BBC: Young Adult Court featured on BBC's "Neurolaw and Order" podcast

"This is a courtroom here in downtown San Francisco. A judge presides over a room bustling with young offenders, attorneys, probation officers, and case managers. But this is no ordinary courtroom. This one has been inspired by recent advancements in neuroscience."



The San Francisco Young Adult Court was featured on the BBC World Service series "The Documentary." In "Neurolaw and Order," Owen Jones, professor of law and biology at Vanderbilt University, explores how brain development heightens risk taking among adolescents and young adults, sometimes leading to criminal activity, as well as ways the criminal justice system is adapting to advancements in neuroscience by offering alternatives to young people facing criminal charges.


Podcast description (BBC): "The latest findings in neuroscience are increasingly affecting the justice system in America. Owen Jones, professor of law and biology at Vanderbilt University, explores where neurolaw is making its mark and where the discipline is heading. One significant finding from MRI scanners is that the adolescent brain continues to develop right into the early- and mid-twenties. The fact that we are not ‘adults’ at age 18 is having big repercussions in the legal system. In San Francisco, the entire way that young offenders of crimes such as armed robbery up to the age of 25 are treated is adapting to the brain data. More and more, neuroscientists are testifying in courts, often to mitigate sentences including the death penalty in juveniles. Other times, they highlight rare brain abnormalities that cause violent and antisocial behaviour, which helps justify a lighter sentence. However, young brains are still malleable. In Wisconsin, brain imaging of juvenile prisoners can detect psychopathic markers. Once identified, staff can employ techniques to de-programme those antisocial traits and rehabilitate prisoners to ready them for, they hope, a crime-free life outside. And this is simply the first generation of neurolaw – where to next?

Click here to listen to "Neurolaw and Order."

Veterans Justice Court in the news!

Thirty-three graduates were honored at the San Francisco Veterans Justice Court's annual celebration, which took place on November 8, 2017 to commemorate Veterans Day. The event was highlighted in an article published by SFGate and another report published by ABC 7 News.

One of the graduates honored that day was San Francisco resident and VJC graduate Clarence Cook, Sr. Mr. Cook faced 25 years in prison, but instead enrolled in VJC and is now about to celebrate a year of sobriety.

"The only thing that saved me was this lady,” [Mr. Cook] said, referring to his case manager, Jenna Ferrara. “Got me in veterans court. Best thing that ever happened to me.”

"Judge Jeffrey S. Ross jokes with graduate Clarence Cooks with fellow veteran and graduate Andrew Cross at the celebration held at the Hall of Justice on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017 in San Francisco, CA." / Photo: Paul Kuroda, Special to The Chronicle

Links: 

"Special SF court gives military veterans a 2nd chance" (SFGate)
"Criminal court program gives veterans 'a second chance'" (ABC 7 News)

OC Register: "Is there a link between neighborhood rehab programs and petty crime in California?"

“People should be more concerned about liquor stores in their neighborhoods than drug treatment centers... [D]rug treatment centers do not impact communities any more than other commercial businesses."

The Orange County Register published an article this week on the rise of petty crime since the passage of Prop. 47 in November 2014 and possible links to the increase in drug treatment centers. The article describes the complexity of making this connection, including the lack of available data. According to Roxi Fyad, spokesperson for the Costa Mesa Police Department, “There is no statistical crime data gathered that traces back a crime to a sober living facility to show how these facilities impact crime.” 

Additionally, , promised prevention services to mitigate the effects of Prop. 47 never came through. As stated by Bernard Parks, the former Los Angeles police chief and city councilman, “They’ve been talking about all of these preventive programs that were going to be funded on the savings of all the money out of the state prison system. Find one dollar retrieved from the state prison system and invested in one of these preventive programs. It’s been a farce from the beginning.”

SF Young Adult Court in the News!

Two recent articles highlighted the importance and impact of the San Francisco Young Adult Court.

The New York Times
"A California Court for Young Adults Calls on Science"

By Tim Requart
April 17, 2017


Photo: Laura Morton / The New York Times

"Surprisingly, this alternative legal philosophy springs not from concerns about overcrowded prisons or overburdened courts, but from neuroscience.

"Researchers have long known that the adolescent brain is continually rewiring itself, making new connections and pruning unnecessary neurons as it matures. Only recently has it become clear that the process stretches well into early adulthood.

"Buried in that research is an uncomfortable legal question: If their brains have not fully matured, how responsible are adults ages 18 to 24 for their crimes?

"Should they be treated more like adolescents, handled in the comparatively lenient juvenile system, or more like hardened 35-year-olds? Should young adults be held fully responsible for certain crimes but not others?"


The San Francisco Chronicle

"Programs in sanctuary cities threatened by federal funding cut"
By Emily Green
March 30, 2017

"In San Francisco, an innovative court program that helps young adults facing criminal charges or who have already been convicted pull their lives together began in 2015 with the help of a Justice Department grant. A team of city employees helps the defendants find jobs, housing and enroll in school. If a defendant meets the goals — about a third graduate — they earn a reduced criminal record or even no record at all."

Veterans Justice Court celebrates first graduation ceremony

Photo: Sarah Ravani / The Chronicle / Sarah Ravani / The San Francisco Chronicle

Last month, San Francisco's Veterans Justice Court (VJC) held its first graduation ceremony for formerly incarcerated veterans who completed the program. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Jeffrey S. Ross presided. VJC's celebration was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle.

As the article describes, VJC "works with incarcerated veterans to develop a customized treatment plan to assist them with whatever troubles they may be facing once they are released from prison — whether it’s homelessness or substance abuse."

“Incarceration is not the way to deal with most crimes. I believe in working with people so they don’t come back to incarceration," says Judge Ross.

Click here to read the full article.

Young Adult Court in SF Magazine

San Francisco's newest collaborative court, Young Adult Court (YAC), was featured in San Francisco Magazine last month. Superior Court Judge Bruce Chan presides over YAC.

Judge Bruce Chan, San Francisco Superior Court

As the article describes, YAC is "an attempt to combine emerging neuroscience with social justice, changing the fate of young felons in the process. A growing body of neuroscience research suggests a need to prosecute 18-to-25-year-olds differently than older adults, but Young Adult Court is one of the only alternative courts in the country to provide such an option."

"The idea for San Francisco’s Young Adult Court was first conceived in 2013, when District Attorney George Gascón and then–chief probation officer Wendy Still participated in a criminal justice program at the Harvard Kennedy School. They were inspired by recent research showing that the prefrontal cortex—the part of our brains that manages impulsive decisions, peer pressure, and risk taking—is still rapidly developing until our mid-20s. As a result, the late teenage years and early 20s are the time in life when risky behaviors peak. Rates of unintended pregnancy, binge drinking, and crimes of opportunity are all highest at this age, precisely the time when our legal system says we should know better. While still a relatively recent development in the science world, this matches what most of us already know to be true on a gut level: that 18-to-25-year-olds, while legally adults, don’t always act like them."

Click here to read the full article.

KQED's Forum: California's Prop. 47 One Year In

San Francisco district attorney and former chief of police George Gascón was on KQED's Forum on Thursday discussing the impacts of California's Proposition 47 one year after implementation. The sentencing reform law passed in 2014 with 64% of voter support.

Other guests included: Director of the Stanford Law School's Justice Advocacy Project (formerly Three Strikes Project) Michael Romano and San Mateo County district attorney Steve Wagstaff.

Listen here:

The Atlantic: "How Treatment Courts Can Reduce Crime"

This article published in The Atlantic last month, "How Treatment Courts Can Reduce Crime," emphasizes the need for treatment courts to expand eligibility criteria do what they do best: "routing people away from prison as opposed to sending people whose criminality is treatable behind bars."

Statistics:

"Research shows that treatment courts significantly reduce crime, and the best treatment courts reduce crime by up to 40 percent. One study showed that this drop lasts up to 14 years. Moreover, these courts diminish drug and alcohol abuse, improve family relationships, raise employment rates and incomes—all positive changes reaching far beyond the rap sheet alone.

"Better yet, they’re a good investment – recent numbers show that for every dollar spent on drug courts, the state saves $2.21 in reduced criminal justice costs. When drug courts take on a bigger challenge, they get a greater reward—a $3.36 return on investment for every dollar invested in treatment for serious, high-risk offenders. The savings—after considering how much money is saved by reduced hospital visits and costs of future victimization—go up to $27 for every $1 invested in treatment court. Looking at it on a per-person basis, every person treated in a drug treatment court saves the state between $3,000 and $13,000 going forward. Some research suggests that 75 percent of drug court graduates never get arrested again.

MSNBC: "Drug courts get second look"

Last week, MSNBC reported on the growing bipartisan support for drug courts and other "problem-solving" criminal justice alternatives. "With criminal justice reform now an issue for both the Republican and Democratic side of the 2016 presidential campaign, drug courts are increasingly being viewed as a viable alternative to mandatory jail time."

Judge Jo Ann Ferdinand in her courtroom at the Brooklyn Treatment Court, in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Photo by John Trotter for MSNBC

As reported, President Barack Obama has expressed his support for collaborative courts: "We should invest in alternatives to prison like drug courts and treatment and probation programs which ultimately can save taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.”

The article states that, according to the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, "about 75% of those who complete drug court are not rearrested while as many of 70% of people released from traditional prison do reoffend. Over a million people have gone through drug court since 1989 and an estimated 150,000 people are participating in drug court at any given time. NADCP also estimates that for every dollar invested in drug courts, taxpayers save as much as $3.36 in additional criminal justice costs."

Click here to read the full article. 

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.

SF Veterans Justice Court featured on PBS Newshour

From Justice for Vets website:

PBS Newshour Brings Viewers Inside San Francisco Veterans Treatment Court

... PBS Newshour [brings] viewers face to face with the staff and participants of the San Francisco Veterans Treatment Court.

The nearly 8 minute segment profiled a Gulf War veteran currently enrolled in the program and presented a comprehensive look at how Veterans Treatment Courts connect veterans with a myriad of services, from in-patient treatment to housing assistance.

“Our goal is to find an outcome which will both prevent recidivism, keep the public safe, keep the victims from being re-victimized, but also deal with the person’s background and the reasons he that he committed the violent conduct that we were just addressing,” said San Francisco Veteran Treatment Court judge Jeffrey Ross. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon emphasized his strong support for the program, saying “If you’re talking about people that have severe trauma from being on the battlefield and may be self-medicating themselves, these are things that the criminal justice system cannot fix unless we bring other people on board.”

WSJ Online: "A Surprising Portrait of the Misdemeanor Criminal"

As Proposition 47, the Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative (2014), is implemented in California, this opinion (recently published in the Wall Street Journal) sheds light on the needs of misdemeanor offenders and opportunities to divert individuals away from the criminal justice system, and into social services, through court interventions.

The author, Greg Berman, is the director of the Center for Court Innovation, a nonprofit organization that conducts research and operates model projects such as the Red Hook Community Justice Center.


A Surprising Portrait of the Misdemeanor Criminal
By Greg Berman

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice released a report at the end of October documenting the rise of misdemeanor arrests in New York City since the 1980s. The timing of the report was fortuitous. The city’s policy makers, academics and advocacy groups are in the midst of a spirited debate over the merits of broken-windows policing—a philosophy that suggests police can help prevent crime by addressing low-level disorder.

To proponents, broken windows is not just the linchpin of New York’s miraculous public-safety improvements over the past generation. It is one of the foundations of civilized society: If we do not care for the physical appearance of our city or attempt to promote civil behavior among its inhabitants, we court chaos.

Critics of broken windows point to the collateral damage that accompanies low-level law enforcement—citing thousands of New Yorkers exposed to criminal convictions, potential incarceration and negative long-term consequences like exclusion from public housing and diminished job prospects.

Opponents of broken windows tend to focus on one segment of the misdemeanor population. A recent piece by Michael Greenberg in the Nov. 6 New York Review of Books is typical. Highlighting a 17-year-old student apprehended for possessing the remnants of a joint, Mr. Greenberg writes: “By an overwhelming majority, New Yorkers who are arrested for low-level infractions . . . are young black and Hispanic men in poor neighborhoods. Often these arrests have been for possessing tiny amounts of marijuana . . . police saddle thousands of young men with criminal records for an offense that the state has largely decriminalized and that white people regularly commit with impunity.”

There are thousands of people who fit this description. The John Jay College report highlights that the rate of misdemeanor arrests for black men between the ages of 18 and 20 in New York City almost tripled between 1990 and 2013—rising to more than 20,000 arrests per 100,000 people from fewer than 8,000 per 100,000.

But this is an incomplete portrait of the misdemeanor population. The John Jay study documents that half of the misdemeanor arrests in New York City are a direct response to complaints or involve more serious misdemeanor offenses such as domestic violence, theft or weapons possession.

In an effort to better understand all this, the Center for Court Innovation is conducting a study that has involved interviewing nearly 1,000 people charged with misdemeanors in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The first thing to note is that most of them are not teens—the average age is 35. They are also not newcomers to the criminal justice system—more than half have prior misdemeanor convictions and more than a third have prior felony convictions.

There’s a saying that misdemeanors aren’t complicated legal cases, but they are committed by people with complicated lives. The data underline this truth. This is a population with serious problems and multiple needs. More than half of our sample reported being unemployed, and nearly one in two said they use drugs daily. Mental health issues abound. The prevalence of trauma was staggering. More than half of the sample reported having witnessed a shooting or other violent event. One in four reported having experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse. Nearly 20% said they had attempted suicide.

The emerging research suggests several new directions for the criminal-justice system. First, there are opportunities to divert out of the system thousands of New Yorkers who have been apprehended for quality-of-life offenses such as marijuana possession or transportation-fare avoidance. These opportunities should be seized—either by not making formal arrests or by increasing the use of pretrial diversion programs for young people and those who have committed a single infraction or two. When interacting with these and other populations on the streets, the police should take pains to explain their decisions clearly and to treat individuals with dignity and respect; research suggests this will promote law-abiding behavior in the long run.

But the research tells us that many people accused of misdemeanors come to the justice system with more serious issues than occasional marijuana use. Yet there are opportunities for reform here, too. Instead of using jail as a default, courts can be much more aggressive in linking misdemeanor offenders to drug treatment, job training and mental-health counseling, for instance, addressing the kinds of problems that lead to more criminal behavior.

There is already solid evidence that this can make a difference. The Red Hook Community Justice Center was created in 2000 to expand the use of alternatives to incarceration for misdemeanor offenders in southwest Brooklyn. Each year the center links thousands of defendants to social services and community restitution projects in lieu of jail. An independent evaluation in 2013 by the National Center for State Courts documented that the project reduced the number of defendants receiving jail sentences by 35%. Over a two-year study period, adult defendants handled at the Justice Center were 10% less likely to commit new crimes than offenders who were processed in a traditional courthouse. Juvenile defendants were 20% less likely to re-offend.

The reductions in felony crimes over the last 30 years have been hailed around the world as “the New York miracle,” and credited with reducing fear and improving economic development. Today we are experiencing an ancillary benefit: The decline of felonies has created breathing room to give misdemeanors and the people who commit them the focus they deserve.

Michigan Drug Court featured on NBC’s Dateline

Last Sunday, NBC’s Dateline featured Michigan’s Mercer County Drug Courts. The piece followed three individuals whose addictions brought them in front of Adult and Juvenile Drug Court Judge Mary Chrzanowski, known as "Scary Mary."

In an email statement, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals said of the program:

"While the story is a profile of just one of over 2,800 Drug Courts in the United States, it underscores two important issues critical to the public’s understanding of all Drug Courts. First, the individuals profiled in the piece, no matter their original charge, were given the option of Drug Court because they were assessed and shown to meet the clinical criteria for drug-dependence. Once they were admitted, the Drug Court team worked tirelessly to keep them in the program and deal with relapse and other issues that arose along the way."

Click here to view clips of the Dateline episode.

BHC featured in Mother Jones

Mother Jones published an article and video yesterday featuring the San Francisco Behavioral Health Court. The article – "Can Mental Health Courts Fix California's Prison Overcrowding?" – discusses how California's Three Strikes Law has "inadvertently resulted in the incarceration of a lot relatively harmless people, for a long time and at great public expense."



The statistics are staggering. Mentally ill inmates make up 45% of California's prison population. Mentally ill offenders also receive longer sentences than their non-mentally ill counterparts across all felonies.

"Once in prison, [mentally ill inmates'] illnesses go untreated, and the prison conditions exacerbate their behavioral symptoms. As a result, they are at greater risk of getting in trouble for breaking prison rules and being sanctioned with severe disciplinary measures, including solitary confinement—a vicious cycle that can make their symptoms even worse, getting them in even more trouble."

Citing their effectiveness and cost-savings, State Senator Darrell Steinberg and professors from Stanford Law School's Three Strikes project are calling for more investment in mental health courts. There are currently 40 mental health courts across 27 counties in California, including the San Francisco Behavioral Health Court.

The video was directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Kattie Galloway of Loteria Films.

Bay Area Spotlight: Five Keys Charter School documentary aired on PBS (VIDEO)

Last month, PBS aired a POV documentary on San Francisco's Five Keys Charter School, entitled "A High School Behind Bars." 

As described on their website, "Five Keys Charter School educates inmates and ex-offenders within the jail and post-release systems in a pro-social environment by providing high school classes and access to community-based programs that provide recovery, parenting, and work skills. By implementing the principles of restorative justice and encouraging full participation in education, counseling, community and work programs, Five Keys Charter School will contribute to reducing recidivism rates, improving public safety and economic activity, and facilitating safe and cost-reduced jail operations."

Many San Francisco Collaborative Court participants are advancing their education through this innovative program. We applaud Five Keys Charter School for their vision and critically important work in the community.

KGO-TV: "SF celebrates first year of vet court" (VIDEO)

SF celebrates first year of vet court 
By Lyanne Melendez
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
KGO-TV

It's been a year since San Francisco introduced a special court to deal with veterans who commit minor offenses. The idea is to offer treatment rather than jail. On Wednesday, the veteran justice court began its second year.

The folks in San Francisco heard about vet court in San Jose, they went to check it out, they liked what they saw and then they brought it to San Francisco. Now, it's here to stay.

It's Wednesday afternoon and veteran after veteran stands before Judge Braden Woods. All of them were caught committing a non-violent felony.

"Using drugs, alcohol to the excess where my life just got unmanageable, committing crimes," said veteran Warner Graves.
Others may be here for other offenses such as shoplifting or car break-ins. But this is not like your traditional courtroom.

"The biggest difference is that we're trying to get folks into treatment. The vets, they're earned these privileges in terms of free-medical, mental health through their service to this country. So we're trying to get them connected with the V.A. to get the services they need," said Judge Braden Woods from Veterans Justice Court.

So instead of going to jail, they come to vet court, enroll in the program to get help with problems like drug addiction, alcoholism or mental illnesses. They are closely monitored. Some have to check in with case managers and the court as often as three times a week.

Vet court is part of San Francisco's Community Justice Center. It too follows the same model -- helping people in the tenderloin and nearby neighborhoods get the services they need.

"So it's a very supportive court. Instead of having a judge scold you, they clap for your success," said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

Stephen Bennett was one of the first to enroll in the vet program. Even though he's now a graduate, he still has to report to court. He has managed to turn his life around. Bennett said, "Once I accepted it, I knew I had to move on and learn how to be... or go back to being a constructive citizen in society."

Both programs are gaining national attention for helping people break the cycle of incarceration and transforming their lives.

Click here to view this report online.

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. 

WSJ: "The New Asylums: Jails Swell With Mentally Ill"

The New Asylums: Jails Swell With Mentally Ill
By Gary FIelds and Erica E. Phillips

Published September 25, 2013

CHICAGO—The sound of clanging steel doors and agitated voices in the Cook County Jail bullpen was deafening. Amid the din, Robert Miller, who would turn 19 the next day, wept quietly. Anger and sullenness were common here. Uncontrolled crying was a sign of a bigger problem.

Mr. Miller was being held on a drug-possession charge and was waiting for his day in court. But his anguish caught the attention of a woman on the other side of the bars. Elli Petacque Montgomery, the jail's chief clinical social worker, listened as Mr. Miller spoke and shuddered. The teenager, who disputes the drug charge, said he had tried in vain to get help for his disabling episodes. Twice, he said, he had attempted suicide.

To get a snapshot of how the U.S. is grappling with such an explosive societal issue, The Wall Street Journal surveyed all 50 states about issues of mental health within their prison populations. Of the 22 states that provided detailed responses, their mental-health patient ratios ranged from one in 10 inmates to one in two. Inmates in all 23 responding states account for 55% of the prisoners in the U.S. under state jurisdiction.

Click here to read the full article.

SFGate.com: "S.F.'s new night court comes to order in SoMa"

S.F.'s new night court comes to order in SoMa
By John Coté
Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Night court is coming to San Francisco. Just don't expect a bald, goofy bailiff and a quirky judge.

This night court won't have either. It's an expansion of District Attorney George Gascón's neighborhood courts program, where community leaders decide culpability and punishment for low-level misdemeanors and infractions such as graffiti and petty theft.

Gascón introduced the program two years ago to resolve low-level cases more efficiently and unclog parts of the court system, while trying to reduce the chances that someone would reoffend. The idea is that when a teen who has been tagging storefronts, for instance, comes face to face with church leaders, business owners and other figures from his neighborhood, who sentence him to clean up his mess and do some other community service, he'll be less likely to do it again.

The courts started out slowly, but have since gained momentum.

"Due to an increase in cases, members of San Francisco's communities requested expanded hours to increase participant and community participation," Gascón said in a statement announcing the expanded hours.

The new night court will be held monthly in the SoMa neighborhood at the Eucharist Church, 285 Main St., from 6 to 8 p.m., starting Thursday.

According to Gascón, cases heard at San Francisco's 10 neighborhood courts saved $330,000 last year compared with handling the cases through the criminal court system.


Click here to view article online.