Cohort 2024
Deep Center
Strengthening the Case for Cite and Release with Analysis of Arrest Data
Savannah, GA
In Chatham County, Georgia, where Savannah is located, Black men make up 68 percent of the jail population but only 20 percent of the general population (PDF). In response to racial and ethnic disparities in arrest rates, community members in the county have become proponents of pre-arrest diversion, a practice where law enforcement conducts “warm handoffs” to connect people with supportive, community-based services or treatment. Deep Center, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and services to empower Savannah’s marginalized youth and adult populations to advocate for more restorative institutions in Savannah, Chatham County, and the state of Georgia, has participated in this advocacy for pre-arrest diversion.
With Catalyst Grant funding, Deep Center, by developing a dashboard prototype on the analysis of arrest and citation data, will build its capacity to collect and interpret arrest data to help make the data-driven case for adopting a pre-arrest diversion program. It will connect with adults who have been impacted by jail incarceration to gather their personal testimonies and use narrative change to humanize the experience of jail incarceration. The pre-arrest diversion program will ensure that people coming into contact with law enforcement because of circumstances exacerbated by homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental and behavioral health challenges get the resources they need.
