Fighting Crime Demands Innovation and Collaboration
All California counties face
the challenge of fighting crime and addressing its impacts. Criminal
activity has a significant effect on how we carry out our responsibility to
the citizens we serve in government. Fighting crime has no one
solution. Oftentimes law enforcement and the traditional criminal
justice system are simply not enough to stop repeat offenders. A real
and effective approach to fighting crime involves a multifaceted and
comprehensive effort across disciplines that targets the root cause of
criminal activity.
Drug Court
Far too often it is an individual’s substance abuse problems that are the
cause of both violent and nonviolent crime. In San Diego County we
have sought out and implemented innovative programs that look to fight crime
by addressing this root cause of criminal activity; a landmark example being
the success we’ve achieved with the Drug Court program. Drug Court
works to reduce recidivism by including substance abuse treatment as a part
of the offender’s sentence and has proven to be equally effective for adult
criminals and juvenile delinquents. The program is designed to reduce
crime by ordering judicially monitored substance abuse treatment under the
belief that people commit crimes because of their drug problems, not in
addition to them. The U.S. Government Accountability Office found the
Drug Court program to be an effective means of cutting down on repeat crimes
since Drug Court participants were less likely to be rearrested or convicted
for longer periods of time than offenders who did not complete the program.
Recidivism rates were significantly lower for Drug Court participants for
felonies and all drug crimes.
In March of 2005 the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs
released a report that shows Drug Court to be an effective means of keeping
people clean, sober and law abiding. The report estimates that in a
three and a half year period the felons who successfully completed the Drug
Court program avoided more than 1 million prison days and saved the State
over $42 million in prison costs. Successfully completing Drug Court
also leads to successes in other areas of life including making regular
child support payments, holding down a job, getting off the street,
completing parenting classes, engaging in community service and most
importantly, remaining drug free. The program has also led to a major
reform by implementing the Drug Court model with Dependency Court; ordering
substance abuse treatment for parents whose children have been removed for
abuse or neglect. This model has resulted in an increase in the
County’s ability to reunite healthy families and spare children from long
periods of foster care. A collaborative effort that unites law
enforcement, District Attorneys, Public Defenders, Probation officers,
Judges and treatment providers, Drug Court for adults and juvenile
delinquents, and Dependency Court are working in San Diego County because of
the many varied interests committed to their success.
Homeless Court
Another innovative program that addresses criminal activity began in San
Diego County through a need identified at a veteran’s event designed to
assist the homeless. The event brought to light that a significant
number of the homeless face outstanding misdemeanor criminal cases and
warrants that they are unable to address. Informal court services at
subsequent veteran’s events led to the implementation of Homeless Court in
San Diego County, special court sessions that are convened in a local
shelter or other community site designed for homeless citizens to resolve
these warrants, typically incurred for “quality-of-life” infractions such as
the unauthorized removal of a shopping cart, disorderly conduct, public
drunkenness, and sleeping on a sidewalk or on the beach. Resolving
outstanding warrants meets a fundamental need of homeless people and also
eases significant court case processing backlogs as well as reduces
vagrancy. Homeless people tend to be fearful of attending court, yet
their outstanding warrants limit their reintegration into society, deterring
them from using social services and impeding their access to employment.
Homeless Court has been an effective means of resolving a backlog of
cases while significantly benefiting the homeless persons involved.
The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) found that 96% of the
cases in Homeless Court were resolved through creative alternative
sentencing – swapping treatment for traditional sentences. In place of
fines, which most of the homeless were unable to pay, community service and
custody, the participants in Homeless Court were “sentenced” to job
training, mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment.
SANDAG also reported that fewer Homeless Court participants were arrested or
cited, or had any contact with law enforcement 90 days after their hearing.
Both Drug Court and Homeless Court rely upon cross-governmental
collaboration, not just within the public safety community, but also with
the health and social services network. We in County government are
often tasked with addressing issues that do not have a simple solution.
The fact that County regional services encompass a great many functions of
government is both a challenge and an opportunity to team together health
and social services, law enforcement, prosecution and probation to address
the root cause of criminal activity in a comprehensive way. Only by
working together, with creativity and innovation, can we address the causes
of criminal behavior, further enhancing our goal of ensuring public safety.
