SF District Attorney

Policy

Collaborative Courts

The right approach in many cases means addressing the roots of problems. Instead of just prosecuting all cases in the same way, many cases can be referred to San Francisco’s collaborative courts: specialty courts and programs that focus on addressing the underlying reasons why someone may have committed a crime to help that person get back on track.   

San Francisco has many different collaborative courts and programs to address differing needs of the people in them.

This is a specialty court designed to address those who have committed crimes stemming from mental health struggles. The court helps those with ongoing, serious mental illnesses reintegrate into the community and obtain the resources, support, and skills to become more self-sufficient.   

This unique court works to connect the community to the criminal justice system and addresses issues that have led to a participant’s criminal justice involvement.  The court prioritizes the use of restorative justice and treatment services for substance use, mental health, and other primary health issues and adjudicates criminal cases from the Tenderloin, Civic Center, Union Square, and South of Market neighborhoods.

This specialty court is designed to help assist those who commit low-level drug offenses that stem from addiction and substance use.  It focuses on treatment and support to help people struggling with drug addiction by linking them to residential and/or outpatient drug treatment. 

As a result of young people’s continuously developing brains, adults ages 18-25 require an individualized approach to address the roots of problems and prevent future offenses.  Young Adult Court offers a collaborative, problem-solving model to young adults charged with felonies and misdemeanors.  This structured program helps to place young adults back on track by linking them with services and support and attempts to address the root causes of serious crimes committed by youth. 

Veterans who become justice-involved often have deep-rooted trauma resulting from their service to our country.  Because the veteran population has unique struggles, this specialty court aims to focus on meeting their specific needs and on providing the social service, educational and vocational support they need to lead productive and independent lives.

This highly-supervised court focuses on providing probationers who have previously struggled to stay on track with another opportunity and support to try to avoid incarceration.