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Rules Committee backs creation of San Francisco Sentencing Commission, forwards ordinance to full Board
Summary
The Rules Committee voted to forward an ordinance creating a three-year San Francisco Sentencing Commission to the full Board of Supervisors with recommended amendments. Supporters said the advisory body will analyze local sentencing patterns under AB 109 and recommend reforms to reduce recidivism.
San Francisco — The Rules Committee voted on Sept. 15 to forward an ordinance to create a three-year San Francisco Sentencing Commission to the full Board of Supervisors with a recommendation and to adopt proposed amendments.
Supervisor Scott Wiener, who sponsored the measure, said the city must prepare for state realignment under AB 109, which shifts responsibility for many offenders to counties. "We're going to be seeing a reduction in state prison populations," Wiener said, arguing the city should plan sentencing policy locally to prioritize rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
Lenore Anderson, chief of the Alternative Programs Division in the district attorney's office, told the committee the commission would be "an advisory body" that will "analyze sentencing patterns and make recommendations for sentencing reforms that advance public safety and utilize best practices in criminal justice." Anderson said the commission would develop uniform definitions of recidivism, data-collection standards, department-specific goals and recommended state-law changes where appropriate.
Supporters from juvenile and adult probation, the public defender's office and criminal-justice nonprofits spoke in favor of the commission. The chief adult probation officer noted San Francisco's participation in an evidence-based sentencing pilot and described recent grant funding that he said would expand services; he cited awards including an $834,000 grant and a $1.1 million "second chance" grant to support supervision and treatment services.
Public commenters and advocacy organizations including the ACLU of Northern California and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency expressed support, saying the commission could improve outcomes and help the city reserve jail space for people who pose a public-safety risk.
Some supervisors acknowledged concerns from the Sheriff's Department about potential budgetary impacts and the distribution of reentry housing; Wiener said the committee would confer with the sheriff and other offices in the weeks before the full-Board hearing. The committee set the full Board hearing for Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011.
The committee moved the ordinance and its amendments forward "without opposition," according to the transcript. The motion instructs staff and the sponsoring supervisors to work with the Sheriff's Department, the district attorney and other stakeholders before the full-board hearing.
Next steps: the ordinance will be considered by the full Board of Supervisors on Dec. 6, 2011. The committee’s action establishes the commission as a time-limited advisory body; substantive changes to state sentencing law would require action at the state level.
