The PTIP program is designed with the following goals in mind:

• Deter future criminal conduct;

• Reduce the number of less serious cases in the courts;

• Provide restitution to victims;

• Provide an offender with an opportunity to accept responsibility without having a criminal conviction on their record, therefore, reducing the rate of recidivism;

• Provide rehabilitative services, life-skills training, and other opportunities to correct underlying issues that led to the criminal activity instead of incarceration; and

• Protect the community by supervising participants.

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This program is for eligible offenders in the Superior Courts of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker Counties. The program is designed for low-risk offenders who have committed non-violent crimes.

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People who are approved for participation in the program are required to enter into a written contractual agreement with specific conditions that they must satisfy to successfully complete the program. Participants will be supervised by Georgia Probation Services, Inc. for a specified length of time.

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The decision to participate in PTIP is made freely and voluntarily and with the advice of counsel. Participation occurs prior to adjudication, and successful completion of the program will result in a dismissal of the charges and removal of those charges from a person’s criminal record. PTIP is designed to benefit the individual participant as well as the overall criminal justice system for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit by allowing someone who committed a crime to be held accountable and also move forward with their life without the burden of a criminal record.

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Violation of or failure to abide by or complete the terms of PTIP shall result in discharge from the program, in which event the person’s criminal case will return to the traditional criminal prosecution process.

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Pre-Trial Intervention Program (PTIP) Handbook