— Willem VandeKamp, First Church Liaison to Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Jails (ICJJ)
Care First, Jails Last is the policy adopted by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 2021. In The Carillon of August 1 you read that a Task Force adopted 58 recommendations on May 23, 2024 to make Care First, Jails Last a reality in Alameda County. On August 6 the Board of Supervisors adopted the recommendations. This is a major step forward. It is now up to the Board to make the recommendations a priority, and fund and implement them. During “Service as Worship” Sunday on August 11 a number of you came to the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Jails (ICJJ) table and made phone calls and sent emails to the Supervisors to urge them to take action on these adopted recommendations for a healthier community. Thank you! What is in the recommendations?
The recommendations made by the Task Force for Care First, Jails Last cover five areas.
- Racial Equity. African Americans make up nearly 50% of people in jail.
- Housing. More stable and supportive housing is needed for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
- Mental Health Care. Wraparound services are needed to address all the needs of people experiencing mental illness, having a substance use disorder, and the people re-entering the community. This can significantly reduce hospitalization and incarceration. The other piece of this is to have mental health professionals respond to mental health crises, not police.
- Diversion. Promote diversions from the carceral system, by strengthening the behavioral health services and collaborative courts.
- Policy Implementation. This addresses the need for budget transparency.
For questions or more information, contact Willem VandeKamp.