06/15/2016 City Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL IS A GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Community Justice Initiative Update Meeting Date: June 15, 2016 Agenda Item Number: A Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Kristie Hammitt www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5524 )335% 34!4%-%.4 In April2015, the City Manager sent a memo to inform the City Council about a new Community Justice Initiative. The overarching goals of this new initiative are to address quality of life public safety issues while working in collaboration with community partners to weave together a basket of services to help community members find paths to wellness, and still have a system that holds the most serious offenders accountable. The purpose of this work session is to update the council on staff efforts and progress, including a community court pilot project. BACKGROUND For many years, the municipal justice system has experienced multiple challenges, which have hindered its ability to reduce property and behavioral crime in Eugene and to create a safe community. The most significant challenges have included: The number of misdemeanor case filings entering the system significantly exceeds the capacity of the City Prosecutor and Municipal Courts ability to adjudicate in a timely manner; Ineffectiveness in reducing property and behavioral crime recidivism, primarily (though not exclusively) because defendants are not matched with the appropriate social services, such as substance abuse treatment, job training, or homeless services, which would help defendants address their underlying conditions and reduce the likelihood of reoffending; The high volume of new filings entering the system, including cases where no substantial City interest is served by the prosecution or where there are non-criminal alternatives to prosecution, prevents the City Prosecutors Office from focusing on the cases that would make the biggest difference in terms of reducing crime and recidivism in the community; and Limited jail bed capacity and insufficient non-jail sanction alternatives, such as community service and treatment options, contribute to the court sanctions often not being tailored to support a defendants likelihood of success. Attachment A provides a summary of existing system challenges from the perspective of the Presiding Judge, Municipal Court Administrator, Police Chief, and City Prosecutor. In order to address these and other challenges, an interdepartmental policy team was created to work on a new Community Justice Initiative. Members of this team include the Central Services S:\\CMO\\2016 Council Agendas\\M160615\\S160615A.docx