Homelessness Funding vs. Incarceration — The Ongoing "Care First, Jails Last" Debate

active• alameda

Alameda County adopted a "Care First, Jails Last" resolution in 2021 committing to prioritize behavioral health and social services over incarceration — a principle that is now being tested by every budget decision the county makes. The tension is sharpest around Santa Rita Jail's capital needs: community advocates at Restore Oakland Inc. challenged the county directly, asking "How can Alameda County justify spending $27 million to fund the expansion of a jail with a track record of negligence and abuse?" — calling for investment in permanent supportive housing and full service partnerships instead, which they argued are essential to community safety rather than aspirational. The debate is not abstract: every dollar invested in jail infrastructure is a dollar not available for the community-based mental health services — crisis response, full service partnerships, permanent supportive housing — that could prevent incarceration in the first place. The county's own 2025 Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Assessment and Full Service Partnership Assessment, submitted as part of the consent decree process, document both the progress made and the significant gaps that remain in community-based care.

Related cause: Homelessness

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