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In San Francisco, a city that prides itself on a progressive attitude toward marijuana, authorities have been arresting fewer and fewer people for pot possession. But African Americans are arrested at far higher rates than whites.

CJCJ’s California Sentencing Institute (CASI) released its 2011 juvenile justice data today, showing a continued trend away from state confinement and towards community-based options for high-needs youth.

Increasingly, experts are recognizing that the best way to improve public safety is to rely less on state correctional institutions for treating youth offenders, and more on the dynamic therapeutic approach delivered at the county level.

…when we take into account the level of poverty, kids don’t commit crimes at a higher rate than adults. Take a few seconds and read the previous sentence again. 

A discussion of Santa Cruz County’s low use of incarceration, unique offender demographic, and what is needed for a tailored approach to local crime.