An evaluation of a 13-month pre-plea deferred-prosecution program for young adults between the ages of 18 and 26 charged with Delivery or Intent to Deliver (narcotics) in Cook County, Illinois, found a need to balance virtual and in-person programming. Conducted by the Heartland Alliance’s Social IMPACT Research Center in partnership with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, the study, SEED: A diversion program for young adults — An Alternative to Incarceration (6 pages, PDF), found that overall, SEED was successful in helping participants work toward their goals through educational programming; job training, placement, and support; and case management and cognitive behavioral interventions. The report notes, however, that participants have differing levels of need, for those who are employed or in school, SEED services may be too time-intensive. While some participants said that commuting to the SEED office was a challenge, staff and stakeholders felt in-person services brought strong benefits to participants that could not be replicated in a fully virtual environment, so a balance must be struck, with participant input where possible. In addition, stakeholders indicated uncertainty of long-term funding, as employment services cannot be billed to Medicaid as treatment-based programs can.