{"id":591123,"date":"2021-07-14T14:51:04","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T18:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=591123"},"modified":"2021-07-14T14:51:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T18:51:07","slug":"lapd-will-not-seek-charges-against-some-people-it-arrests-instead-taking-them-to-social-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lapd-will-not-seek-charges-against-some-people-it-arrests-instead-taking-them-to-social-services\/","title":{"rendered":"LAPD Will Not Seek Charges Against Some People It Arrests, Instead Taking Them To Social Services"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flapd-will-not-seek-charges-against-some-people-it-arrests-instead-taking-them-to-social-services%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=591123&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/LAPD-arrest.jpg?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will begin to implement a plan to divert some adults arrested for select misdemeanors and non-violent felonies \u201cto community support programs in lieu of filing criminal charges, prosecution, and transportation to jail facilities.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>LAPD <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lapdonline.org\/central_bureau\/news_view\/67681\"><span>described<\/span><\/a><span> the endeavor as a \u201cgreat opportunity\u201d to develop strategies \u201cwhich may reduce recidivism and enhance public safety.\u201d Launched in cooperation with L.A. County\u2019s newly formed Alternatives to Incarceration Office (ATI), the initiative intends to \u201cadvance the County\u2019s vision to provide care and treatment instead of jail whenever possible,\u201d LAPD said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The offices of L.A. County District Attorney George Gasc\u00f3n and of L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer are also part of the endeavor, formally known as the Alternatives to Incarceration Pre-Filing Diversion Program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIn many cases, treatment and services can be much more effective than brief time in jail,\u201d said Feuer, a progressive Democrat who is running for mayor. \u201cThis pilot program provides intervention rather than prosecution, recovery rather than the status quo.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>According to a Feuer\u2019s office, law enforcement will determine eligibility for diversion \u201cbased on the arresting offense and past criminal history, using criteria developed by the prosecuting agencies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cEligible arrestees will be immediately introduced to onsite service providers, funded through the County ATI Office, who will assess the individual\u2019s needs, create a treatment plan, provide links to service and follow up to ensure each individual is able to access the services they need,\u201d the statement said. \u201cUnhoused participants will be offered shelter and will be transported.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Individuals with mental health disorders, substance use issues, and\/or those who are \u201cunhoused\u201d are eligible to participate and \u201cwill be screened for amenability,\u201d the police department said.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Considering that eligibility for ATI is based in part on criminal history, but being diverted to ATI means criminal charges might not be filed, it is unclear whether someone can be arrested repeatedly for the same offense under the program.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It could also add an additional opportunity for an arrestee\u2019s criminal charges to disappear, as alleged offenses that are not diverted by LAPD may still be diverted or downgraded by prosecutors.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The LAPD 77<\/span><span>th<\/span><span> Street jail facility was the first selected for the program, which officials expect to soon expand to the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center and LAPD Van Nuys jail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The program is the result of years of organizing by an alliance of abolitionist activist groups \u2014 an effort that culminated in the election of progressive county lawmakers willing to implement their demands.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Justice LA Coalition was formed in 2017 to stop the county from spending billions of dollars on two new jails. Lead organizers at the time included Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and her longtime ally Mark-Anthony Johnson, who had just been awarded a paid fellowship from George Soros\u2019 Open Society Foundations to \u201cpush for progress toward a more humane criminal justice system in the United States.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" readability=\"13.324137931034\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As abolitionists, we know that our communities cannot win under this system\u2014our fight for abolition remains our goal, and people power our strongest tool to dismantle all forms of state violence and replace them with care, dignity, and justice.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JusticeLA (@JusticeLANow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeLANow\/status\/1384709354339725314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 21, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>Both Cullors and Johnson were mentored and trained by Eric Mann, a former Weather Underground radical who runs the Labor Community Strategy Center, a Justice LA Coalition partner.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Related: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/black-lives-matter-co-founder-soros-funded-jeffrey-cawood\"><b>Black Lives Matter Co-Founder, Soros-Funded Activist Aim To Stop L.A. From Building New Jails<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Shortly after Cullors helped launch Justice LA, she explained, \u201cWe are demanding an end to mass incarceration in the U.S. and our county\u2019s investment in police and jails,\u201d later referencing \u201cour movement\u2019s call for abolition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Justice L.A. organizers demanded politicians redirect funds budgeted for the jails to other projects they say would better benefit residents, including building new schools, implementing job programs, and \u201cinvesting in the health of our community members.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMaking sure the jails don\u2019t expand is a first step,\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/activist-project-recruits-non-people-color-push-jeffrey-cawood\"><span>said<\/span><\/a><span> Dr. Melina Abdullah, lead organizer for the L.A. chapter of Black Lives Matter, at a Justice L.A. Town Hall in 2018. \u201cWe don\u2019t want cages at all. Our people don\u2019t belong in cages.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The coalition pressured the powerful L.A. County Board of Supervisors to cancel jail plans in 2019 and invest instead in \u201ccommunity-based treatment and alternatives to incarceration.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Related: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/los-angeles-county-nixes-17-billion-deal-replace-jeffrey-cawood\"><b>Los Angeles County Nixes $1.7 Billion Deal To Replace Jail After Pressure From Prison Abolition Advocates<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>The following year, county lawmakers committed to closing Men\u2019s Central Jail downtown and voted to do so in June.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"10.928125\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Last year, the Board was about to move forward with the construction of 2 new jails, but thanks to the work of our communities we are now on the brink of CLOSING one of the largest, most dangerous jails in the country! It&#8217;s time for a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CareFirstBudget?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CareFirstBudget<\/a> ! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CareNotCages?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CareNotCages<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JusticeLA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#JusticeLA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 JusticeLA (@JusticeLANow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JusticeLANow\/status\/1280585161139085312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 7, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynews.com\/2021\/06\/22\/la-county-supervisors-vote-4-1-to-close-mens-central-jail\/\"><span>According<\/span><\/a><span> to City News Service, officials said it would take 18 to 24 months to close the facility and plan for \u201credistributing some of the inmate population across other correctional facilities over time, while also releasing about 4,500 people currently behind bars to residential programs or into community treatment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The group\u2019s advocacy pushed the BOS to establish the \u201cAlternatives to Incarceration Work Group\u201d tasked with developing a \u201croad map, with an action-oriented framework and implementation plan, to scale alternatives to incarceration and diversion so care and services are provided first, and jail is a last resort.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 25-member ATI Work Group was chaired by Dr. Robert K. Ross, President &amp; CEO of the California Endowment, an organization that describes itself as a health foundation but funds progressive causes and activist groups. Other voting members included Eunisses Hernandez, Justice LA campaign coordinator; Peter Eliasburg, chief counsel of the ACLU of Southern California and staunch ally of Justice LA; and Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County Public Health Director.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Their proposals included supervised consumption sites where users of illegal substances can inject drugs, decriminalizing \u201cquality of life\u201d crimes, and the creation of a new office to develop a strategic plan to implement the Board\u2019s \u201ccare first, jails last\u201d vision and build a countywide system of alternatives to incarceration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Ross presented the ATI Work Group\u2019s 114 recommendations to the BOS in March 2020, and the body voted unanimously to approve an ATI Office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cLong prison sentences, laws facilitating police search &amp; seizure, laws that make it difficult to challenge a wrongful conviction are the product of a failed tough-on-crime era that disproportionately hurt our communities of color while making all of us less safe,\u201d tweeted Supervisor Hilda Solis at the time. Solis previously served as Labor Secretary for the Obama administration.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\" readability=\"11.931818181818\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LACountyBOS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LACountyBOS<\/a> approved a new report that shifts our focus from punishment and incarceration to support and diversion, where we expand access to mental health services for those who need it. We embrace a new \u2018care first, jail last\u2019 approach as we reshape our legal system. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/YH2Box3Q0b\">pic.twitter.com\/YH2Box3Q0b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Hilda Solis (@HildaSolis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HildaSolis\/status\/1237559144577511425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 11, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span>L.A. County is home to more than ten million residents and the largest criminal justice jurisdiction in America.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The executive director of LA County\u2019s ATI initiative is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ceo.lacounty.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Songhai-Armstead-bio.pdf\"><span>Songhai Armstead<\/span><\/a><span>, who was part of D.A. Gascon\u2019s transition team after he was elected in November. She was appointed to the Superior Court by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2015 and retired last year to assume this new role.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In September 2020, the BOS <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/supervisorkuehl.com\/supervisors-launch-groundbreaking-justice-reform-initiative\/\"><span>approved<\/span><\/a><span> its annual supplemental budget that included an initial investment of $72 million to launch the initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<\/span><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><i><span>member<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) will begin to implement a plan to divert some adults arrested for select misdemeanors and non-violent felonies \u201cto community support programs in lieu of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314689,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/LAPD-arrest.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"LAPD Will Not Seek Charges Against Some People It Arrests, Instead Taking Them To Social Services","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-591123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/LAPD-arrest.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"LAPD Will Not Seek Charges Against Some People It Arrests, Instead Taking Them To Social Services","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314689"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}