A pilot program is set to begin the first week of May that would funnel low-level offenses such as disorderly conduct, theft, and some drug possession cases to a community court, lessening the burden on the San Francisco’s impacted criminal court dockets.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s office will launch a Community Court Program in the Bayview Hunters Point and Mission Districts at the beginning of May.The program will place a neighborhood prosecutor in the Bayview and Mission police stations to review and refer misdemeanor citations for volunteer-based community courts.
The District Attorney’s office shared the plan at a community meeting April 13.
Supervisors David Campos, District 9, and Scott Wiener, District 8, as well members of the San Francisco Police Department, joined District Attorney George Gascón at the meeting. Gascón described it as a “tangible effort to reduce criminalization and develop the justice model.”
Assistant District Attorney, Rebecca J. Prozan, will serve as the Neighborhood Prosecutor for both the Bayview and Mission Districts. Prozan will evaluate misdemeanor cases and assign defendants to a community court. They will then appear before a panel in a community court of three to four volunteers. The volunteers will decide how the person can repair the harm caused to the community. Some of these include ordering the defendant to attend job training, enter a drug program, or complete community service. If the defendant does not obey the orders of the community court panel, the case will be referred to traditional prosecution.
Community courts will be held once a week in the Bayview and Mission Districts by volunteer San Francisco residents trained in restorative justice, arbitration, mediation and community problem solving.
Packed courts, high costs and lack of information evaluating effectiveness is pushing city officials to find alternative options to traditional prosecution. Gascón said there’s need for a “complete biopsy of individual cases to determine why the system is failing.”
Supervisor David Campos acknowledged the city’s 300,000 million dollar deficit along with the cost to process a low level offense in the in the traditional prosecution system. An individual case can cost the city $1,500 while in community court each case would cost the city $300.00. “The city must think outside the box to do the things it has to do,” Campos said.
Some of the concerns raised by community members at the meeting included the screening and selection process of volunteer community court panelists. Language barriers may also be a challenge due to lack of bilingual volunteers.
Although the program will be in place as soon as May, it has yet to be decided where these courts would take place. Community spaces were mentioned as an option, but no specific locations have been finalized.
Ultimately, the success of the program will depend on the efforts of officials and community participation. Volunteers who have an understanding and relation to the pilot communities are encouraged to apply.
If you are a San Francisco resident interested in volunteering for the community courts program, an orientation will be held on Wednesday, April 27th between 6:00-8:00pm at the Office of the District Attorney. 850 Bryant Street, Third Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103.