The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
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problems. <strong>The</strong>y pioneered a program that uses sophisticated risk assessments rather<br />
than cash bail to decide which defendants were safe to release before trial. And local<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficials launched an array <strong>of</strong> novel anti-crime programs, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g one aimed at build<strong>in</strong>g<br />
trust between police and residents and another that gives stipends to young people<br />
considered at risk <strong>of</strong> committ<strong>in</strong>g gun violence.<br />
What happened next surprised many.<br />
While overall crime <strong>in</strong> California <strong>in</strong>creased slightly after 2011, San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County’s<br />
dropped 20 percent and hit a decades-old low last year. <strong>The</strong> county’s jail, which had<br />
been under court-ordered monitor<strong>in</strong>g because <strong>of</strong> dangerous overcrowd<strong>in</strong>g, now has<br />
empty beds. Participation <strong>in</strong> specialized drug courts has <strong>in</strong>creased and recidivism<br />
among newly released <strong>of</strong>fenders has dropped.<br />
It is unclear how much <strong>of</strong> the county’s success is the result <strong>of</strong> its new programs rather<br />
than other factors, such as hir<strong>in</strong>g more <strong>of</strong>ficers once the county’s f<strong>in</strong>ances improved.<br />
But San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County has become an <strong>in</strong>trigu<strong>in</strong>g model for other counties curious<br />
about what might work <strong>in</strong> an era <strong>of</strong> crim<strong>in</strong>al justice reform.<br />
Emissaries from Yuba County have drawn <strong>in</strong>spiration from its educational programs for<br />
<strong>of</strong>fenders. A Kern County judge came to exam<strong>in</strong>e an alternative court and spoke highly<br />
<strong>of</strong> the collaborative court model to local leaders <strong>in</strong> Bakersfield. And after the governor<br />
signed sweep<strong>in</strong>g legislation this year elim<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g cash bail for pretrial defendants,<br />
dozens <strong>of</strong> counties sent representatives to learn how San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County adopted a<br />
similar approach years earlier.<br />
“I was very impressed,” said Ken Williams, a probation supervisor <strong>in</strong> Yuba County, who<br />
toured San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County’s day report<strong>in</strong>g center, which provides job tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and life<br />
skills to former prisoners.<br />
San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County <strong>of</strong>ficials acknowledge there is more to do. Although the county’s<br />
crime rate has been cut almost <strong>in</strong> half s<strong>in</strong>ce the mid-2000s, it rema<strong>in</strong>s among the<br />
highest <strong>in</strong> the state. And most <strong>of</strong> that reduction was <strong>in</strong> property crime, not violent<br />
<strong>of</strong>fenses, which <strong>in</strong>creased <strong>in</strong> the last few years before dipp<strong>in</strong>g slightly <strong>in</strong> 2017.<br />
But San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County <strong>of</strong>fers useful lessons <strong>in</strong> how a county struggl<strong>in</strong>g with poverty<br />
and crime has adapted to — and embraced — recent crim<strong>in</strong>al justice reforms.<br />
With a population <strong>of</strong> about 745,000, San Joaqu<strong>in</strong> County is a largely rural, agricultural area. <strong>The</strong><br />
landscape is dotted with cherry and apple orchards, fields <strong>of</strong> grape v<strong>in</strong>es and tomatoes,<br />
and giant, boxy shipp<strong>in</strong>g warehouses that have sprouted <strong>in</strong> recent years.<br />
Its largest city, Stockton, has some <strong>of</strong> the dirtiest air <strong>in</strong> the nation and rout<strong>in</strong>ely makes<br />
lists <strong>of</strong> the worst places to live <strong>in</strong> the United States. Poverty is out <strong>in</strong> the open. Tents l<strong>in</strong>e<br />
a nearly empty canal a few blocks from downtown. Empty storefronts l<strong>in</strong>e the streets,<br />
many with hopeful “available” banners.<br />
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