Vista Ranch Toured as Part of Smart Justice California Retreat & Policy Summit
From February 2nd-4th, Smart Justice California hosted their 2023 Retreat & Policy Summit in San Diego. On Saturday, February 4th, the retreat visited Amity’s Vista Ranch campus in a tour hosted by President & CEO Doug Bond. Following the tour of our 5-acre reentry campus, the facilitators led the group on an exploration of the path to freedom, obstacles to success on the outside, and ongoing journey of personal exploration.
Overall, the mission of Smart Justice California’s 2023 Retreat & Policy Summit was to “explore the state of incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry in California, and how we can work together to dismantle the mass incarceration machinery that has torn far too many families apart and wreaked havoc on our communities. In its place, we hope to build a system that fosters long-term public safety, compassion, fairness and healthy communities.” The educational and policy-focused gathering brought together a group that included state and local officials, criminal legal experts, crime survivors, and other reform advocates. You can learn more about Smart Justice California here. Photos from the event can be viewed in the gallery at the bottom of this article.
The inclusion of touring our Vista Ranch facility was intended to facilitate a dialogue on the benefit of reentry services that emphasize the vital role played by wraparound services, personal transformation, and in turn, reduced risk of re-incarceration. Vista Ranch began offering reentry services in 1991 to 60 men who were on parole in San Diego country. Since then, the campus has become a real-world example of how reentry programs can tangibly lower the risk of re-incarceration. A clear cut example of this that was shared during the tour is from a study of Amity’s in-prison and post-release substance use disorder services finding that only 27% of participants recidivated 36 months after release as compared to 75% of non-participants. You can learn more about the campus and view student testimonials here.
