SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – San Francisco has apparently decided that referring to convicted felons as, well… convicted felons, is no longer okay, and has rebranded the language to ‘justice-involved person’.
And that’s not the only phrase they’re changing.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, from now on a convicted felon or an offender released from custody will be known as a “formerly incarcerated person,” or a “justice-involved” person or just a “returning resident.”
Drug addicts or substance abusers will become “a person with a history of substance use.”
Parolees are now a “person under supervision.” A juvenile “delinquent” will become a “young person with justice system involvement,” or a “young person impacted by the juvenile justice system.”
Returning resident? Justice-involved? People… let’s be real. A spade is a spade… even if you decide to start calling it something else.
Apparently calling a criminal a criminal isn’t politically correct… and now the city is pushing for new language throughout the criminal justice system to help change the way everyday citizens think about people who commit crimes.
San Francisco rebrands convicted felons as ‘justice-involved persons’ and ex-cons as ‘returning residents’ https://t.co/pyHirvFsq0
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) August 22, 2019
Let’s not forget that San Francisco boasts some pretty intense numbers when it comes to crime rates.
According to Neighborhood Scout, with a crime rate of 70 per one thousand residents, San Francisco has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes – from the smallest towns to the very largest cities.
Maybe they should be teaching the community about how to better their lives… instead of changing the phrasing to make them feel better about their mistakes.
“We don’t want people to be forever labeled for the worst things that they have done,” Supervisor Matt Haney told the newspaper. “We want them ultimately to become contributing citizens, and referring to them as felons is like a scarlet letter that they can never get away from.”
So instead of describing a repeat offending drug addict who stole from you… police might have to refer to them as “a returning resident who was involved with the justice system and who is currently under supervision with a history of substance use.”
Seriously?
This is also the city that started a poop patrol service to help clean human waste off of the streets that stems from an overwhelming homeless population. Yes… it’s literally a crew that cleans up after people instead of finding ways to get them not to defecate in the streets…
Instead of trying to decriminalize our language, why don’t we push our communities to live within the bounds of the law?
Along with the board that came up with these new terms, the district attorney has also pledged his commitment to the change in phrasing.
Mayor London Breed has not yet endorsed the new language.
