DATE:
March 15, 2022
17
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
DATA-DRIVEN APPROACHES TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION: INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT'S PRELIMINARY REPORT (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
On October 19, 2021 (3), the Board of Supervisors (Board) directed a series of actions aimed at permanently and safely reducing the jail population by creating alternatives to incarceration and community-based services and supports for individuals who do not pose a public safety threat. The Board actions directed development of comprehensive policy and service recommendations based on data, research, and stakeholder input. The direction came in the context of the COVID-19 public health emergency, during which policy changes enacted to keep jail populations low to protect public health and reduce infections resulted in significant reductions in the number of people booked into and held in local jails.
The Board directed the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to contract with an independent consultant to analyze specific data and the impact of pandemic-related policies on jail populations and public safety; solicit stakeholder input; review local community-based services supporting alternatives to incarceration and successful models from other jurisdictions; and develop short and long-term comprehensive recommendations for policies and services to support alternatives to detention in lieu of custody, along with fiscal analysis of costs and savings associated with the recommendations. Project goals include enhancing public safety through effective community-based services that address the root causes of arrest and crime, advancing equity, and reducing incarceration.
Following a competitive solicitation, the County contracted with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) as the project's independent consultant. SANDAG will present its analysis and recommendations in a series of reports to the Board on a previously directed schedule...
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