Establish an ongoing structure for the ATI initiative

Lead agency: Public Safety Executive Office

Population of focus (if applicable): N/A

Summary of planned action: 

Public Safety Executive Office will continue to lead the ATI initiative and work with County partners to establish collaborative structures for fully considering SANDAG’s final recommendations and planning for additional related actions, including continuing working meetings of public agency justice and health representatives and community stakeholders to monitor, update, and conduct planning for short- and long-term actions related to ATI. 

Schedule regular public meetings for broad engagement and input. 

Consider data being developed through this work plan and through countywide efforts to integrate data as part of its regular planning structures. Such data will inform collaborative determinations about the specific supportive services and pathways to create effective alternatives to incarceration.

Actions taken:

  • The County implemented an ongoing Enterprise Structure in October 2023 that includes County leadership for the Alternatives to Incarceration initiative shared between Public Safey Executive Office, the Health and Human Services, and the Office of Equity and Racial Justice, an advisory group with public agency and community members, and a commitment to frequent community input. 

  • An ATI Executive Group is composed of the Office of Equity and Racial Justice Director, and the Deputy Chief Administrative Officers from Public Safey Executive Office and HHSA. The ATI Executive Group reviews collaborative actions proposed by the advisory group and recommendations that go forward to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

  • Public Safety Executive Office provides administrative support, contract oversight, and leadership for the ATI initiative and closely related integrated health and safety focus areas. The integrated work, which includes the County’s Gun Violence Prevention program, is overseen by a Director of Prevention, Diversion, and Reentry who joined the County in late 2024. 

  • The ATI Advisory Group first solicited community membership in fall of 2023, and eight community members and representatives from thirteen County and City of San Diego justice and health departments collaborated in at least bi-monthly meetings from October 2023-December 2025. The Community representatives included service providers, justice reform advocates, and people with lived experience in the justice system. 

  • The 2023-2025 ATI Advisory Group provided input into ATI monitoring and evaluation; prioritization of recommendations heard by the Board of Supervisors (Board) in 2023; new funded programs added to the ATI Work Plan and heard and directed by the Board in 2024 and 2025; and programs and priorities that the County for further development, such as additional programs at earlier intercepts.

  • In January 2026, 12 new and one returning community members joined the Advisory Group for a two-year term, following a community outreach process for applications.  New community Advisory Group members represent every supervisorial district and include people with lived justice system experience, workforce and educational development backgrounds, treatment providers, and academic or advocacy experience. 

Next steps: 

  • The Advisory Group will continue to meet on a bi-monthly basis to review the progress of the ATI work plan and opportunities to implement additional consultant Final Recommendations published in 2023. The Advisory Group will focus also on identifying current priorities, system needs, and opportunities. 

  • Public Safety will host community listening sessions in 2026 to capture community feedback on the progress of ATI related initiatives and work plan actions, identify community priorities, and update community members on the Resource and Reentry Hub.