Despite its pristine waters and reputation for having some of the cleanest air in the county, Monterey County has also earned the unfortunate distinction as having one of the highest violent crime rates in the state. Despite this fact, county officials sought a way to address this chronically high crime rate through a smart approach that rehabilitates instead of simply punishing offenders.
Using a federal grant, Monterey County Probation opened a Day Reporting Center in partnership with BI Incorporated in late 2009, initially serving 50 clients. Since opening, the center has doubled its capacity to 100 and has graduated 72 offenders, all moderate to high risk. Of those, just seven have re-entered the criminal justice system, and all of the offenses committed by those seven offenders were misdemeanors. One aspect that program officials point to as an indicator of success is the center’s job placement rate. Among graduates, approximately 80 percent find stable employment.
To learn more about Monterey County’s response to high crime rates, read the full case study.