2017 brought the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) and our client’s many successes. In 2018, CJCJ looks forward to continuing our work for stronger community safety through our model direct service programs and policy work. Since 1985, CJCJ has been guided by the vision of our founder, Jerry Miller, to reduce society’s reliance on incarceration as a solution to social problems. This year, CJCJ continues this commitment with a strong sense of partnership and enthusiasm.
CJCJ’s direct service program staff will continue to support justice-involved young people and adults throughout San Francisco. Our team builds on the unique strengths of each our clients to help them address substance use, mental illness, homelessness, and prior systems involvement. Our services will continue to empower clients to succeed in creating safe and thriving communities. This ranges from Cameo House, our residential alternative sentencing program for mothers with children, to our Detention Diversion Advocacy Program, which provides intensive case management and community services for high-needs youth.
Moreover, our policy and research team, driven by a strong sense of history and data-driven analyses, will continue to inform policymakers, leaders, and the public about how to improve public safety. In 2018, CJCJ will strengthen our many community-based partnerships to highlight alternatives to incarceration and the opportunities for justice reinvestment.
We understand the importance of data-driven and thoughtful policymaking, which recognizes the collateral consequences of our criminal justice system and is informed by those communities most impacted by our policies. Recently, CJCJ launched a three-year initiative to promote transformative community innovation and alternatives to justice-involvement. We will advocate for the localization of juvenile justice services while decreasing California’s continued reliance on failed state institutions amid a system of justice-by-geography.
This will be achieved through close collaboration with local and statewide partners to increase awareness of how our current justice systems come at great fiscal and social costs to our communities. We will advocate for justice reform that addresses the needs of our communities through education, employment, housing, and other necessary social services. Moreover, we will continue our focus on conditions and outcomes at California’s state youth correctional system, the Division of Juvenile Justice. This state system negatively impacts young people’s mental and physical health at great fiscal and social cost. We will continue our oversight of this failed state system while highlighting community-based alternatives.
As we start the New Year, please consider helping our team do even more in 2018. We remain as passionate as ever about integrating this vision for community safety across all of our programs. Our staff and programs will remain steadfast in our commitment to change lives, change systems, and change the future. We hope you will join us in 2018!