SANDAG WELCOMING OPINIONS IN SURVEY ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY IN THE COUNTY

The San Diego Association of Governments is asking the public to participate in a survey designed to gather opinions on the state of public safety in the region.

Commissioned by county officials, the survey is part of a larger effort to more deeply explore alternatives to incarceration and the needs of people just getting out of jail and prison.

Interest in the topic was partly driven by a notable decrease in the local jail population that was seen during the pandemic. According to SANDAG, jail populations decreased by more than 40 percent during the period from March 2020 through December 2021 when compared with January 2018 through February 2020.

Some of those decreases were attributed to state mandates designed to lessen the threat of COVID in jails and prisons. These included the elimination of bail for nearly all misdemeanors and some felonies, and the decision to release some non-violent offenders from prison if their sentence was nearly up. County officials want to explore ways to permanently reduce the number of people behind bars.

In January, the county chose SANDAG to study the topic under a $300,000 contract.

In addition to the survey, the organization plans to analyze several different data streams to get an understanding of jail population changes as well as available services and support. It also plans to review best practices, and is expected to put out series of reports on the matter.

Cindy Burke, SANDAG’s senior director of data science, said gathering input from the community is an integral part of the project. In March, the organization created a diverse advisory group to assist with the project.

“We really want every San Diego County resident who wants their voice heard to share their thoughts and feedback,” she said.

The survey can be found at surveymonkey.com/r/ atisurvey and should take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. All responses are anonymous. It will be available through May 27.