California
San Francisco chooses jail over treatment
"An explosion of research shows mentally ill persons treated early often go on to full recovery, gain employment, respond to treatment and live productively. Yet in San Francisco, more mentally ill are in jail than in hospitals, despite a blunt conclusion by Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Johnson: "Treatment is more efficient and cheaper than incarceration."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/21/ED7K1CG9QM.D...
Judge says jails, courts not enough to deter youths from a life of drugs, violence
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13396658?nclick_check=1
Excerpt:
Judge Marsha Slough relayed that message to community members, law enforcement officials and educators in attendance at West End chapter of the Gangs and Drugs Task Force's quarterly meeting on Monday at Chaffey High School.
And while the courts can only do so much, Slough said parents and the community need to intervene.
Drug court keeps recovering addicts busy on road to recovery
http://www.desertdispatch.com/news/keeps-6652-addicts-recovering.html
Excerpt: The Barstow Drug Court is hoping healthy activities will lead to healthier lives for recovering drug addicts.
"The opportunity to have a life-changing experience" inspires retired lawyer's work
Excerpt: As an attorney with more than three decades in his profession including 21 years with the Tulare County Counsel's Office Bob Felts knows the court system well.
Now 79 and mostly retired, Felts is part of a renewed local effort to find nonpunitive solutions for cases involving young offenders.
The outside-the-courtroom initiative is being launched by the Sequoia Community Mediation Center, a six-year-old program that focuses on resolving conflict through negotiated solutions. It's an offshoot of the Samaritan Center in Visalia.
Prosecutor to Pull Out of Drug Courts
http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2009/06/12/news/srv0000005571680.txt
Citing 'economic concerns' the Prosecutor of Oakland County, California plans to stop participating in September, threatening the continuation of the problem-solving courts.
A Parent Talks About Juvenile Mental Health Court
In this video, a parent describes her experience with the Santa Clara Juvenile Mental Health Court CITA (Court for the Individualized Treatment of Adolescents).
http://video.asterpix.com/v/335395441/juvenile-mental-health-court-paren...
Community Collaborates to Head Off Violence
Attorney Neil Shapiro wrote an interesting Guest Commentary for the Monterey County Herald, describing a new program and the events that inspired its creation.
Excerpt: On Jan. 29, 2007, John Kenney shot Mel and Elizabeth Grimes to death, thus ending a long-running dispute over the use of a small strip of land on the boundary of their respective Hitchcock Canyon properties in Carmel Valley.
Domestic Violence Court Celebrates Success
Excerpt: [In addition to several other changes] the court has completed the first year of its new family violence court, an effort to reduce recidivism and bring broken families back together. Of 23 defendants so far, none has committed a new act of domestic violence, the court said.
"The fact that not one of these high-risk defendants has re-offended in the past year is truly a remarkable achievement," said Judge Verna Adams, the county's presiding judge and chief architect of the family violence court.
Ventura County Prosecutor Pulls DA from Drug Court
Contrary to most of the articles in the news, this article is about the Ventura County, CA prosecutor's office considering that drug courts are a waste of time.
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/apr/28/ventura-county-da-to-y...
Conference: Are you ready for Peace?
Civic leaders, including Salinas' mayor and police chief and Monterey County's district attorney and chief of probation, are among those scheduled to grapple with the question, "Are You Ready for Peace?" — the theme of a community conference today at Sherwood Hall.
Dan Van Ness, an expert in the field of criminal reconciliation, is the headliner at the event organized by the Restorative Justice Partners, Inc.
More: http://thecalifornian.com/article/20090427/NEWS01/904270301/1002