California Forward recently released their report From “Realignment” to System
Change Justice System Change Initiative
(J-SCI) that highlights the collaboration between
Riverside County and California Forward’s Justice System Change
Initiative. The report lays out the steps taken by both parties
to revamp Riverside County’s criminal justice system.
The scope of this initiative includes identifying more effective,
evidence-based services that support individual behavior change;
as well as promoting new justice system policies and practices
that better align resources to promote public safety.
From the report: “California Forward’s work with Riverside
County is a powerful example of how data-based analysis,
deliberated upon by government leaders often in adversarial
roles, can build consensus on the need for change and the
direction of reform. Even before the analysis was done,
individual departments such as probation used the data to modify
practices and bolster their most promising innovations.The
department shifted its focus from re-incarcerating probationers
who had broken a rule to helping them get training and a job,
stay sober and find a place to live. The efforts are
changing procedures, programs and organizational culture.”
“We cannot become the jail capital ofthe world. The
money that is spent on jail beds – think of what we can
do with treatment? We can’t afford to do that any longer.
We need to do things differently.”
Riverside County Supervisor John Tavaglione
