ABOUT THE CJC

Why Do We Need a Ballot Measure?

A "Yes" vote on Proposition L will ensure the continued existence of the on-going initiative, despite the desire by some members of the Board of Supervisors to terminate the project. Proposition L will stop efforts to play politics with community justice.Back to the Top

Why Do We Need the CJC?

The criminal justice and social service systems are filled with “high-end users” – those who are arrested repeatedly, who are taken to San Francisco General Hospital more than ten times a month, or are receiving services from multiple departments that are not coordinated. These individuals typically have high social services needs: substance abuse, no permanent housing, unfulfilled benefits, have high-risk health issues or are unable to support themselves.

Our current criminal justice system simply does not provide solutions for these individuals – or successfully address quality-of-life crimes in our neighborhoods. The CJC does both, by:

  • Creating a point of intervention – The current justice system has two choices: incarceration or release. The CJC will provide the court a point of intervention that will allow it to better address the needs of offenders by linking them to appropriate services.
  • Providing accountability – The court will provide a structure that both delivers needed services and establishes accountability with offenders.
  • Ensuring immediacy of support – On-site case managers and treatment resources will allow for the establishment of immediate services and treatment plans to get at the root cause of an offenders problem.
  • Focusing on low-level crimes – The CJC will hear misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, handling pre-charging, pre-plea and post-plea matters, including monitoring compliance of release terms and dispositions.
  • Engaging community partnerships – The CJC model is designed to engage and revitalize the community in which it’s based. Both the planning and implementation of the CJC have and will be carried out in partnership with various constituents of the community. A permanent community Advisory Board – comprised of community members and department representatives – will be established to help guide further planning and implementation.
  • Building relationships with a personalized approach – Because there will be one judge that oversees all cases, the judge and staff of the CJC will benefit from having personal knowledge of, and relationships with, repeat offenders with chronic issues.
  • Working with existing programs – This is not a new program or new services: this is a strategic infrastructure change that will fundamentally improve how the city does business.
  • Saving tax dollars – The CJC will save the City tax dollars over time through decreased recidivism and long-term solutions for high-end users of the system; daily treatment costs are lower than daily jail costs combined with the costs of jail overcrowding. Back to the Top

The CJC: A Proven Solution

Community justice courts are in use in more than 30 cities across the nation. The results prove their effectiveness:

  • Decreased crime: The Midtown Manhattan Court demonstrated a reduction in crime - prostitution arrests were down 56 percent and illegal vending arrests were down 24 percent following the opening of the court.
  • Positive effect: 73 percent of the offenders before the Hartford - Connecticut Court thought their sentence was fair and 83 percent thought the court was having a positive effect on their community. Back to the Top

How the CJC Is Different from Other Courts

  • Behavioral Health Court (BHC) only deals with in-custody clients who have a severe and persistent mental illness with a concurrent substance abuse/alcohol problem – where mental illness is the primary concern (schizophrenia, borderline personality disorders). BHC handles some of the most complex cases in the city.
  • Drug Court deals with clients whose primary issue is substance abuse but who may also suffer from a mental illness (personality disorder, depression).
  • Community courts are neighborhood-based diversion programs where individuals appear before a jury of their peers. While they are a powerful restorative justice tool, they do not have a judge.

The Community Justice Court would still refer the most high-need individuals who meet the BHC and Drug Court criteria to those courts, but there are many other individuals with significant mental health and substance abuse issues who do not qualify for those paths. Back to the Top