Alameda County court links defendants with caseworkers to prevent recidivism
Defendants can buy clothes at Alameda County's pretrial services centers. This is at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The Superior Court of Alameda County this week launched an expanded pretrial services program which means that people who have been charged, but not convicted of a crime, will be connected with caseworkers and direct links to social services.
The goal, according to the court, is so the roughly 3,000 people who have been released from custody and who are waiting for their case to resolve, at any given time can receive the support they need to prevent future arrests and recidivism. Caseworkers will provide services such as housing and employment, as well as mental health and substance abuse treatment, anger management programs, and parenting classes. All services will be offered for free.
Cory Jacobs, who leads the court’s pretrial services unit, said she's thrilled to expand these services.
"So many people end up spending more time in jail and becoming further involved in the criminal justice system because they don’t have access to the supportive services and resources they need," Jacobs said in a statement.
The expansion is a result of a partnership between the court, the Alameda County Probation Department, and a nonprofit called Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency, known as BOSS.
Through this partnership, pretrial services will have 12 new positions – 8 case managers, two supervisors, and two intake coordinators. They will be managed by the court and employed by BOSS. Jacobs said the court has never had any dedicated full-time caseworkers like this before.
Jacobs said her program's efforts will be aimed at helping roughly 2,000 moderate- and high-risk defendants.
Defendants can sign up for help at Alameda County's pretrial services centers. This is at the Wiley Manuel Courthouse.
Alameda County has only approved a one-time expenditure of its reentry funding for this program at a price tag of $3 million for one year. In the next six months, Jacobs said they will be collecting and showing their data to public officials to prove whether their efforts are working and hopefully secure more funding.
The court will continue to offer services through the three pretrial service centers located at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse, Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse, and the East County Hall of Justice.
These walk-in centers offer defendants awaiting trial a one-stop shop for information and guidance to meet requirements mandated by a judge and connect to the services and resources they need in the community, according to a news release from Alameda County Superior Court. Defendants can also shop for clothes at these centers.
Previously, many defendants were left on their own to find the services they needed or were ordered to find them by a judge.
"Judges search for ways for those being released pending trial to get the help they might need to improve their lives and stay out of trouble," Presiding Judge Michael Markman said in a statement. "I’m extremely proud of our court team for stepping forward and working through many barriers to create a program and partnership that will improve lives and make our community safer."
Markman said the money spent on these programs will be well worth it.
"We’ve seen it over and over again – if you don’t provide the services, you’ll likely to see a defendant in your courtroom again," Markman said. "Recidivism is far more expensive than providing basic services to those in need."