Misdemeanor drug possession charges will be bundled at five citations to help substance users access treatment and services through the Community Justice Center
San Francisco, CA – Today, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced a new policy where the District Attorney’s Office will bundle misdemeanor drug possession charges for individuals with at least five misdemeanor citations for public drug use. Individuals with bundled charges will be referred to the Community Justice Center.
“Helping substance users access treatment and services through the Community Justice Center will save lives,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “When someone reaches five citations for public drug use, that is a clear signal that they are in a crisis and need support. Addressing substance use and addiction in our community requires an all-hands-on-deck approach that includes the criminal justice system. We will continue our office’s laser focus on holding drug dealers accountable.”
Simple possession for personal use and possession of drug paraphernalia cases will be discharged in accordance with the office’s policy and the interests of justice until a total of five citations are issued to the same individual. After five citations charges will be ‘bundled’ and charged all at once. Bringing charges forward for individuals with numerous citations is an effort to use the criminal justice system to help those struggling with addiction get connected to treatment and services to help improve their lives.
The Community Justice Center was always intended to help those with substance abuse issues who need help, not drug dealers. District Attorney Jenkins introduced new drug policies for drug dealers to stop the previous administrations practice of referring drug dealers arrested with up to 100 grams of fentanyl to the Community Justice Center.
The Community Justice Center is a unique court that 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.
District Attorney Jenkins will continue to seek drug dealers accountable and has announced new policies for felony drug sales cases. Each case presented will be evaluated individually based on the facts and the law, and charged accordingly. Similarly, determinations regarding pre-trial detention will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. As of August 31, 2022, the District Attorney’s Office has filed felony drug sales charges against 125 individuals accused of selling dangerous drugs in San Francisco and sought detention motions in five cases.