Jay Calderon | The Desert Sun
As the criminal justice reform movement grows, District Attorney Mike Hestrin reaches out to local youth
Originally posted in the Desert Sun.
The Desert Sun highlights research by the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, citing crime trends on the California Sentencing Institute.
From the article:
The District Attorney’s emphasis on crime prevention comes as the movement calling for criminal justice reform in California grows louder. Reform advocates decry high incarceration rates and advocate for alternative programs to keep people out of prison.
In Riverside County, the felony arrest rate for youth ages 10 – 17 was 271 per 100,000 when last reported in 2016. Of those arrested, roughly 30 percent are confined in state youth facilities and county juvenile halls, according to data collected by California Sentencing Institute’s Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. In California, young people who spend time incarcerated are plagued by high recidivism rates. In 2017, the Department of Juvenile Justice found that 74 percent of youth arrested were rearrested within three years after being released from incarceration.
Defense Attorney Lara Gressley, who ran against Hestrin for Riverside County District Attorney in the June election, claimed too much emphasis was placed on pursuing harsh sentences within the department and called for an embrace of crime prevention and alternative sentencing initiatives.
Read the full article on the Desert Sun »
Related Links: