San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project

06/16/2025

UPDATE: Fern Cruz Has Been Found Safe

We are relieved and grateful to share that our colleague and friend Fern Cruz has been found safe.

Thank you to everyone who shared our posts, kept an eye out, and supported search efforts. We deeply appreciate each person who took the time to help.

Our thoughts remain with Fern and their loved ones. We ask for privacy and respect as they focus on recovery and healing.

Thank you again for your compassion and support. 🙏

10/07/2024

Meet Zachary, a young man who broke free from substance abuse with SF Pretrial’s help. Placed in a residential treatment program, he focused on recovery while receiving ongoing support from our case managers. Now, he's on a path to healing and success. Pause to read his full story!

10/03/2024

Shining a Light on SF Nonprofits!

In San Francisco, our social safety net is woven by the incredible nonprofits that step up in times of need. From food security to mental health support, they’re there for our community when it matters most. 💪✨

Join us in celebrating their impact!

05/06/2024

How do you think your life would be different if you had spent your first five years as an adult incarcerated?

"No system’s perfect, right? But if we’re going to look at the overall successes of people being able to get connected, and through SF Pretrial, able to come out of it with secure jobs, housing, drug rehabilitative services, and then social emotional supports, right? And then being able to go back into being successful citizens, then that’s a model that we should be actually continuing to expand funding for and not underfunding it or cutting funding to it."

How do you think your life would be different if you had spent your first five years as an adult incarcerated? This week on Sea Change Radio, we speak to Kevin Ortiz, a progressive political activist in San Francisco whose life was very nearly derailed by a run-in with the police when he was 19 … ...

03/18/2024

Great piece by Miriam Popper about data, transparency and the value and impact of pretrial services.

New York City can refine the services it provides defendants to get them back to court and keep neighborhoods safe.

02/28/2024

Releasing Suspects Pretrial Doesn’t Lead to Higher Crime Rates, Experts Say

Stateline, February 22, 2024

Crime is shaping up as a potent election issue, and one of the key points of debate is over bail: Which suspects should be jailed before trial, and which ones should be released on bond — and for how much money?

02/27/2024

Attention SF Voters! Don't miss out on this Thursday's San Francisco Super Court Judges Forum! Get informed and hear directly from candidates about the issues that matter most to you.

Make sure you're registered: https://bit.ly/3I8G89k

02/26/2024

We're grateful for the opportunity to speak about our work in front of a national audience on Thursday, February 29, 2024 @ 12:00pm PST.

In a webinar hosted by the MacArthur Foundation, we'll share about the innovative strategies we use to promote pretrial justice and public safety. Please join us! Use the link below to register for this cost-free learning opportunity.

February 29, 2024 @ 2:00 PM -

02/07/2024

"Simply put, going to jail makes it more likely that people will become further involved in the criminal legal system and won’t appear in court. Understanding how detention worsens pretrial outcomes allows practitioners and other community members to rethink how they use detention."

A new data-rich study reveals that holding a person in jail for any amount of time before trial may undermine public safety.

11/28/2023

On this consider a donation to SF Pretrial! Your generosity will support our goal of reducing unnecessary incarceration in San Francisco.

11/16/2023

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/sf-judges-crime-homelessness-drugs-18488842.php

It’s easy to hold a press conference to blame a judge’s interpretation of the law....

10/27/2023

Read our full newsletter here: https://tinyurl.com/55h6bkst