Prosecutor Kim Worthy outlines 'Survivors First' diversion pilot and details domestic violence caseload

Prosecutor Kim Worthy and members of her Special Victims Unit told the Wayne County Committee on Public Safety, Judiciary and Homeland Security that the county’s domestic-violence workload is among the largest they handle and outlined a new prosecutor-led diversion pilot called Survivors First.

Worthy said the domestic violence unit reviews approximately 9,523 intimate-partner warrant requests annually — roughly 26 per day — and that the office has 12 assistant prosecutors assigned to the unit. She said a federally funded backlog project launched in 2025 reduced the not-in-custody warrant queue from about 1,950 to roughly 365. "Each one of those numbers is a survivor," Worthy said, emphasizing the unit’s safety focus.

Worthy described several community-focused programs the office either runs or helps coordinate: a Wayne County domestic violence fatality review team that examines adjudicated IPV homicides to recommend systemic changes; a 13-question lethality assessment used by first responders to route high-risk survivors to services; a U visa certification process for eligible noncitizen victims under federal law; and a Firearms Technical Assistance Program to address cases with a firearms nexus.

The centerpiece of the presentation was the Survivors First pilot, modeled on programs Worthy said she studied in Nashville and King County (Seattle). The pilot would allow the prosecutor’s office to divert selected survivors — primarily people charged with low-level, nonviolent misdemeanors and some first-time nonviolent felonies — into trauma-informed community services. Participants who complete required services through community partners such as FirstStep or the YWCA could have their charges dismissed, Worthy said. "These are not traditional defendants. They were our survivors first," she said.

Worthy said the pilot is prosecutor-led, that referrals could come from prosecutors, defense attorneys, police departments and community partners, and that the office would verify eligibility using its case-tracking system and partner records. She said the program would be piloted without additional appropriation at this time but that she expects to seek resources later for related projects such as continued backlog work.

During brief questions, Commissioner Peterson Mayberry asked how the office defines readiness for program participation and whether the county tracks post-release employment outcomes for Pathways Home participants; staff agreed to provide additional details on participant readiness criteria and tracking. Commissioners also asked about counseling and other supports; Worthy cited partners including FirstStep, Avalon (sexual-assault services), Lakeshore Legal Aid and local shelters as providers of counseling, shelter and legal assistance.

Worthy cited several recent violent prosecutions as context for the office’s work, including shootings and arson cases that resulted in lengthy prison terms. She and staff emphasized the dual aims of protecting survivors and holding violent offenders accountable.

Next steps: the prosecutor’s office will share presentation slides and links with commissioners and said it will collect data from the pilot for later review.