RAND study shows CJC leads to fewer arrests

The RAND Corporation released its study of San Francisco’s Community Justice Center last week. 

CJC opened in March 2009 and through December 2013 had heard nearly 10,000 cases involving 6,000 defendants. The program seeks to help arrestees receive the services they need and reduce the likelihood that arrestees ultimately end up with convictions on their permanent record. 

“Our findings support the hypothesis that San Francisco’s Community Justice Center reduces criminal recidivism,” said Beau Kilmer, the study’s lead author and a senior policy researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

Kilmer and co-author Jesse Sussell examined one-year rearrest rates among those arrested for eligible offenses -- such as theft, vandalism, drug offenses, assault and disorderly conduct -- inside and outside the catchment area both before and after the CJC opened. The analysis found that the probability of rearrest for those originally arrested outside the CJC catchment area increased over time, while the probability of rearrest for those originally arrested inside the center’s jurisdiction decreased over time. After applying statistical models, researchers estimate that those arrested for an eligible offense in the CJC catchment area after it opened were 8.9 percent to 10.3 percent less likely to be rearrested within one year.

Because CJC's intervention is multifaceted, an important question for future research is determining which elements of the community court are most beneficial. Access to services is an obvious candidate, but in San Francisco another candidate is the reduced interval between citation and first appearance in court. Sussell said that arrestees cited to the traditional system typically were ordered to report to the court more than a month after a citation was issued. Arrestees cited to the Community Justice Center often had to report to the court within seven business days.

“Not only do we want to learn more about how access to services affects these arrestees, we also want to know whether decreasing the number of days between arrest and going to court makes a difference,” Sussell said.

Funding for the study was provided by the City and County of San Francisco.

Click below to read the full report and appendix:
Does San Francisco’s Community Justice Center Reduce Criminal Recidivism?
Appendix

CJC selected as one of four Mentor Courts nationwide

Last month, the Center for Court Innovation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, selected the San Francisco Community Justice Center as one of four sites to serve as mentor courts for other jurisdictions seeking to promote implement alternatives to incarceration. Other sites include: Dallas, Texas; Hartford, Conn.; and Orange County, Calif.


"The mentor courts will encourage courts around the country to rethink the standard approach to low-level crime, emphasizing alternatives to incarceration where appropriate and engaging local residents in doing justice," said Kim Ball, senior policy advisor at BJA.

Click this link to read the full announcement:
http://www.courtinnovation.org/mentor-community-courts

Congratulations to the CJC staff for receiving this important recognition of their dedication and hard work!

Center for Court Innovation expands online resources

Building on the Community Justice 2014 summit in San Francisco, the Center for Court Innovation has expanded its online resources, which now include the agenda and supplemental materials from the summit, along with an increasing number of podcast interviews with featured speakers.

Twitter: http://pic.twitter.com/buBBpzcj0f

The following is a selection of available podcasts:

Gavin Newsom: Community Justice 2014
In keynote remarks at Community Justice 2014, California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom draws a parallel between community justice and internet innovations like Craig's List and Uber, praising them for their the bottom-up, customized approaches to doing business.

After 5 Years, the San Francisco Community Justice Center Continues to Adapt
Judge Braden C. Woods of the San Francisco Community Justice Center discusses the practical implications of expanding the court's caseload to include low-level felonies, and he reflects on his first year on the job. 

Improving Outcomes by Assessing the Impact of Trauma on Offenders
Courts need to assess offenders for traumatic exposures so they can match them to effective services and improve treatment outcomes, says Kathleen West, an expert on trauma-informed care and lecturer at the University of California. In this New Thinking podcast, West discusses what we know about the impact of trauma on litigants and the justice system.

Click here to access all podcasts and other online materials.

SFGate: "S.F. court for veterans helps with postwar adjustment"

S.F. court for veterans helps with postwar adjustment
By Heather Knight
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
San Francisco Chronicle

Like many 5-year-olds, the Community Justice Center now has a new sibling.

It's the Veterans Justice Center, the brainchild of San Francisco Superior Court Presiding Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee.

"Ah, my pet project," she said when asked to describe it.

The court works the same way as the Community Justice Center except it focuses on veterans, particularly those who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It takes place on Wednesdays in the same Polk Street courtroom as the Community Justice Center with the same judge, but it has extra social services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Lee realized the need for the court in her previous role as supervising judge for the court's criminal division. Many defendants were veterans who had a hard time shifting from fighting on the battlefield to living back at home.

"It's a cliche, but it's a cliche that happens to be true," she said. "You spend all this money preparing people for war, putting a gun in their hand, and telling them that's the way to solve the problem at hand. Then you expect them to come home and turn on a dime.

"I thought it was incumbent on the court to be proactive."

A few dozen veterans have been helped so far, being offered drug and alcohol treatment or mental health counseling. Lee plans to expand the Veterans Justice Center citywide this year and make it a stand-alone court.

Click here to view this article online. 

SFGate: "5 years in, verdict is positive for S.F. community court"

5 years in, verdict is positive for S.F. community court
By Heather Knight
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
San Francisco Chronicle

Wearing the traditional black robe and armed with the traditional wooden gavel, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Braden Woods had instructions for the dozens of defendants sitting in his decidedly nontraditional courtroom.

Some were typical: When you're asked to submit to a drug test - do it. And don't even think about diluting your sample with water.

Some were not so typical: You will clap when asked to.

"Give everybody a hand who's in full compliance," he said of the defendants who have attended all their mandated court hearings and social service program meetings. "All these folks deserve a big hand for putting in a lot of good work."

The court itself is getting a big hand Wednesday - and from some unlikely fans. The Community Justice Center on Polk Street is marking its fifth anniversary and is being hailed by longtime supporters and former critics alike for steadily improving the lives of those caught committing crimes in the Tenderloin and gradually improving the downtrodden neighborhood, too.

The widespread support is in marked contrast to the court's beginnings.

Then-Mayor Gavin Newsom first pushed for the court after a 2007 visit to Manhattan's Midtown Community Court, where offenders, including prostitutes and subway fare evaders, are offered the chance to have their crimes wiped from their records in exchange for participating in social services or performing community service.

Newsom first pitched the Tenderloin court as a place to tackle quality-of-life crimes such as camping on sidewalks and public urination, an idea that drew scorn from the public defender, homeless advocates and progressive members of the Board of Supervisors. They dubbed it Newsom's "poverty court" and said it would criminalize homeless people.

In 2008, Newsom placed an advisory ballot measure to fund the court before voters - and lost resoundingly. Nonetheless, he'd already secured funding to run the court for one year and managed to keep it running after that.

The San Francisco Superior Court, which runs the Community Justice Center, changed the focus to more serious crimes such as drug dealing, shoplifting and car break-ins. It handles misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, a focus that eased many critics' concerns.
'They support me'

For Chesterfield Jones, the arrest came for selling prescription painkillers to an undercover police officer. The 63-year-old has participated in the Community Justice Center for a year and a half, is in drug treatment, has obtained housing and comes to see the judge every week, even though he's not required to.

"I like that they support me and help me do things I can't do myself," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, my life has changed."

Jones is one of 6,000 defendants whose cases have been heard at the Community Justice Center since it opened in March 2009. More than 2,500 have participated in social service programs, and they've cumulatively performed 9,100 hours of community service.

Most defendants at the court are single, African American males. The average age is 39, and more than half of those ordered to appear at the court are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Most are unemployed and lack permanent housing.

Woods hears an average of 100 cases each day. Defendants are assigned a case manager and are ordered by the judge to participate in anything from Narcotics Anonymous meetings to job training to mental health counseling.

They also must regularly check in with Woods to report on their progress. Those who perform well are sometimes offered gift cards to local stores and eventually "graduate" from the court with clean records.

Financing the center

The city pays $1.1 million annually to fund the social service component of the court, and other agencies, including the district attorney's office and public defender's office, provide staffing out of their regular budgets.

On Wednesday afternoon, a host of city officials will visit the court to hail its fifth anniversary. Even Public Defender Jeff Adachi, who initially despised the idea and said he didn't have enough lawyers to staff the court, is scheduled to speak at the event. (His office now handles the defense for at least 80 percent of the cases.)

"I do think the court is being able to provide the services and address the problems that it set out to do," he said.

'Not a homeless court'

T. Michael Yuen, the court executive officer for San Francisco Superior Court, worked for Newsom in the mayor's budget office during the battle over the court's founding.

"I'd like to think that five years later we proved the critics wrong," he said. "It is not a homeless court. We are so much more than that."

Lynnell Peterson, 47, would agree. He was arrested last year for being in possession of methamphetamine, the last of "several, several, several" drug arrests, he said. He's now attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings, has been drug-free for several months and is learning computer skills in hopes of finding a job.

"The court here gives you the opportunity, you know what I'm saying, to turn your life around, to make a change," he said. "The judge here gives you two or three chances. If you don't make it by that third chance, you don't want to do it."

The tall, thin man appeared in court for his regular check-in wearing jeans and a Fat Albert jacket. Woods praised Peterson for his progress, gave him a $10 Safeway gift card and ordered everybody in the courtroom to applaud.

"He's the star of the day," Woods said. "Bravo, Mr. Peterson. Mr. Peterson, you're doing great."

Click here to view this article online. 

Multi-faceted approach for chronic inebriates

From collaborative courts to "wet houses" to a revamped Mobile Assistance Patrol, the City and County San Francisco is putting forth a multi-faceted approach to its problem with chronic inebriates.

S.F. has many ideas on handling drunks 
By Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle

We've got to give credit to San Francisco city officials. When their plan to handle chronically drunk homeless people was tossed out by a judge, they didn't merely opt to drown their sorrows in a stiff drink.

They've got several other creative ideas, including jury trials for the chronic inebriates, a wet house where alcoholics can continue to drink on-site, a revamped outreach program and even a pilot program to test an injectable drug that could make alcoholics not want to drink.

Earlier this month, a state appeals court quashed the city's four-month effort to get chronic inebriates, most of them homeless, into treatment by threatening them with jail for contempt if they repeatedly fail to show up in court. The idea, led by the San Francisco Superior Court and District Attorney George Gascón, was to arrest those who'd been cited at least 20 times for public drunkenness or other low-level offenses, put them in jail and tell them they were in contempt of court for not showing up all the previous times. Threatened with jail for five days per no-show, most offenders agreed to enter treatment instead.

But the state appeals court said somebody can't be held in contempt of court just for violating his or her own promise to appear in court, even if they'd signed the back of each citation saying they agreed to appear.

Score one for Public Defender Jeff Adachi who challenged the program, saying it was unconstitutional and illegal.

"We're eager to participate in the next possible steps," Adachi said. "We were excluded last time from the design of the court, and we would have pointed out these problems had we been at the table."

So what options does the city have to deal with the chronically drunk homeless people who bother residents and tourists, cycle in and out of jail, cost the city up to $13 million a year in emergency services and aren't doing themselves any favors either? Plenty, it seems.

For starters, Gascón said that within about a week, he'll switch his method to one in which the defendants can choose between a jury trial and accepting services - similar to the idea behind the successful Community Justice Center in the Tenderloin.

"The only tool we have is to file charges. I'm hoping the majority of them will actually take the service offer," Gascón said, saying the status quo cannot continue. "These are people who are decomposing in our streets right in front of our eyes. Some of them eventually die in the streets, and I don't think there's anything humane about this."

Click here to read the full article.

"Community Justice Center passes the test"

R. Gil Kerlikowske (left), director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, visits Judge Lillian Sing at the Community Justice Center. Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle / SF

Community Justice Center passes the test
By C.W. Nevius
San Francisco Chronicle
January 10, 2013

In 2008, the Community Justice Center was a wedge issue in San Francisco.
There were City Hall demonstrations calling it a "poverty court." Public Defender Jeff Adachi refused to staff it. And when funding for the program was put on the ballot, it lost by 12 percentage points.

Luckily, the money was already in place for a one-year pilot program, or it would have died.
In retrospect, that sounds laughable.

Based on the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, San Francisco's Community Justice Court opened in March 2009 and never looked back. The premise is that people who are caught in the Tenderloin committing nonviolent felonies such as small drug sales, auto break-ins or shoplifting can avoid jail time and go to the Community Justice Center to enroll in a program for help with the problem - drug addiction, alcoholism or mental illness - that landed them there. In just under four years, more than 7,800 cases have been heard, involving more than 5,000 defendants.

This week R. Gil Kerlikowske, director of President Obama's Office of National Drug Control Policy, came to observe and praise the program. He said it was such a model that he's recommending that law enforcement officials from other countries visit the San Francisco program.

"I'd send them to Red Hook," he joked, "but I think they'd have a better time here."

Acknowledging guilt

The center in the Tenderloin is based on the concept of speedy justice, but as District Attorney George Gascón says, there's a catch.

"When he goes to the CJC, the defendant has already agreed that he committed the offense," Gascón said.

And we're not talking about admitting guilt in a jailhouse conversation. At a hearing this week, Judge Lillian Sing had the defendants "yes ma'am-ing" and "no ma'am-ing" like crazy.

"You failed," she told one.

"Yes ma'am, I did."

Those who are admitted to the program are assigned a service provider and required to appear in court. Typically a defendant will be required to appear once a week, but repeat offenders may be ordered to appear two, three or even five times a week. Defendants in traditional court cases don't have that level of accountability.

"The court has slowly come into its own," said Adachi, who now supports the program. "They began handling more serious cases, felonies and drug cases, which were plaguing the Tenderloin. At first it was a homeless court."

Hearing that still gets a rise out of Lisa Lightman, director of San Francisco Collaborative Courts, which oversees Drug Court, Truancy Court, and Youth Family Violence Court.

"We were never a homeless court," she says, voice rising a bit. "But we kept getting that persistent story."

Whatever. The story is that this is working. Just ask Tenderloin Station Capt. Joe Garrity.
"The CJC lets us focus on the organized crime rather than the disorganized crime," he says. "We're able to take on the street dealers, rather than the guy selling a couple of pills for something to eat."
Garrity says property crimes are up 12 percent in the city. In the Tenderloin, they are down 2 percent. Tenderloin narcotics arrests are up 6 percent, which is exactly the trend Garrity wants to see.

Looking beyond crime

Now, the real test is seeing how many Community Justice Center defendants return to commit a crime. The Rand Corp. is evaluating the data and will have numbers in July. What we can say is 75 percent of defendants make their appointments.

The larger issue is what Kerlikowske focused on when he was here.

"Most courts around the country think people are arrested for a drug violation," he said. "We see district attorneys who say, 'Why put them into services? Let them do 30 days in jail. And then when they re-offend, let them do another 30 days.' Here you are seeing the nexus of the drug issue, which is that there are other problems, addiction and mental health. That is what is so impressive."

Trust us, Mr. Director: It didn't seem impressive when it began. But it looks great now.

Click here to view this article online.

Federal "Drug Czar" Visits San Francisco Community Justice Center

Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy. (Jewel Samad / AFP / Getty Images)

Several years ago, US federal "drug czar" Gil Kerlikowske added the community court model -- along with drug courts -- to the National Drug Control Strategy as a tool for linking addicted offenders to treatment.

Yesterday he visited the San Francisco Community Justice Center to follow up on a previous visit to the Red Hook Community Justice Center. The following story offers details: 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/01/08/presidents-drug-czar-observes-sfs-unique-program-for-defendants

A Case Manager's Perspective

This essay, submitted by Peter Morris, offers the perspective of a case manager working "on the ground" at the San Francisco Community Justice Center (CJC). 

A short story from a CJC case manager’s perspective 

My first meeting with Ms. P did not go well. She was furious about being asked to come to court each week and then to meet with a young man she was certain would never be able to understand her. Unfortunately for Ms. P, she had been arrested in the Tenderloin after purchasing a small amount of crack. To complicate things further, Ms. P had fallen out of touch with her mental health treatment provider and had stopped taking her required medication. She was at risk for severely decompensating and possibly losing her housing.

Despite her frustrations, Ms. P began attending her weekly court dates. After a few weeks, she started realizing that this courtroom, which she initially perceived as punitive, was actually set up to support her. She began developing a good relationship with the judge and looked forward to the time each week when the judge would acknowledge her accomplishments. 

Ms. P reconnected with her mental health treatment provider and was referred to a substance abuse treatment group that she enjoyed attending. Her court-mandated drug testing showed that Ms. P was staying away from illegal drugs, allowing her mental health to stabilize. 

Ms. P was monitored by the court for 6 months. During that time, she was able to avoid a pending crisis in her life and return to the positive aspects of the community she had lived in for 20 years. When the judge told her that she had fulfilled her obligations and was ready to graduate from the Community Justice Center program, Ms. P refused to go. She explained to the court that she valued speaking to the judge each week and that it helped her tremendously in organizing her life. The judge accommodated Ms. P, and she continues to return every other week to update to the court on her progress. 

The importance of Ms. P's experience is how she was able to change her perception and attitude once she realized the court was not trying to punish her. The support she received through the CJC reduces the likelihood of any future arrests in the community. This makes her story a win-win for both the client and the community the CJC serves.

~ ~ ~

Peter Morris is a Senior Psychiatric Social Worker with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and has worked at the CJC since its opening day. During that time, he has helped design treatment services at the CJC in addition to working with over 300 individual clients. Peter has presented at multiple national conferences on issues related to HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, and the work at the Community Justice Center. He has worked in San Francisco's Tenderloin Neighborhood for over 10 years and is committed to the improvement of the neighborhood and the lives of people most need of assistance.

Community Justice Center in the News

On September 23, 2012, the Associated Press published an article featuring San Francisco's Community Justice Center (CJC). The article describes how the the CJC has "helped relieve the caseload clogging traditional courtrooms by handling 4,500 defendants since it opened." Community courts like the CJC aim to "[improve] life in specific neighborhoods or police precincts." In San Francisco, target areas include South of Market, Union Square, Civic Center, and the Tenderloin.

Novel courts handle low-level crimes across US
By Fenit Nirappil, Associated Press

Judge Lilian Sing, San Francisco Superior Court
Photo: Ben Margot / AP

In most courtrooms, spontaneous applause could get you thrown out.

But in this San Francisco court, it's expected — and strongly encouraged for the defendants.

Bowls of hard candy rest in front of the judge's bench, as a reward for the men and women making their weekly court appearances and attending group therapy. Almost daily, the judge awards one standout a $5 grocery store gift card — while the gallery claps and cheers.

These scenes have played out thousands of times at the Community Justice Center, a novel, 4-year-old court system in the city's rough-edged Tenderloin district. It's one of about 40 community courts around the United States that tackle mostly low-level crimes in troubled neighborhoods using judges — not juries — to send defendants to drug treatment, shelter and social services, instead of handing down fines and time in overcrowded jails.

"We go to the root of the problems rather than just throwing them in jail," said the Community Justice Center's lone judge, Lillian Sing.

Click here to read the full article.

Community Justice Center represented at day-long roundtable in NYC

Earlier this month, Judge Ron Albers and CJC Coordinator Tomiquia Moss attended a round table session on community justice hosted by the Center for Court Innovation and the U.S. Department of Justice. Community justice leaders from across the country attended and shared their stories of successes and challenges working in the area of community courts. Read more about the round table session.

New short film on Community Courts

The Center for Court Innovation just released this fantastic film on community justice across the county. This film was produced in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

Testing New Ideas: Evidence, Innovation and Community Courts

SF Chronicle feature story on Community Justice Center

It is often heard in the courtroom and in the elevator up to the Service Center that the CJC is a place that really cares and is helping participants get their lives back on track. Two years in, the CJC is proving itself as an exceptional social and criminal justice program. Here’s an excerpt from an excellent article that ran in yesterday’s SF Chronicle:

[EXCERPT]
“Roughly a year ago, Lacrecia Hicks was locked up for walking out of Safeway with a friend who hadn't paid for an armful of food and hygiene products.
Normally she'd go to criminal court, and if she was found guilty of theft, do time or pay a fine. But she didn't.
Instead, she decided to go to San Francisco's once-controversial Community Justice Center, where for the past two years she and hundreds of others have been allowed to avoid jail if they agree to seek treatment for addiction, mental instability or other issues that may have led them to break the law in the first place.
Two years after a bitter fight over its creation, more than 3,200 people have come before the court, which is now lauded by its early critics. Unlike jail, supporters say, the program gives San Francisco's underserved residents the support they need to clean up and avoid trouble.
"Those are things we can do faster than most and do more effectively than most," said Commissioner Everett Hewlett Jr., who has overseen the court since January. ”

Read the FULL ARTICLE.

You are cordially invited to the Community Justice Center's 2-year anniversary

The Community Justice Center is holding a 2-year anniversary open houst celebration from 4-6 p.m. at 555 Polk Street on March 10, 2011. Presiding Judge Feinstein will be giving opening remarks during a speaking program that begins at 4:30 p.m.

Please join us to celebrate the success' of the CJC!

Light refreshments will be provided.

Associate Press features San Francisco Collaborative Courts

San Francisco’s Behavioral Health Court, Community Justice Center and Drug Court were featured in The Associated Press December 26, 2010. It was part of a series by AP examining the U.S. struggles in its “war on drugs.” The article’s focus was on Portugal’s drug policy and how they changed the law so that users are sent to counseling and treatment instead of criminal courts and prison. It’s important to note that drugs are still illegal in Portugal. The switch from seeing drugs as a criminal issue and instead viewing it as both a public health and a public safety concern is what is proving their policies to be successful. As the article continues, it references San Francisco’s Collaborative Courts as an approach similar to Portugal’s that is working to achieve the same goals in the U.S. – to increase public safety and place addicts in treatment instead of behind bars. We encourage you to read the full article.

Portugal's drug policy pays off; US eyes lessons
By Barry Hatton and Martha Mendoza, Associated Press
December 26, 2010

AP also ran a video story that highlights our programs – Check it out!

SF Collaborative Courts written up in American Prospect magazine

On December 6th, American Prospect magazine included a great article about San Francisco's Community Justice Center and Behavioral Health Court called: May It Please the Court: Problem-solving courts have a track record of lowering recidivism and incarceration costs, but they still don't reach enough offenders. Sasha Abramsky was the author of the article.

A solution to the sell of prescription drugs in the Tenderloin

Last week an article (see link below) in the Bay Area edition of the New York Times mentioned new strategies aimed at dealing with the sell of prescription drugs in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. City agencies would like to begin to route folks through Drug Court and the Community Justice Center which will be able to address the underlying problems of why individuals are selling - most of whom are the sick and elderly.

In Tough Times, Grandpa Pushes Pills:

Police see more gray-haired drug dealers selling prescription meds, like Oxycontin

Written by Shoshana Walter

Community Justice Center Advisory Board Meeting Open to the Public

Please join us for our next CJC Advisory Board meeting on

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

at 555 Polk Street

from 4:00 to 5:00 pm

CJC Town Hall May 25

Please join us for the next CJC Town Hall meeting which will be held in conjuction with the Tenderloin Police Captain’s meeting.

When: Tuesday May 25th, 2010 6:00 p.m. -7:00 pm

Where: 301 Eddy Street at the Tenderloin Police Station in the Community Room.

Agenda: This meeting will be a community forum discussing

the first year outcomes and the goals for 2010.

If you want to offer comments or feedback on the CJC please write to us at communitjusticecenter@sftc.org

Upcoming Community Justice Center Meetings

CJC Advisory Board Meeting
May 12, 2010
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Community Justice Center
555 Polk Street, 2nd Floor

CJC Town Hall
May 25, 2010
6:00 -7:00 p.m.
Location TBD

All meetings are open to the public.