The City Attorney’s Office and various city and county partners are launching a program to house and rehabilitate people who repeatedly commit misdemeanor crimes such as public drunkenness or trespassing downtown.
The offenders often are homeless people who commit quality-of-life crimes, meaning offenses such as disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and trespassing.
City Attorney Jan Goldsmith said the SMART initiative — the acronym stands for San Diego Misdemeanant At-Risk Track — is an offshoot of the court program that allows people who commit low-level misdemeanors to avoid a criminal record if they complete community service and pay a fine.
Beginning Oct. 1, Veterans Village of San Diego will open 12 beds for the SMART program. Participants will commit for two years in the program.
“You’ve got to find out what’s going on with them and try to get them the help they need,” he said. “Then they can help themselves. It’s better than what we’ve got now in the criminal justice system, which isn’t much.”
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