TED: "How we cut youth violence in Boston by 79 percent"

Rev. Jeffrey Brown discusses the "Boston Miracle," a process through which the city experienced a 79% decline in violent crime in the 1990s.



Link to Rev. Brown's TED talk.

VT governor addresses "full-blown heroin crisis"

"You... need a judicial system that moves you into... treatment right away, monitors your progress and, if you succeed, keeps you out of the criminal justice system altogether."

-- Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin

Last week, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin dedicated his entire State of the State Message to the "full-blown heroin crisis" in his state. In an interview with PBS Newshour, he makes a passionate case for addressing addiction as a public health issue and creating judicial interventions that promote successful treatment outcomes.

"When you're sick and you want treatment, you have got to have it available to you. And that's what I am going to make possible," he says.

Governor Shumlin commits to increasing funding for treatment and rapid intervention programs that connect addicts to services as early as the time of arrest.

Click here to watch the PBS Newshour interview with Governor Shumlin. (Transcript below.)

Transcript (PBS Newshour)

JUDY WOODRUFF: A governor broke with tradition yesterday and devoted his entire state of the state address to drug addiction.

Peter Shumlin, the governor of Vermont, urged residents to open their eyes to the growing problem in their front yards, rather than leaving it only to law enforcement, medical personnel and addiction treatment providers. Shumlin argued the facts speak for themselves.

In Vermont, since 2000, there has been a 770 percent increase in treatment for all opiates. He stated: "What started as an OxyContin and prescription drug addiction problem in this state has now grown into a full-blown heroin crisis" and -- quote -- "Last year, we had nearly double the number of deaths in Vermont from heroin overdose as the previous year."

It turns out Vermont is not the only state facing this crisis. According to the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, the number of deaths involving heroin surged 45 percent between 1999 and 2010.

For more on this, I'm joined by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and Huffington Post Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim. He's also the author of the book "This Is Your Country on Drugs."

And, gentlemen, we thank you both for being us.

Governor, I'm going to start with you.

A full-blown heroin crisis, how serious is it?

GOV. PETER SHUMLIN, D-Vt.: Serious.

I mean, obviously, it's no more serious than the other states around us. I think, I hope that the difference is that I'm willing to confront it and, as governor, take it on head on. And, listen, here's the challenge. We have lost the war on drugs. The notion that we can arrest our way out of this problem is yesterday's theory.

And, you know, the one thing Vermonters cherish is our quality of life, our safety, the fact that we're a state where we take care of each other, and that we know that our communities are safe and that we have a good quality of life.

And this compromises it. So, as far as I'm concerned, this is one of the real battles that we're facing that we have got to win. And we have got to do that by changing the discussion and changing the policy, so that we say that what heroin addicts and folks that are addicted to opiates are facing is a public health issue, not a crime issue. And we have got to be willing to fight it from that vantage point.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And why did you decide to devote the entire, virtually the entire speech to this?

PETER SHUMLIN: Well, because I feel that strongly about it.

You know, really, this is the issue that nobody wants to talk about. Nobody. Governors don't like talking about it because we're afraid that when we move our policy from law enforcement, and the belief and the fantasy that you can beat this just with law enforcement, and, in fact, have to treat it with treatment and with services that will help folks move from addiction to recovery, that something will go wrong, and that therefore we don't dare take any risk.

So I say the risk for Vermont, frankly, the risk for the other states around the country is, we have got more people dying from opiate addiction and from drug addiction than is killing us in automobiles...

JUDY WOODRUFF: Right.

PETER SHUMLIN: ... killing us with guns, killing us with all of the other things that we keep talking about.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well...

PETER SHUMLIN: So let's start facing this as the health crisis that it is and change our policies, so that we can start actually making progress and moving people from addiction to recovery.

JUDY WOODRUFF: All right, Ryan Grim, as we heard the governor say, this is not just a problem in Vermont, not just in the Northeastern U.S. It is all over the country.

What -- how much worse has it grown across the country?

RYAN GRIM, The Huffington Post: It's gotten bad.

And you have two main things going on here, and they're both going in the wrong directions, supply and demand. So, on the supply side, as a result of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, you have seen a surge in poppy production. And that heroin is going to go somewhere. It's going to find a market. There is no question about it here.

It's moved into Mexico and, up through Mexico, it's come here. We have seen since 2008 even a fourfold increase in seizures at the Mexican border. On the demand side, there has been this intense decade-long crackdown on what they call pill mills, which has also targeted regular doctors and pharmacies who no longer want to do any business in dispensing narcotics to people who might legitimately need it.

That drives more business, legitimate business to these pill mills, which makes them get bigger. The feds then knock those down. And so then these people go out looking for something that they need. Whether these were legitimate addicts or what to begin with, they're now addicts. They go out and find heroin, they are inexperienced users, and it is a terrible combination.

JUDY WOODRUFF: You're talking about people who originally were looking for -- many of them, not all of them -- were looking for pain medication, not able to get it, turned to the illegal...

(CROSSTALK)

RYAN GRIM: Sure.

Many, many people who have had some type of injury, elderly people to people who are 18 years old and were hurt on the football field, they will get a prescription. Some of those people will become addicted. And if you don't allow them access to these opiates, some of them, not all of them, a small percentage, are going to -- they are going to turn to heroin, as it is cheaper and more available.

(CROSSTALK)

JUDY WOODRUFF: Governor Shumlin, is there a profile -- go ahead. What were you going to -- I was going to ask if there is a profile of the person using.

PETER SHUMLIN: Well, just quickly answer that question. The answer is everybody.

We tend to live under the fantasy that we're talking about folks who are only growing up in poverty and have no opportunity and no hope. Now, listen, that's a problem. It definitely afflicts folks who have no opportunity and no hope.

But it also afflicts people who have huge opportunity and who are wealthy. So it crosses all economic lines. And what Ryan just said about the economics of this challenge, listen, right now, here's how the economic works in Vermont. A bag of heroin can be bought for $6, $7 bucks, New York, Philadelphia, south -- big cities south of us.

In Vermont, it sells for $20 or $30 a bag. So you can do the math. A short drive up the interstate, and you are going to see a huge profit. So the challenge we're facing is that, as this did begin as an OxyContin and prescription drug crisis, now heroin is cheaper than OxyContin on the streets, and it's frankly more available.

So that's the challenge that I'm facing as a governor. Now, the question is, how do you deal with it? And the answer for me is, I have got people who are ready for treatment. The biggest challenge with opiate addicts, an opiate addict, a drug addict, they're the best liars and the best deniers you're ever going to meet.

But there is a window of opportunity, all the research suggests, where you can convince them that treatment is the best option. And it tends to be when they're busted, when the blue lights are flashing and when you have an opportunity. Now, the problem with my judicial system and probably everyone in the country is that there is a huge gap between that moment of opportunity to talk them into treatment and the court process that it takes weeks or months to wind your way through.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Let me...

PETER SHUMLIN: So I'm changing the judicial process that I give my prosecutors and my judges a third-party independent assessment to go right in, right upon the bust and figure out, you know, who we should be mad at, disappointed in, and who we should be afraid of.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And let me bring Ryan back in here to ask you, Ryan, what is happening around the country in terms of -- you just heard the governor say it can't just be law enforcement. That's part of it. It has to be prevention and treatment.

RYAN GRIM: Well, unfortunately, not a ton is happening.

I mean, there are a lot -- there are some grassroots efforts going on. For instance, you know, Kentucky is starting to treat this in a much more humane way, because they're seeing a similar problem as in Vermont. What you are seeing is in areas, poor, rural areas particularly, where Oxy was a big problem, that's where you're seeing this heroin surge, more than other places.

You're also seeing it in some of the urban areas in this country. But it's more of a rural problem. But, overwhelmingly, the rhetoric around the war on drugs is still very militaristic. And there is an attitude...

JUDY WOODRUFF: Just that we're at war.

RYAN GRIM: That if we can -- right, exactly, if we can -- we're going to stop this at the border, we're' going to lock people up, we're going to shut down these cartels.

And we have been doing this for close to a century now, and it just hasn't worked.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Governor, I hear you saying that the treatment side, getting these people into treatment, preventing it in the first place has to become a huge focus.

PETER SHUMLIN: We have got to change our thinking about this disease. It is no different than cancer. It is no different than kidney disease.

When you're sick and you want treatment, you have got to have it available to you. And that's what I am going to make possible. And you then need a judicial system that moves you into that treatment right away, monitors your progress and, if you succeed, keeps you out of the criminal justice system altogether.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, we would like to end on as positive a note as we can, but it is a tough story.

Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont, thank you.

Ryan Grim, we thank you very much.

RYAN GRIM: Thank you.

Vote to make SF SMILES San Francisco's Favorite Charity!

Dependency Drug Court (DDC) community partner, SF SMILES, has made it into 7x7's Top 7 Favorite Charities in San Francisco.

VOTE HERE TO MAKE IT #1!

SF SMILES collects donations of clean and usable furniture, household items, clothing, and basic necessities for individuals and families in need. For DDC, SF SMILES helps parents create welcoming home environments by providing cribs, furniture, beds, bedding, developmental toys, and much more. These items are essential for parents to feel comfortable in their homes and prepare for reunifying with their children.

Thank you SF SMILES for everything you do for DDC families!

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.

SAVE THE DATE: Veterans Fair- March 2, 2012

The San Francisco Armed Forces Community Covenant will be holding a VETERAN & MILITARY RESOURCE FAIR on March 2, 2012 from 9am- 5pm at the San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building located at 401 Van Ness Avenue.

Please see flyer for details.

Huffington Post features interview with Jennifer Johnson about the The Road Forward Fundraiser

San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Johnson was interviewed by the Huffington Post regarding The Road Forward fundraiser being held tomorrow October 26 (Excerpt Below). All are invited to attend this event that is in support of women working to get their lives back. For more details about the event, please see invitation.

Huffington Post
10/20/2011
Author: Arcelia Hurtado

"Jennifer Johnson has been working with San Francisco's mental health court to provide gender specific services for women since 2005. She is a founding member of San Francisco's Behavioral Health Court and one of the organizers of The Road Forward, a fundraiser to benefit women as they transition out of custody and into the community.

Arcelia Hurtado (AH): Tell us what is going on in California with incarcerated women.

Jennifer Johnson (JJ): In times of economic prosperity, women in jails and prisons are an underserved population. In times of economic despair, they are forgotten. California is currently embarking on the biggest shift in criminal justice policy in decades as it enacts AB109, known as "realignment." The stakes are high and the opportunity is unprecedented as communities craft new approaches to incarceration and rehabilitation.

AH: What is The Road Forward?

JJ: The Road Forward is raising money to renovate the San Francisco Sheriff's Department's Women's Resource Center to create an optimal environment for helping women reclaim their lives.

Two community programs, Behavioral Health Court and the Women's Resource Center, are working together to ensure that women are not lost as the realignment process unfolds. Both programs have independently provided quality gender-specific treatment for years and they are joining forces streamline and enhance those services.

The October 26th event marks the beginning of a capital fundraising campaign and we have great allies in this effort: Equal Rights Advocates, California Pacific Medical Center, and Women Defenders of California.

AH: What do you mean when you say "helping women reclaim their lives?"

JJ: The Women's Resource Center serves women who are leaving jail and prison. The Center provides access to an array of coordinated services to help women find employment, sustain recovery, improve mental health, link to quality health care, and reconnect with their families and the community.

These services are going to become increasingly important as we see dramatic changes in criminal justice policy take effect across California.

AH: What are the changes?

JJ: There are two big changes that will result in an increase in the number of women who come into the community from either jail or prison.

First, the United States Supreme Court is forcing the state to release tens of thousands of inmates because the overcrowded conditions amount to cruel and unusual punishment. One of the state's proposals to address the situation is to allow more than 4,000 mothers serving time in state prison to return to the community.

Second, a recent change in California law will increase the number of women released from jail. AB109, or "realignment," will shift the responsibility for housing and supervising low-risk, non-violent offenders from the state to individual counties. What this means is that women who would have gone to state prison will now serve local sentences and remain on county probation."

Read the entire post here.

Homeless Prenatal Program Wins Best of the Bay

Congratulations to the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) for winning Best Local Nonprofit in the SF Bay Guardian's Best of the Bay! http://www.sfbg.com/bob/2008/city.php

A partner agency in the San Francisco Superior Court's Dependency Drug Court, HPP provides intensive case management for parents with substance abuse issues involved in the dependency court/child welfare system.

To learn more about HPP, go to: http://www.homelessprenatalprogram.org/

Director of Collaborative Justice Courts Comments on new CJC program

There are miracles that occur daily at the criminal courthouse on Bryant Street. Those of us in the legal community who focus on treatment for defendants whose crime was committed due to drug and alcohol addiction or mental illness often witness the transformation of suffering into personal renewal, family unity and community integration. Not too bad for a day’s work if you spend any time at the Hall of Justice.

The Superior Court has been doing this work for well over ten years beginning with our Adult Drug Court which quickly inspired the development of our Juvenile Court and Alternative School program and our award winning Behavioral Health Court (BHC) for mentally ill offenders. We were tired of seeing the same individuals revolve through the same doorway so we joined the movement of problem-solving courts which accounts for nearly 1700 such programs nationwide.

We’re compassionate and knowledgeable about relapse and recovery and we can sometimes quote passages from the DSM-IV manual that defines types of mental illness. But don’t mistake sensitivity for being a pushover. Some of our detractors still try to claim we’re soft on crime. Public safety is held to the highest order. We’ll only accept misdemeanants and felons on a voluntary basis. Anyone in our program is free to head down that very traditional hallway. But if San Quentin is at the other end then we’ve got an inspired individual on our hands even if their psychosis is currently weaving a captivating tale or a raging methamphetamine addict is insisting there’s no problem your Honor.

There are certain conditions for staying in the program like ‘follow your treatment plan’ even if the court knows that a client will inevitably and predictably fall off or trip over the wagon. For one psychotic defendant, this might mean a daily dose of Risperdal and consistent treatment groups; for another, custodial detox followed by 90 days in a residential treatment program. Some leave the program in the first month or just don’t make it. But fast forward six months to a year, after weekly or monthly appearances in court for judicial monitoring and hours of case conferencing among the defendant and committed team members including the Judge, Public Defender, District Attorney, Probation and Treatment – even this individual has become a miracle in his own eyes.

While a newly recovering addict is as real as it gets, graduation, which occurs at the end of the program, is sometimes coupled with the surreal. It’s not uncommon for a graduate to thank his arresting Police Officer (who is invited to the ceremony and given a rose in gratitude) for saving his life. “Getting arrested was the best thing to ever happen to me.” You have to see to believe. The graduation is open to the public and so are our weekly afternoon court sessions.

Do our multiple miracles hold up over time? Given that the majority of our clients were homeless, marginally housed or moderately employed if at all, our statistics are another source of inspiration. In a study several years ago, the number of arrests declined substantially for all Drug Court participants comparing the two years prior to entering and the two years after leaving the program. For graduates, arrests decreased by 83% during this period of time compared to a 42% decrease for non-graduates. And, in an evaluation by UCSF of our Behavioral Health Court published in the September 2007 American Journal of Psychiatry, by 18 months after graduation, the risk of BHC graduates being charged with a new violent crime was about 54% lower than that of other comparable individuals.

Given our success, it’s not surprising that the Superior Court is moving forward on the development of a new court program called the Community Justice Center (CJC). Modeled after New York’s Red Hook and Midtown Manhattan court which transformed the chronic crime problems in these communities, the Superior Court is partnering with members of the Board of Supervisors and city agencies under the direction of the Mayor’s Office to consider a new approach to handling our version of persistent crime. The CJC differs from our aforementioned alternative court programs in two notable ways. This program not only focuses on a specific geographic area, in this case the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, it also includes community participation in an advisory and on-going capacity. The community holds the CJC accountable to community needs which addresses the judicial branch’s interest in increasing public trust and confidence.

During the spring and summer months, and with assistance from the Center for Court Innovation in New York, the court met with individuals, neighborhood groups, social service and housing agencies, and the police, to learn, listen and really hear the concerns of the community. There are long-standing problems – drugs and alcohol lead the way - that have plagued the area for decades.

We held our first Town Hall meeting in January. The dialogue and development of this program is ongoing. We need to keep hearing from the community. But there are a few core concepts in place that make this a very different court program for San Francisco.

Service availability. Services will be available on a walk-in basis in a newly designated facility in the Tenderloin community whether or not an individual is charged with an offense. If someone is charged, offenses will include all misdemeanors (except domestic violence and drunk driving and license cases), and all felony cases (except violence). This court will not handle infractions.

Restorative justice.. The Justice Center is committed to a community-focused approach centered on repairing harm and rebuilding the community through a restorative based practice. An example might be a shoplifter who is directed toward community service that actively engage the defendant, victims and other community members.

Provides accountability. A single judicial officer will hear all the cases. There’s an immeasurable benefit from having personal knowledge of and relationships with repeat offenders with chronic issues. If we’ve seen a defendant before, we’ll be better informed about the case history. For many of our individuals, the judge as authority or pseudo parent is considered one of the most effective tools that tips the balance toward health and stability.
Community participation. A permanent CJC Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from housing, business, workforce development and more will be established to help guide further planning and implementation. A monthly town hall meeting will also be scheduled to hear feedback from the larger community.

The development of San Francisco’s CJC is both an art and a science. There are some program elements we are certain about; others require more feedback from the community or trust in ourselves to open the doors and just do it. In many ways, this art and science is similar to working with clients in our program. The law is the easy part. The challenge is to assess and provide appropriate justice for each person, specifically tailored to each person, with the goal of improving their life and the lives of those live and work in the community.

Lisa Lightman
Director of Collaborative Court Programs
Superior Court of California
County of San Francisco

San Francisco visits Red Hook

Last summer, eight community representatives from San Francisco participated in a site visit sponsored by the Mayor's Office to a community court located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY.

These individuals have continued to work with the Community Justice Center Steering Committee, representing a variety of interests, like community and faith-based organizations, businesses, residents and the community courts in the Tenderloin and SOMA neighborhoods.

We asked the representatives to provide feedback with their own perspective of the trip and what they thought about the Red Hook model in relation to the possibility for San Francisco’s Community Justice Center. Here are some of their responses:

Tomiquia Moss, Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Coorporation:
“The Mayor’s office and partners sponsored a delegation of community stakeholders from the Tenderloin on a trip to Brooklyn’s RedHook community court. I found the trip incredibly informative. There were several aspects of the community court that were unique to the workings and make up of the Redhook community. The predominant housing stock is public housing and the neighborhood had very few formal social services for the community. The RedHook justice center serves as a vital resource for the community as the catchment area was expanding to include other neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The court has many on site services such as medical services, employment services and substance use counseling and others. These services are not only available to the folks coming to court; they are also available to the broader community.
The tour was very comprehensive and we were able to talk to not only the people running the court but also to those that were participants in the court. Most of the feedback was positive and people felt like the court filled a need for the RedHook and surrounding neighborhoods served by this justice center. Other aspects of the court that are appealing were that the judge that presides over the court has frequent contact with the community and seems to utilize that feedback in decisions he makes regarding the court. Additionally, the prosecutor and the public defender assigned to the court have consistent communication with the police department, probation, and other departments in an effort to streamline the services that a person would receive.
It was difficult to compare the Tenderloin neighborhood to RedHook. This observation was one of the most helpful aspects of the trip. Every community court has to be modeled around the specific dynamics of that neighborhood. There is not a one size fits all model for a community court. The Tenderloin’s needs are unique and require a model that responds and supports the needs of the community. There were aspects of the RedHook model that were very exciting. The youth programming as well as the AmeriCorp component that does community outreach are great ways to respond to the needs of the community. These are great ideas that we could explore. It is imperative to conduct a community needs assessment for the neighborhood to determine what the community needs and how this court can serve as a community benefit. It is also critical that all departments affiliated with the community court work together if the project will be successful. There has to be a coordinated and consistent structure for all city departments to ensure that people do not fall between the cracks.
Lastly, there has to be a level of transparency and inclusion for the community throughout the development of a community court. I was amazed at how well RedHook executed this. The community not only endorsed the community court but participated in its design and implementation. Therefore, they were already invested in making this be a community resource.”

Rob Black, Vice President/Public Policy, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce:
“The main issue that stuck me about the Redhook Community Justice program was its emphasis on accountability, both personal and governmental. The court attempts to hold individuals accountable for their actions while providing them tools to get their life back on track. As well, the Redhook model allows the community to hold the government accountable when the criminal justice system is not effective in protecting the neighborhood. Through this community based accountability model, crime in Redhook has dropped by 70% and the court system has gone from a 12% favorable opinion among residents to a 75% favorable opinion.”

Dina Hilliard, Tenderloin Community Organizer, Safety Network:
“What struck me most about Red Hook Justice Center was the feeling of “community” that permeates throughout the Center. The clients seemed to be a central part of a team at Red Hook, a team that strives to improve and benefit the entire Red Hook community. The center itself has a childcare facility, a medical clinic, a GED classroom, youth art center, a tenant/landlord mediation center, and access to numerous support services…all in one building! The staff showed a genuine concern for their clients and acted more like personal cheerleaders than government workers! The staff has done an excellent job of seeing past a person’s negative actions and instead, interpreting them as urgent needs.”

Jeoflin Roh, community activist:

"What we saw at Red Hook was an extraordinary outreach of municipal resources in partnership with community ... and it works, works well. How we can transplant the parts of their successful program to San Francisco ... well, it won't be the same thing, but it can be modified, especially through the leadership of Commissioner Albers and the guidance of the folk from Center for Court Innovation to become a transcendent change, and opportunity to introduce City courts to Restorative Justice.
Offering opportunity to offenders to identify & deal with the underlying life issues that lead to errant behavior, and to the offense, is proactive.
I believe that, if parented well, this whole CJC effort can make a difference. The 'hood needs a new light."
Elaine Zamora, Tenderloin Community Benefit District:
“I was very impressed with many things the Red Hook Community Justice Center had to offer the community it served. I was impressed by the number and quality of the social services, classes, and information it had available. I was impressed by the approach to and treatment by the court room personnel toward the people who came before them and the cooperation among the people who comprised the workings of the Justice Center. But I was struck most by the two women who spoke to us about the formation of the Justice Center. Their bravery, in the face of being called snitches, their intelligence and insight to the value of the Justice Center and what it would bring to their families and community was inspiring and humbling. If we can duplicate this for the Tenderloin we would see real, effective and productive change for the people of the Tenderloin. I will do all that I can to see that kind of vision is realized for our neighborhood. Thanks, for allowing us to experience Red Hook, first hand.”