The Choice is Yours (TCY), a regional felony diversion program that also operates in Montgomery County, provides nonviolent, first-time drug offenders with a second chance. Zack Boyd, in the Bucks County Courier Times, reported the impact TCY had on Dylan Fiedler, a Glenside HVAC contractor.

The program is run by JEVS human services. It was started in 2012 and since then, has helped over 750 low-level offenders work toward employment and stable life.

Over the past decade, only 15 percent of the program’s past participants have re-offended.

“It’s not just a program to get the felony wiped out; it’s actually about everyday life,” said Fiedler.

His insight on the issue is personal.

Fiedler was stopped in Nov. 2021 for driving an unregistered vehicle. An officer’s subsequent search of the car yielded the presence of marijuana, which led to an intent-to-sell felony charge.

TCY, however, was able to reframe the situation as a nonviolent drug charge, which carried a first-time-offender sentence.

The distinction allowed Fiedler to move ahead with his life without the stigma of being a convicted felon.

Recently, TCY announced plans to enhance its services in Montgomery County, thanks to a $400,000 federal grant that was secured by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean.

With the help of these funds, the program will fully expand across the region and allow participants to attend program classes in the county in which they live.

It will also be able to enroll more participants, as there were only ten participants who graduated this year, as opposed to almost 200 in Phila.

Read more about TCY in the Bucks County Courier Times.