By Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The San Francisco District Attorney made it clear Tuesday he can not only put people away, he can also help protect public safety by working to keep formerly incarcerated people out of prison.
SF DA Chesa Boudin said a free training program is designed to provide basic computer skills for previously incarcerated adults and helps them to transition into society.
The two-week course includes digital and computer literacy and introduces participants to career pathways in technology. The program aims to set participants up for education, entrepreneurship, and advocacy. The program provides those who complete the entire training with job support, and a free laptop from Code Tenderloin to put their skills to practice.
DA Boudin announced his office’s partnership with Code Tenderloin and Goodwill CASC to provide the training for people who are “adjusting to life post-incarceration.”
The first training took place Monday—and coincidentally the trainees included several people who were resentenced from lengthy prison sentences by the district attorney’s office.
“Preventing recidivism means we must equip those who are emerging from prison with the tools needed to succeed,” said District Attorney Boudin.
He added, “Our partnership with Code Tenderloin provides invaluable training and support for formerly incarcerated and other justice-involved people. Our office is invested in providing resentenced people with the skills and resources to thrive—which helps promote public safety for all our communities.”
“We are so happy to have built this relationship with the District Attorney’s Office, allowing so many more participants to gain access to a successful future,” said Robert Fraser, Computer Literacy Coordinator at Code Tenderloin. “We are proud to be part of a solution to reduce incarceration and give people a second chance in a city that will lead the example of change.”
The DA’s office said the training included several people recently “resentenced by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office’s Post-Conviction Unit, which, among other work, reviews cases in which the sentences imposed may be excessive or where the convictions may otherwise be legally questionable.”
The SFDA said the Unit “carefully considers many factors, including an incarcerated person’s prison conduct; the input of the victim in the case; and the incarcerated person’s reentry plans, in determining whether to move to resentence someone. “
The picture above was taken at Monday’s first training. Pictured are: Paralegal Tamara Eggers of the District Attorney’s Office; Sentencing Planner Samantha Roberts from the District Attorney’s Office; Clifford Hayter, who was recently resentenced; his sister; Demoin Stroman, who was recently resentenced, and Assistant District Attorney Dana Drusinsky.
