courtroom was spent on cases dealing with repeat offenders.
“It really got to a point where we had asked ourselves … ‘What can we do to decrease crimes from happening before they even happen?’ “ Sunday said. He said treatment, rather than incarceration, is often more appropriate.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, roughly 38% of the state’s incarcerated population has been treated for mental illness.
In 2024, Penn State University released a study in which researchers analyzed Wisconsin’s Madison Area Recovery Initiative — the program that inspired LETI. They concluded that similar diversion initiatives focused on low-level offenders can lead to fewer repeat offenses, reduced jail time and a decline in overdose deaths.
Mary Lyn Cadman, administrator for Columbia Montour Snyder Union Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, said the LETI expansion would enhance collaboration between local and state police departments.
She said her group is also “committed to developing additional opportunities to divert people experiencing behavioral health and intellectual disabilities/autism issues away from the criminal justice system and into supportive services and treatment.”
Sunday first told WITF he was considering expanding LETI in an August interview, after he spoke at a summit of state attorneys general from across the United States.
His office’s announcement comes after President Donald Trump’s administration canceled and revoked tens of millions of dollars in addiction and mental health funds for counties.
County responses
District attorneys from Columbia, Montour, Snyder and Union counties — where the expanded LETI program will be piloted — stood with Sunday and spoke in favor of the move.
“We know that there will be a learning curve,” Union County District Attorney Brian Kerstetter said during Monday’s press event. “I have no doubt that there will be both success stories and failures, but I’m excited to see the positive impact that I believe this program will have.”
Officials from the enrolled counties said they would immediately begin making LETI referrals in mental and behavioral health cases.
“The goal here is to do what the families and those who care about these individuals already know when they’re being treated,” Snyder County District Attorney Heath Brosius said. “They are productive members of society. They are not criminals.”