Welcome to the Justice, Care and Opportunities Department (JCOD)!

It is an honor to lead a department focused on providing care, dignity and opportunity for everyone in Los Angeles County. Our mission is to disrupt the cycle of incarceration and establish a support system that empowers justice-impacted individuals and communities to thrive. JCOD is dedicated to creating pathways to success through housing, transportation, care management services, education, employment and so much more. Our goal is to support communities by helping everyone we touch, through JCOD’s resources and services, live safer, healthier lives and become empowered to live in purpose.

Through partnerships with County departments, Court, community, faith-based, and advocacy organizations, philanthropic partners, and those we serve, we are driving transformative change.

Join us in advancing a new model of justice, care and opportunity for Los Angeles!

 

About Judge Songhai Armstead (Ret.)

Judge Armstead (Ret.) is a longtime advocate for the underserved and a justice system innovator. Before this appointment, Judge Armstead (Ret.), a retired Superior Court judge, was the first leader of the Alternatives to Incarceration Office, which is now part of JCOD. Judge Armstead (Ret.) and her team drove the operational creation of JCOD after the Board established the department earlier this year. Judge Armstead (Ret.) overcame early childhood trauma and her own lived experience to attend the UCLA School of Law where she was the first-ever African American woman elected student body president in a post-209 environment. As a criminal courts judge, in addition to general cases, Judge Armstead (Ret.) also heard ODR, mental health, gang diversion and other specialty and diversion cases. Throughout her career, Judge Armstead (Ret.) has created new programs to break the cycle of incarceration focused on helping people get treatment and housing to improve their lives.