Don’t Be Fooled—Diversion Works!
Wednesday, April 1st at noon at the City/County Building
This April 1st, Justice in Action is hosting a public direct action to highlight a serious issue: taxpayers are paying the price for an overcrowded jail while proven, cost-effective alternatives already exist.
Using a visual display of marshmallow Peeps, community leaders will illustrate the number of people currently in the Lancaster County Jail. Each Peep represents a person in the system—and the daily cost to taxpayers to keep them there. The display will help demonstrate how quickly those costs add up when people who could be participating in diversion programs remain in jail instead.
Diversion programs provide a smarter approach. They connect individuals to treatment, mental health support, and accountability while reducing costs and improving public safety for our community. Expanding diversion is one of the most effective ways to reduce jail overcrowding and use taxpayer dollars more wisely.
April Fool’s Day is a lighthearted holiday, but the message is clear: continuing to rely on jail when better solutions exist leaves taxpayers footing an unnecessary bill.
Join Justice in Action and community leaders as we shine a light on this issue and call for practical solutions that make our community safer, more effective, and more responsible with public resources!
Sample Invite for Bulletin/Newsletter
On Wednesday, April 1, Justice in Action will gather for a creative public action highlighting the cost of jail overcrowding to Lancaster County taxpayers. Using a visual display of marshmallow Peeps—each representing a person currently in the county jail—leaders will illustrate how quickly the costs add up when people who could be in diversion programs remain behind bars.
Diversion programs connect individuals with treatment, mental health support, and accountability while saving taxpayer dollars and reducing jail overcrowding. This event will lift up the need for practical solutions that strengthen our community and use public resources wisely.
Join Justice in Action and faith leaders as we raise awareness and call for expanded diversion programs in Lancaster County.
Date: Wednesday, April 1st
Time: Noon
Location: City/County Building (575 S 10th St.)
All are welcome to attend!
Sample Phone Call Script
Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Church/Justice in Action team]. How are you?
I’m calling to invite you to a short public action we’re hosting on April 1st called “Don’t Be Fooled — Diversion Works.” It’s a creative event where we’ll use marshmallow Peeps to represent the number of people currently in the Lancaster County Jail and highlight the cost to taxpayers when people who could be in diversion programs remain in jail.
It’s a silly but powerful way to show why expanding diversion programs is a smarter solution for our community.
The event will be on Wednesday, April 1 at noon at the City/County Building and it will last about 30 minutes. We’d really love to have you there.
Can you join us?
[Pause for response]
That’s great! I’ll make sure you get a reminder with the details. And feel free to bring a friend from [church] who might also care about this issue.