PHILADELPHIA — The city on Wednesday will officially launch what it is calling a “neighborhood wellness court” in Kensington, an initiative in which police will arrest people who are openly using drugs, issue them summary citations, and then offer addiction treatment and diversionary services before a judge the same day.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed an executive order on Tuesday establishing the court, which she called an unprecedented step “to restore community and a quality of life” in a neglected neighborhood overrun by an open-air drug market.

“We’ll no longer attempt to normalize the challenges that exist there, and continue walking by, closing our eyes real tight, trying to wish what we are seeing in front of our very eyes away. The world doesn’t work that way,” Parker said.

To start, the court will operate solely on Wednesdays, though it will likely expand, said Adam Geer, the city’s chief public safety director.

Here’s how it will work, according to Geer:

Philadelphia police are expected to conduct sweeps of Kensington on Wednesdays, and officers will have the discretion to bring anyone before the court for offenses including disorderly conduct, public drunkenness, obstructing highways and other passageways, and criminal trespassing.

Typically, someone arrested for those crimes would be charged with a misdemeanor and held in jail while waiting to be arraigned.

Under the new initiative, those charged will first be transported to a triage center at B Street and Lehigh Avenue, where they will be evaluated physically and mentally. Medical staff from the University of Pennsylvania will be available on site to treat open wounds, offer withdrawal care and take people to a hospital if necessary.

Those stable enough to appear before a judge will be taken to the court, located inside the 24th Police District at 3901 Whitaker Ave. Officials will then work to determine whether there are any open bench warrants for the person in Philadelphia or its surrounding counties. The team will contact officials inside Philadelphia’s criminal justice center to see if those warrants can be immediately lifted.

Many people living in addiction in Kensington have outstanding warrants, typically for low-level offenses like failure to appear during a retail theft or drug possession case. Those often disqualify people from being able to enter diversion programs and treatment, Geer said.

“What we’re telling you is, we will take care of those bench warrants for those low-level (crimes) up front, and we will get you directly into the treatment and into beds that day,” Geer said. “That is big.”

From there, people will be connected with lawyers from the Defender Association and a contracted legal team to discuss their options and whether they would like to go through diversion, a court-supervised alternative to prosecution. If they accept diversion, they will be evaluated for treatment and a facility bed will be identified for them that day. After successful completion of treatment and the terms of diversion, the charges will be dismissed and the case expunged.

What happens if a person declines diversion?

People who decline to go through the diversion program will be brought before a judge for a summary trial. The judge will determine the outcome of the case, which could include a fine, community service, or jail time.

Geer said there is no limit to how many times a person can go through the court.

Deputy Police Commissioner Francis Healey, who oversees the department’s legal affairs, said he did not know of “any other program in the country that was designed to work this way.”

Still, whether someone is brought to the court is up to the arresting officer. And people who are arrested on a day other than Wednesday will be charged with a misdemeanor and processed as usual.

Geer said the city is also expanding the Police Assisted Diversion Program, which offers services to some people in addiction who would otherwise be arrested on charges like drug possession.

The police department is expanding the charges that make someone eligible for that program, he said, though he didn’t specify which ones, and PAD officials will also work to clear bench warrants.

That program, though, is voluntary and there are no repercussions to withdrawing from treatment or services.

One of the benefits of the wellness court, Geer said, is ongoing case management.

“There’s follow-up. It’s not just, ‘You’ve accepted this program, we’re done now,‘” he said.

While District Attorney Larry Krasner did not attend Tuesday’s announcement, he said in a statement that he is hopeful that as the court evolves, “it will save lives, reduce addiction, and benefit us all.”

What do critics say?

The program has raised some concerns. Mike Lee, executive director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, sent a letter to Parker and Geer in December, saying the initiative puts drug users’ “constitutional rights at risk.”

The program “will treat people in Kensington differently under the law than similarly situated people in any other part of the City,” Lee wrote, adding that because cases would be resolved within 24 hours, it could be difficult for people to gather evidence to prepare a defense.

Lee also questioned how people in active addiction, who may be intoxicated or in the throes of withdrawal, could be expected to quickly make critical decisions about their cases.

“Most individuals who would appear before (the court) would have taken narcotics at some point in the 48 hours preceding their appearance, meaning they would lack the legal capacity to knowingly and intelligently make decisions about their criminal cases,” Lee wrote.

Geer said various officials, including medical and legal staff, would be on hand to evaluate people and assess their mental capacity before they are brought before a judge. And the judge, he said, will ask them a series of required questions, including whether they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Councilmember Quetcy Lozada, who represents parts of Kensington and has championed stronger enforcement in the neighborhood, lauded the initiative.

“It’s a great day in Kensington, it’s a great day in Harrowgate,” Lozada said.

She said she and the Parker administration are not deterred by critics and will not allow the status quo in the neighborhood to continue.

“We can be compassionate, we can be empathetic, we can connect people with resources, and we also can restore quality of life,” she said.

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