Bunch did not return Bay Guardian phone calls. But the carpenters refuse to keep quiet. The system, which was implemented in May 1998, is designed to keep petty offenders out of institutions. Instead of sending kids to juvenile hall after they are arrested, the Police Department is supposed to route them into mentoring programs and specially tailored schools. Of more than 4,500 youths arrested during the new system's initial 10 months in operation, a mere 125 teens were referred to the alternative programs.
Researchers contend that a lack of leadership has kept the system from reaching enough youths.
There doesn't seem to be anyone tending to it. I would say it's a management vacuum. The Community Assessment and Referral Center is the cornerstone of the new system. Located in the Tenderloin, the center is supposed to act as an intake point for low-level offenders. Researchers say the center is underused and cite limited hours of operation, too few probation officers, and lack of support from the Probation Department as reasons.