What makes a city safe? For many, the answer is to reflexively look to the criminal justice system: the police, courts, our jails and prisons. But there is another, less formal system at work in our safest communities. This system is made up of millions of tiny connections between and among neighbors.
New research by the Center for Court Innovation shows that few prosecutions for minor crimes in 2019 and 2020 resulted in convictions or jail time, but they still deeply disrupted the lives of those who faced charges.
2021 saw more fatal car crashes in San Diego than any year since the city adopted its "Vision Zero" goal of ending all traffic deaths. Even in cases of recklessness or negligence, drivers who kill often face few serious consequences. Meanwhile, San Diego will soon be the first border county to offer free legal services to federal immigration detainees facing deportation. Plus, a new children’s book celebrating Black History has made it on the New York Times Best Seller list with illustrations from a San Diego County artist.