San Francisco will close its juvenile hall by the end of 2021, a nearly unanimous decision made by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that ends the longtime practice of holding children in cells while they await their judicial fate.
The extraordinary action makes San Francisco the first major city in the country to shut down juvenile hall in an effort to eliminate the jailing of children, supervisors said.
“For me this is about history,” said Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. “We incarcerate more people ... than any other country in the world. We have a culture of incarceration.”
It’s time to do something about that, he said.
Ten supervisors supported the ordinance and one, Catherine Stefani, voted against it, calling for additional community input prior to such a drastic step and before real alternatives are in place.
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