Wayne County Prosecutor Screening & District Courts Division
Wayne County Prosecutor
Screening & District Courts Division
Diversion Section - Check Enforcement Program
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office - Diversion Section operates a Check Enforcement Program. This is a pre-charging diversion program, thus bad check writers have a strong incentive to comply with the program. They must pay full restitution and required fees or face possible prosecution. The primary goal of this program is returning money that victims have lost as a result of accepting bad checks. However, there are other aspects of the program that benefit all the citizens of Wayne County. Check offenders pay all the costs of the program, so that victims pay nothing. That means no costs for merchants or other tax-payers or local government. Diversion programs such as this reduce the case load for law enforcement, the Prosecutor's Office and the courts. This allows more time and resources to be devoted to more serious or violent crime.
Contact Information
You can contact the Check Enforcement Program at 800-572-7353 or
800-701-9486.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the check enforcement program?
A. Prior to prosecution, writers of bad checks are notified by mail of this program. They are required to pay restitution for the amount of the check plus a small handling fee. They are also required to complete a brief refresher class intended to prevent recurrence of future bad checks.
Q. What is the scope of the program, and what are the benefits to the public?
A. The program is limited to checks written to Wayne County merchants. Participating merchants are able to recover a substantial amount of restitution without having to pursue a complaint in court.
Q. Is the program voluntary?
A. Participation in the program is voluntary, but people who decline to comply with the conditions of the program face criminal prosecution.
Q. How effective is the program?
A. In 2005, the check enforcement program recovered full restitution on over 3,200 checks and collected over $825,000 in restitution.
Q. What is the contact information for the Check Enforcement Program?
A. Questions about the program should be directed to
800-572-7353 or 800-701-9486.
Kym L. Worthy
1200 Frank Murphy
1441 St. Antoine
Detroit, MI 48226
Ph: (313) 224-5777
Fx: (313) 224-0974