Sayone Thihalolipavan - County of San Diego, Health & Human Services Agency - Medical Care Services
Katharina Hammler - County of San Diego Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics
Since 2021, The County’s Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) initiative has driven forward local criminal justice reform. Based on a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the local jail and service landscape, ATI builds on over 50 recommendations developed by SANDAG and its Advisory Group to address gaps and barriers faced by justice-involved individuals while safely reducing reliance on incarceration to address public health crises. This requires the ongoing commitment and collaboration of many public and non-profit health and justice partners, incl. individuals with lived experience and the community. The ATI Work Plan encompasses different interventions at various points of a person’s criminal justice system involvement. In this session, participants will hear from different County departments and community members involved in ATI and the expansion of existing and piloting new programs, such as diverting people from jails through sobering centers or Crisis Stabilization Units.