Earlier this year we were privileged to travel to several California Counties to see how they are handling the biggest shift in the administration of justice in California in decades. AB 109, also known as Public Safety Realignment transferred authority for thousands of criminal offenders from the state to the county—in the belief that counties could do a better job of managing their rehabilitation. Is it working? We found numerous examples of how AB 109 is working and we are highlighting them in a series of “Smart Justice” videos.

In the first four videos, we looked at Glenn, San Mateo, San Bernardino and San Joaquin counties to see generally how they were handling Realignment. Now we are honing in on singular aspects of AB 109 programming in six additional counties: Ventura, San Diego, Contra Costa, Marin, Merced and Colusa. Our goal is to show specific examples of how these counties are ending the revolving-door cycle, and helping people who have been in and out of incarceration for years to finally stay out for good.

Each Thursday over the next six weeks or so, we’ll release another video from one of the six counties we visited that details a specific aspect of their AB 109 program. We will look at an innovative partnership with a Community Based Organization, a drug and alcohol treatment program that really works, a focus on parenting skills that reconnects fathers with their children, and, as is the case with our next installment from Ventura County, a program that helps offenders get back into the job market.

Look for CSAC’s Smart Justice video on Ventura County to post Thursday, October 3 and San Diego’s the following Thursday, October 10. We hope these videos not only recognize and celebrate the success these counties are having—we hope they inspire other jurisdictions to replicate these programs, tailor them to their specific needs and put them to work. That’s what Smart Justice is all about.