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Supervisors Hear Court-Led Plan for Tenderloin Community Justice Center; Reserve Release Denied
Summary
The Board—s Budget and Finance Committee heard detailed presentations and broad public testimony on a proposed Community Justice Center (CJC) to co-locate court operations and social services in the Tenderloin/South of Market. Judges and city departments argued it could reduce jail days and costs; the committee declined to release $500,000 in reserves and deferred the lease decision to the full board.
A court-led proposal to open a Community Justice Center in the Tenderloin dominated the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget & Finance Committee—s May 6 meeting, with judges, law-enforcement officials, health staff and residents testifying in favor and opponents warning of budget trade-offs.
Superior Court commissioner Ron Albers and other judicial presenters described the CJC as a problem-solving criminal court "that will handle misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies" co-located with social services so charging and release decisions can be made immediately and treatment engaged on the spot. Albers said the court—s design aims to cut the time defendants spend in custody by presenting on-site release (OR) workups and linking defendants to services that could reduce recidivism and jail bed days.
Department of Public Health deputy director Barbara Garcia and Human Services Agency staff described the on-site services model, saying clinicians and case managers would be housed next to the courtroom and serve both in-custody and walk-in clients. The mayor—s budget office said six direct-service clinicians had been proposed and that the…
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