CITY
OF
OAKLAND
CITY HALL
•
1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA •
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
94612
#LoveLife
REBECCA KAPLAN
NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS
CARROLL FIFE
Vice Mayor
Council President
Councilmember D3
Date: September 22, 2022To: Members of City Council and Members of the PublicFrom: Vice Mayor Kaplan, Council President Fortunato Bas, & Councilmember FifeRe: Resolution To Reimagine Alameda County’s Approach To The Youth Justice System Dear Colleagues on the City Council and Members of the Public:
Since the closure of the State's Division of Juvenile Justice, both local and state agencies have shiftedtowards public health approaches in our juvenile justice system, incorporating trauma-informed anddevelopmentally appropriate services. Despite some reforms, the systemstill disproportionately impactsyouthof color andyouthwhohaveexperiencedearlychildhoodtrauma.Ouryouthjusticesystemalsodoesnot adequately address the needs of girls, gender expansive youth, andtrans youth. Giventhese pressingchallenges, we ask you to join us in supportingthe creationof a countywide, community-basedplanningprocess to reimagine Alameda County’s approach to youth justice.
Alameda County currently spends between $500,000 and $800,000 a year on each youth it detains 1 . Inaddition, Blackyouthfromthe Cityof Oaklandare approximately113times more likelythanwhiteyouthto be criminalized and arrested. 2 Youth of color represent 92%of youth under probation supervision inAlameda County, and for youthfromOakland, youthof color represent 99%of all youthunder probationsupervision. 3 It is clear that our youthjustice systemdisparatelyimpacts youthof color, specificallyBlackyouth.Thesefindings are especially disconcerting, as research affirms the dangerous effects of incarcerationonyoungpeople 4 .
As an alternative, community-based interventions across the United States and in the Bay Area havedemonstratedsignificant potential as alternative models of accountability. Withacommunity-based,publichealthapproach, we canleadwithpracticesthatsupporthealing,allowyouthtotakeresponsibilityfortheirmistakes, and improve community safety by supporting the growth and wellbeing of our young people.
This resolutionurges the Countytocreate a multi-sector,multi-agency,andcommunity-drivenapproachtoassess and reimagine youth justice in Alameda County. We hope you will join us in supporting thisgroundbreaking legislation. 4 Barnert ES, Dudovitz R, Nelson BB, Coker TR, Biely C, Li N, Chung PJ. HowDoes Incarcerating Young PeopleAffect TheirAdult Health Outcomes?. 2017 Feb;139(2):e20162624.doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-2624. PMID: 28115536; PMCID: PMC5260153. 3 Ibid.
2 “Alco Data Portal.” Accessed August 10, 2022.
1 “Alameda County Budget.” & “Juvenile Detention ProfileSurvey – BSCC.” Accessed September 13, 2022.
City CouncilSeptember 22, 2022File # 22-07151