Letters to the Editor: The mental health case for George Gascón's approach to gangs
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To the editor: As a behavioral health clinician who has worked extensively with violent offenders, I see Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón's plan to replace his office's Hardcore Gang unit with a Community Violence Reduction Division to be visionary and not confusing at all.
Approaching violence from a public health perspective is a thoughtful way to promote the desired cultural shift. Reframing concepts helps to modify the way we think, feel and respond to challenges and controversy.
I applaud Gascón for attempting to reduce incarceration, seeking rehabilitation and building trust in the community. Changing the paradigm could serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy for offenders.
Eduardo Escobar, Glendale
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To the editor: Gascón seems to fundamentally misunderstand the role of his office.
I retired four years ago from more than 25 years as a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles. I focused on serious gang cases, and on defendants with little or no criminal history who were suitable for diversion programs, the two poles of a prosecutor's caseload.
Is criminal justice reform likely to mean that there are fewer serious or violent cases among the county's criminal defendants? Have you noticed the recent homicide rate here?
Criminal justice reform does not mean fewer cases against hardcore defendants; it means more programs to divert less serious defendants, especially first-time offenders, from conviction or imprisonment in the first place. Such reform primarily requires not fewer prosecutors, but rather more probation officers, more supervised release, more counseling, more gang intervention and more addiction services.
In short, it requires more budgeting for services that are outside the district attorney's office. Weakening efforts against those who need serious prosecution does not help those who do not, nor does it improve community safety.
Stephen G. Wolfe, Pasadena
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
