San Francisco officials are boasting the city’s lowest jail population in 40 years, while 32 other counties are building more jail beds to accommodate Gov. Jerry Brown’s realignment plan.
“The sky is not falling,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, referring to realignment critics.
San Francisco has been touted as a model for rehabilitation programs, according to Wendy Still, the city’s Adult Probation Department chief. She said each prisoner is individually assessed to determine what services may best help in eliminating further criminal behavior.
“Probation officials now responsible for low-risk parolees are doing extensive prerelease planning,” reports Still.
The city is building a $1.3 million service center to match convicts with social services, the San Francisco Examiner reports. The newspaper reported the Department of Public Health, Sheriff’s Department, Public Defender’s Office, and District Attorney’s Offices have all implemented realignment plans.
Rather than the traditional approach to incarceration, San Francisco probation officials said every prisoner is individually assessed to determine what services will best help prevent further criminal behavior.
Former convicts are being connected to job training, housing, substance abuse and mental health services, and also basic necessities such as identification cards, officials report.