SAN FRANCISCO, CA – New data shows a shift in incarceration outcomes in San Francisco three years after the 2022 election of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, and appears to be “trending back to where they were a decade ago,” according to a recent report by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The previous SF DA Chesa Boudin was appointed in 2019, and continued DA George Gascón’s progressive campaign that sought to “reduce jail populations, divert more cases away from the criminal justice system and prosecute more police officers,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
However, the San Francisco Chronicle explains both progressive DAs were criticized, taking the blame for ongoing public drug use, retail theft, and car break-ins on these policies.
During this time, Jenkins left her job as a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office to lead a recall movement of Boudin, said the San Francisco Chronicle, noting Jenkins was appointed by the mayor and voted for by the people as San Francisco’s new DA after Boudin was ousted.
The San Francisco Chronicle notes that, as a self-described “progressive,” Jenkins promised to strengthen investigations on crimes like drug dealing and ensure repeat offenders face consequences, noting these actions would not conflict with reform efforts initiated by Boudin.
In an analysis by the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco DA’s Office saw a trending increase in prosecuted misdemeanors since Boudin left office. For instance, the San Francisco Chronicle claims crimes related to narcotics found the most change from 2023 to 2024, rising by 709 percent.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s report, Jenkins explained the increase in low-level crimes as it shows a change in police strategy to more frequently enforce low-level crimes since they “knew (Jenkins) was more willing to charge people for those crimes than Boudin.”
Jenkins, reports the San Francisco Chronicle, suggests these low-level crimes were not adequately enforced by Boudin.
However, the San Francisco Chronicle’s report also notes Boudin “argued during the recall campaign that his office ‘vigorously’ prosecuted all cases with sufficient admissible evidence.”
Nonetheless, the San Francisco Chronicle compared the change of rates of misdemeanor outcomes from Boudin’s term to Jenkins’ subsequent term. The rate of misdemeanor cases ending in diversion decreased from 70 percent to 60 percent.
The rate of misdemeanor cases ending in conviction increased from 15-20 percent to 25 percent since Boudin’s ouster, said the San Francisco Chronicle, noting, “Jenkins has also criticized judges for not giving harsher penalties to defendants her office has prosecuted.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reports Deputy Public Defender Andrea Lindsay believes Jenkins to be moving towards harmful “outdated War on Drugs tactics that criminalize poverty,” people who are unhoused, and those suffering from substance abuse disorder.
This leads to increased incarceration and more inmates for the jail staff to handle, states the San Francisco Chronicle, adding DPD Lindsay argues the decreased diversion results from policies prioritizing pre-trial detention over alternative rehabilitation programs.
In other parts of California, the San Francisco Chronicle said two progressive prosecutors, Alameda County DA Pamela Price and Los Angeles DA Gascón recently lost their positions.
And, voters “passed tougher punishments for drug offenses and thefts, a turnaround from the reduction in penalties for such crimes passed a decade before” writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
The San Francisco Chronicle found the SFDA’s office “cut ties with a major criminal justice reform foundation after the foundation withheld funding from San Francisco due to the increasing jail population.”
The SF DA’s office defended its action, claiming the organization was “too focused on reducing inmate populations” over other forms of criminal justice, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
