Develop new pathways to supportive services in lieu of jail or prosecution to resolve low-level criminal cases

Lead agency: Public Safety Executive Office 

Population of focus: People who engage with peace officers while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance and/or those with low-level charges and underlying unmet needs contributing to justice involvement.

SIM intercept: 0-1

Summary of planned action: 

Significant collaborative focus and commitment is needed to build pathways away from justice involvement that prevent a person from being booked into jail. This action will revolve around supporting pathways to services in lieu of arrest or prosecution and expanding connections to ATI programs and other community-based resources at earlier intercepts, with a focus on establishing connections through a new Resource and Reentry Hub. Careful planning and partner engagement is part of this action and needed to drive system change. The steps to developing new pathways to services in lieu of jail include working with law enforcement and prosecution agencies to build support for the new pathways and develop agreements about which populations and charges may be eligible for deflection or diversion from the justice system, designing services that accept and effectively support individuals from the justice system and help them meet any program requirements to avoid arrest or prosecution, and developing training and policies within the justice system.

Actions taken: 

Sheriff’s Office, Recovery and Bridge Center referrals in lieu of jail for intoxication:

  • On June 1, 2024, the Sheriff's Office launched a pilot program led by the Rancho San Diego Station to divert individuals arrested for public intoxication (PC 647(f)) and being under the influence of a controlled substance (HS 11550) to the Recovery and Bridge Center (RBC) instead of detention facilities. 

  • As of February 1, 2025, the program has expanded to all Sheriff's Stations, including the Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART), who typically book these types of arrests into San Diego Central Jail or Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility.    

  • As part of the roll out, the Sheriff's Office provided comprehensive training, including educational materials, bulletins, and briefings, to all deputies currently assigned to Sheriff's patrol stations.  

  • The Sheriff's Office has tracked each arrest instance, recording whether individuals were booked into San Diego Central Jail (SDCJ), Las Colinas Detention and Re-entry Facility (LCDRF), Vista Detention Facility or diverted to the RBC. This data tracking emphasized ensuring all eligible arrestees were considered for the RBC program.   

  • Between April 2024 and September 30, 2025, of 350 individuals arrested for eligible offenses, 53 were successfully diverted from jail booking to the RBC. Deputy discretion remains a key factor in program implementation, with combative or uncooperative individuals generally being ineligible for the RBC.   

ATI Community Care Coordination, non-law enforcement and diversionary pathways:

  • 138 total clients were enrolled at Union Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) ATI Community Care Coordination program. 

  • Of those, 37 referrals came from the Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) street outreach workers as a strategy to identify justice-involved individuals in need of services upstream of a law enforcement interaction.  

  • The outreach workers screen for eligibility by identifying those experiencing homelessness with a recent low-level offense or interaction with law enforcement, criteria which are predictive of future citation or arrest. 

  • Community-based OHS referrals came from in-person interactions and email and phone calls from clients and community members.  

  • Of the total referrals, 54  came from the Probation Department. Through its pre-trial program, Probation supported clients before their court hearings, while aligning with UPAC’s objectives of improving client return for scheduled court attendance and reducing failure to appear. 

  • The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office provided 33 referrals, consisting of clients being released from jail who had immediate needs. Of the remaining referrals, 10 came from the Public Defender, 3 from the Office of the City Attorney and 1 from the San Diego Police Department.  

Next steps:    

  • Quarterly email reminders are sent to all Sheriff’s patrol stations regarding the RBC being an available resource for those individuals arrested for qualifying offenses.   

  • The Sheriff's Office will continue to closely monitor program implementation, track diversion data, and collaborate with RBC staff develop strategies that maximize the use of the RBC, reduce reliance on detention facilities, and ultimately provide individuals with the resources they need to address their underlying issues.

  •  Public Safety Executive Office assumed oversight of the contracted RBC services on November 1, 2025, and it will work with the Sheriff’s Office to review the department’s pilot use of the RBC in 2026 and explore whether there are additional strategies to support more individuals using the RBC in lieu of jail. PS-EXO will also conduct outreach to additional law enforcement agencies and work with the ATI Advisory Group and community to understand what the expected level diversion to RBC vs. jail should be.    

  • The RBC in 2026 will evolve its eligibility criteria and onsite services, with a goal of assisting any justice-involved client to reduce recidivism and support high-need individuals. Public Safety Executive Office will work with the Sheriff’s Office, San Diego Police and the City Attorney  in 2026 to determine when additional individuals contacted by law enforcement should be taken or referred to the RBC.  This may include individuals contacted during homeless outreach efforts or individuals contacted for certain misdemeanor crimes that can be resolved through RBC program engagement rather than citation or charges.