Courts and Coverage
The other night at our weekly Ethsix* editorial meeting, a guest social worker clued us in to something called the Behavioral Health Court. Something most of us had never heard of, it’s an new SF institution that is trying to tackle the seemingly insurmountable problem of homelessness and crimes committed by the mentally ill with a court that emphasizes rehab and support. Mandated medication, counseling and a shove in the right direction seems to have dropped recidivism rates and created a few more happy, adjusted people stepping out the other side. We were all over it and were looking forward to breaking the news in our next issue. The Chronicle, despite the constant scorn heaped upon it, was right on top of it with a story today on the new courts, the UCSF study on corresponding recidivism rates and an update on Newsom’s pet project, Community Justice Court, that while it seemed a mere dream lost in a haze of SF bureaucracy when I wrote about it here, is slated to be open for business as soon as April. I would be very curious to see what social workers or people close to the courts have to say about the article, starting with the fact that it was covered at all. As a working journalist, I feel it’s part of my job to crack as many papers a day as I am able, and while there is admittedly some shabby stuff out there, there’s just as many good stories told that go unnoticed and unappreciated.
