The Honorable Stephen Erickson served as an Associate Judge of the Rhode Island District Court from 1990 until his retirement in 2010.  While on the bench he organized and implemented the first mental health diversion program in the Rhode Island judiciary; that program has been responsible for diverting hundreds of mentally ill individuals from the regular process of the criminal justice system.  Prior to his appointment to the bench, he served four terms as a Rhode Island State Representative and later served as the Director of Legislative Affairs in the Office of the Governor of Rhode Island.