[[link removed]]

ONE YEAR IN, SALT LAKE CITY’S NEW APPROACH TO PROSECUTING LOW-LEVEL
OFFENSES ‘A MASSIVE SUCCESS’  
[[link removed]]


 

Kyle Dunphey
October 1, 2024
Utah News Dispatch
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ ‘For many, it’s the first time in their life that they can see
people within the system trying to help them, trying to reduce
barriers to their success,’ says one attorney _

Salt Lake County District Attorney and Salt Lake City Prosecutor Sim
Gill speaks to reporters during a news conference about the city’s
new “Familiar Faces” program at the Salt Lake County District
Attorney’s Office on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. , (Kyle Dunphey/Utah
News Dispatch)

 

It’s been one year since Salt Lake City launched a new court
tailored toward individuals struggling with mental health, addiction
or homelessness and so far, the data looks promising, with dozens of
people who previously had hundreds of run-ins with police now steering
clear of the criminal justice system.  

The city’s new, aptly named “Familiar Faces” program works with
people who have had multiple contacts with Salt Lake City Police
officers in recent years, resulting in dozens, sometimes more than
100, low-level, nonviolent charges during their life. 

That mostly includes class B and C misdemeanors like trespassing,
illegal camping, theft or criminal mischief. 

Most of the participants are struggling with homelessness and have
acute, untended mental health needs. Rather than the traditional
pathway, which for these cases is usually through the Justice Court,
they come into court once a week to create and provide updates on a
personalized plan that often involves enrolling in rehab or mental
health services. 

Offenders charged with violent crimes, domestic violence or driving
under the influence are excluded. As long as they don’t pick up
additional charges during the program and follow through with their
plan, they “graduate,” meaning the charges against them are
dropped.

From what prosecutors describe, it’s not your typical court. Judge
Clemens Landau doesn’t sit on the bench but instead joins the
defendant, their public defender, a prosecutor and social worker at a
roundtable. 

Landau will often trade his judicial robe for a less imposing T-shirt,
and makes lunch for the participants. As they share a meal, the
participant will talk about their immediate needs and barriers to self
reliance. With help from a social worker, they’ll leave their first
court hearing with a plan, then check in each week. 

Paige Williamson, the Familiar Faces prosecutor, said some of the
participants compare it to meeting with family. 

“Forever, the criminal justice system has been tasked with dealing
with the symptoms of homelessness. This program, in contrast, is
dealing with the root cause,” said Williamson, who described the
court as a friendly, welcoming place to have difficult and complex
conversations. 

And data from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office
suggests it’s working. The program currently has 30 active
participants charged with 210 offenses — an additional 26 have
graduated and only seven exited without finish the program during the
first year. 

Those 26 graduates had a combined 195 contacts with Salt Lake City
Police the year before they entered the program. Since graduating,
they’ve had a combined 40 contacts. 

“That isn’t perfect, but it’s still a vast improvement from
where we started,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
“Think about how much we’re saving taxpayers, in terms of contact.
How much we’re saving if law enforcement is not out there dealing
with them.”

Gill, who also serves as a prosecutor for Salt Lake City, pointed to a
handful of success stories. Some of the people entering the program
have been arrested and charged with more than 100 offenses in their
lives. 

One man had a rap sheet 146 charges long. Since graduating, he’s had
only two contacts with police, which Gill said were camping-related as
he worked to secure housing. 

One participant had 124 interactions with police, one had 26, and
another had 18; since graduating, none have been picked up by
officers. 

Not everyone stays completely off law enforcement’s radar. Gill
referenced one person who had 16 interactions prior to the program and
since graduating, has picked up nine charges. 

“That’s still better than 16. These are not things that are
one-and-done. These are things that you have to make long-term
investments in,” Gill said. “The goal here is to stop their
frequency of cycling through the criminal justice system and try to
minimize their contact with law enforcement.” 

Chris Manberg, a defense attorney who often serves as the court’s
public defender, said one of the program’s main goals is to build
trust among a generally distrustful population. 

Most of the participants have untreated physical or mental health
issues, grew up in homes with violence or sexual abuse, and became
unsheltered because of circumstances beyond their control, he said.
Some get charged with a low-level offense, but want nothing to do with
the justice system, miss their court date and wind up with a warrant
out for their arrest. That jeopardizes their housing opportunities,
food stamps, Medicaid and other benefits. Instead of facing a fine or
small penalty, a vicious cycle ensues where they wind up incarcerated,
costing taxpayers and creating a permanent barrier to self reliance or
sobriety. 

The Familiar Faces program is an attempt to break that cycle. 

“For many, it’s the first time in their life that they can see
people within the system trying to help them, trying to reduce
barriers to their success. And for many, for the first time in their
life they start developing trust, they feel more supported and they
feel less stigmatized,” said Manberg. 

So far, he says, “it’s been a massive success.” 

_Kyle Dunphey covers politics, public safety and the environment for
Utah News Dispatch. He was named Best Newspaper Reporter by the Utah
Society of Professional Journalists in 2023 for his work on crime and
immigration at the Deseret News._

* criminal justice reform
[[link removed]]
* Utah
[[link removed]]
* Misdemeanors
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit xxxxxx.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 




[link removed]

To unsubscribe, click the following link:
[link removed]