To: The Board of Supervisors Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): Probation Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Vanessa Fuchs, (707) 565-6258
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Juvenile Hall Programming and Youthful Offender Re-Entry Services
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Chief Probation Officer to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin for program services to Sonoma County juvenile delinquents detained in Juvenile Hall, Probation Camp or Residential Treatment, or justice involved youth on post-release status who need support transitioning back into the community, not-to-exceed $337,500 from January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022 with the option to extend for three additional one-year terms. Term extensions will be contingent upon available funds and will not increase the overall contract amount. The program will contribute to the goal of assisting youth and their families in successfully completing probation, preventing the relapse of criminal behavior, and reducing crime.
end
Executive Summary:
The Probation Department requests Board approval to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin (Boys & Girls Club) to provide services for youth in detention and aftercare when those youth transition back into the community. In order to reduce or mitigate recidivism and assist youth to successfully reconnect with family, education systems, gain employment or secure housing after detention/residential treatment, the Boys & Girls Club staff will engage youth and develop a plan to connect youth and their families with community partners and services. Youth who participate in pro-social activities, recreation, utilize additional educational opportunities or receive mental health or substance abuse treatment from intake through release back into the community are less likely to reoffend.
Discussion:
Background
Re-entry programs can take different forms including, but not limited, to mentoring, case management and/or cognitive-behavioral programs depending on the needs of each youth. Programs may combine different interventions. The program will contribute to the goal of assisting youth and their families in successfully completing probation, preventing the relapse of criminal behavior, and reducing crime. Services will be culturally relevant. Re-entry is viewed as a continuum “that begins at the time of admission to an out-of-home placement and continues beyond the youth’s release and reintegration into the community.” The importance of a systematic approach and continuity of care throughout the continuum.
Youth.gov quotes Atlschuler, D. and Bilchick:
Young people leaving juvenile justice residential placement face many concerns as they reenter the community, home, and school/work force. Reentry refers to those activities and tasks that prepare youth placed out-of-home for reentry into their families and communities.
They further state, “There are many factors that should be considered when planning for reentry. The literature confirms that successful reentry plans, services, and supports should address at least these five issues:
• Family: What services and supports are needed to ensure family and home stability, skill development, and healing of damaged relationships?
• Substance abuse: What are the services and supports that promote a reduction or cessation of substance use and/or abuse?
Peer association/friends: What services and supports need to be in place to promote positive use of leisure time, prevent gang involvement, and discourage association with peers engaged in delinquent activities? Learn more about positive youth development. <https://youth.gov/youth-topics/positive-youth-development>
• School conflict and achievement: What services are in place to promote the transference of educational records and placement in the appropriate school settings that will support educational success and achievement?
• Mental, behavioral, and physical health: What services and supports are in place to address mental health, social/behavioral concerns, and/or chronic health problems?”
Juvenile re-entry is further described in these resource documents:
<https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Aftercare.pdf>
<https://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/posts/critical-elements-of-juvenile-reentry-in-research-and-practice/>
<https://www2.ed.gov/students/prep/juvenile-justice-transition/transition-toolkit-3.pdf>
<https://youth.gov/youth-topics/juvenile-justice/reentry>
Altschuler, D. and Bilchik, S. 2014. “Critical Element of Juvenile Reentry in Research and Practice.” New York, NY: The Council of State Governments. <https://csgjusticecenter.org/youth/posts/critical-elements-of-juvenile-reentry-in-research-and-practice/>
The Club in Juvenile Hall was established in November 2011, and in January 2013, a re-entry component was added to support youth returning to the community from long-term detention. These programs have been highlighted for County recognition, receiving both National Association of Counties (NACO) and a California State Association of Counties (CSAC) awards.
Services Provided by Boys & Girls Club
Services provided by Boys & Girls Club under this Agreement are broken into two programs; the Club will be provided to all youth residing in Juvenile Hall, and REACH re-entry services for a portion of those youth and their families as they transition back into the community from Juvenile Hall, Probation Camp, or Residential Treatment. Youth in Juvenile Hall typically range 13-17 years in age, with more being 16 and 17 and whom are mostly male. More than 50% of youth in Juvenile Hall and more than 70% of youth in Probation Camp are Hispanic. The Juvenile Hall portion of the program will serve approximately 21 youth on a given day. The re-entry services will be provided to approximately 25 to 35 active youth at a given time. Services will be culturally appropriate and relevant to the youth in the program.
Program Services and Strategies: Every component of the Club (in detention) and REACH (post release; Re-entering our community to Establish Academic & career success, Character & Healthy lifestyles) programs strive to mitigate the unhealthy behavior of at risk youth. The relationship between Boys & Girls Club and youth begins during youth detention inside juvenile hall that includes weekly pro-social and evidence-based programming. This allows the creation of a treatment plan that accurately targets specific risk factors for each youth with appropriate programs and services as suggested in the risk-need-responsivity (RNR) model used in the field of criminal justice for offender assessment. In addition, engagement at intake and during detention builds credibility, trust and a mentoring relationship by understanding the whole environment of the youth served.
The Club: The Club operates in a converted detention housing unit and builds on core tenants which encourage positive behavior. The daily curriculum focuses on themes centered around: character and leadership development, health and life skills, and academic success & career development. Services address primary risk factors to the detention population. The incentive-based programming has a positive impact on detained youth behavior.
All Club programming is designed to provide opportunities for meaningful community engagement, connections to caring and supportive adults as well as building leadership skills and recognizing achievements. The youth who attend The Club have the opportunity to select upcoming programmatic emphases and can drive program discussions to situations relevant to their lives. Boys & Girls Club will encourage youth to have influence in their lives and at their Club. The programs are designed to give youth opportunities to reflect and think critically about their lives, be successful at new skills and engage with one another in positive ways.
REACH: REACH will use wraparound case management programming that uses the Positive Youth Justice framework as its building blocks of success for youth. Youth will be matched with a mentor (Case Manager) for the duration of the program. Boys & Girls Club will guide youth in developing and practicing new skills and build confidence by learning and doing. They will help youth find belonging by becoming an active member of pro-social groups and learning to place a high value on being a part of a larger community.
This trauma-informed approach provides evidenced based programs, wraparound case management, and prosocial activities to all enrolled youth. These programs are designed to give these young people opportunities to reflect and think critically about their lives, be successful at new skills, and engage with one another in positive ways.
The program will align with the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model and utilize OJJDP best practices including assertive engagement case management tools. REACH coordinates with over 25 active community partners to create a safety net of intervention for each young person in the program.
Service delivery model will include the following key components:
• State of the Art facilities in each community of service
• Individualized Case Management, phased for increased independence
• Academic Support
• Evidenced based programs
• Pro-social activities
• Supervised Community Services (including court ordered service)
• Mental Health Services
• Family based Services
Request for Proposal Process:
The Probation Department issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) announcement August 2019. The RFP sought proposals from community-based organizations who could provide trauma-informed and culturally relevant services to in-custody youth and to youth transitioning back to communities. Critical components of the RFP included Qualifications and Experience, and Program Services and Strategies; the RFP process and contract are consistent with Board adopted contracting principles, including the development of a collaborative Quality Assurance Plan to assess participant satisfaction and track outcomes.
A panel of representatives from the Probation Department and Sonoma County Office of Education rated proposals from three submissions. Panel members rated the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin as the most qualified, experienced, and prepared to deliver services. They have more than 50 years’ experience providing services to high-risk and at-risk youth, and they also operate over 40 after-school programs throughout the county, using an array of over 120 evidence-based programs.
Prior Board Actions:
08/30/16: The Board approved a Professional Services Agreement with Boys and Girls Club of Central Sonoma County to provide REACH and The Club program services.
10/13/15: The Board approved a Professional Services Agreement in the amount of $72,000 from October 13, 2015 through August 31, 2016.
06/23/15: Board approved gap funding of $40,000 to continue the program pending Measure O Prevention grant recipient award.
10/22/13: Accept presentation on California State Association of Counties 2013 Challenge Award for the Club and Reach programs.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
135,000 |
135,000 |
135,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
135,000 |
135,000 |
135,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
135,000 |
135,000 |
135,000 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
135,000 |
135,000 |
135,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The use of JPF (Juvenile Probation Activities) funds are in the adopted FY 19-20 budget for program services, and will be included in future annual budget submissions. JPF funds are provided by the State and part of the Local Revenue Fund 2011 Enhancing Law Enforcement Activities Subaccount. Program costs meet the WIC § 18221 use of funds.
The FY 19-20 budgeted expenditure of $135,000 above includes funding for the existing contract for services of $67,500 through December 31, 2019. Total contract limit for this agreement is $337,500.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Boys and Girls Club Professional Services Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board: