To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Probation Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: David Koch 565-2732
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Recommended Action:
Title
Adopt a Gold Resolution proclaiming the week of July 18 - July 24, 2021, as Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week in Sonoma County.
End
Executive Summary:
In recognition of national Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week 2021, this report highlights some of the Sonoma County Probation Department’s recent work and its role in creating a safe, healthy, and caring community.
Discussion:
National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week is recognized by the American Probation and Parole Association, a 100,000 member-strong organization of community corrections professionals. During this week, we honor the compassion, strength, and determination of these professionals who create safer communities and help rehabilitate offenders while guiding them toward positive, productive lifestyles.
This report highlights some of the Sonoma County Probation Department’s recent work in the Adult Division, which provides community supervision for offenders and defendants, and in the Juvenile Division, which supervises juveniles in the community and at Probation custodial facilities.
Sonoma County Probation is committed to
• reducing recidivism,
• fostering accountability,
• promoting positive behavioral change, and
• safeguarding the community.
-Probation Department Mission Statement
Adult Division
The Adult Division collaborates with treatment and mental health providers, community-based organizations, and law enforcement to hold probationers accountable and guide them toward meeting their court obligations and becoming responsible, contributing community members.
Service Highlight--Day Reporting Center. Within the Adult Division, Probation’s Day Reporting Center is Sonoma County’s hub of evidence-based programming for adults reentering the community from jail or prison. Staff from Probation, Health Services, Human Services, and community-based organizations collaborates to deliver a broad range of programs designed to protect public safety and stabilize participants.
“The CBI [Cognitive Behavioral Intervention] program is beneficial for everyday life situations and I would encourage anyone to adopt this program to teach these useful skills as a preventative and corrective measure.”
- Day Reporting Center Participant Comment
Service Highlight--Transitional Housing. Through a variety of state and federal grants, Probation has developed 73 transitional housing beds across seven houses for supervised individuals who lack safe housing alternatives. By providing residents a safe space to focus on their supervision responsibilities and assignments, transitional housing can improve outcomes and reduce recidivism. The housing program also includes case management with a strong focus on finding permanent housing. Probation’s facilities, all operated by InterFaith Shelter Network, include dedicated houses for women, sex offenders, and individuals with mental illness on pretrial release.
Recognizing Jose Farias, Early Case Resolution Officer. Early Case Resolution provides an expedited adjudication process for appropriate felony cases, often those related to controlled substances, theft, bad checks, or traffic offenses. Defendants who wish to plead guilty can avoid a formal trial, greatly reducing associated court time and costs. For the process to work, a presenting probation officer must understand a myriad of laws, know the relevant types of supervision and services available, communicate effectively with court staff, attorneys and other probation officers, and be able to navigate a complex legal environment. In Sonoma County, Early Case Resolution happens in Courtroom 9, where you’ll also often find Probation Officer Jose Farias. Jose’s knowledge of supervision, understanding of community services, and ability to convey individual risk and needs make him Probation’s polished, professional face here. Known for his meticulous preparation for court hearings, diligence, accuracy, strong work ethic, positive attitude, and humility, Jose earned a FY 20-21 Probation Department Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding work and dedication during the pandemic.
Pretrial Services
Traditionally, courts have conditioned release from pre-adjudication incarceration partly on defendants’ ability to post bond or bail, a system that may release dangerous defendants while incarcerating those who pose little risk to their communities. By contrast, under the pretrial services program, release decisions consider defendants’ risk of 1) posing a threat to public safety, and 2) failing to appear in court. By using a validated assessment tool to predict these risks, the program protects the public and allows lower-risk defendants--regardless of financial status--to remain in the community while awaiting adjudication.
Informed by these assessments, the Superior Court determines appropriate levels of pretrial monitoring, which can range from monthly phone check-ins for lower-risk defendants to field visits from a Probation Officer coupled with electronic monitoring for higher-risk defendants. Defendants who cannot be safely supervised in the community remain incarcerated.
With support from a California Judicial Council grant, Probation and the Superior Court modernized and expanded pretrial services in FY 20-21. The improvements allow Probation to quickly screen defendants using an evidence-based assessment and automatically transmit results to the Court, which can then make release decisions, often in a matter of hours, thereby minimizing incarceration costs and disruption to the lives of defendants who can safely remain in the community. The number of individuals on pretrial release has grown steadily since program inception in 2015. As of April 2021, Probation monitors 601 individuals on pretrial release.
Juvenile Division
Probation’s Juvenile Division works with internal and external partners to offer youth and their families a multitude of pro-social and rehabilitative services. Through this work, youth build skills and connect to the community in a meaningful way. Through dedication and creativity, Probation’s Juvenile Division has maintained programming in recent years despite multiple community disasters and Juvenile Hall evacuations.
Service Highlight--Keeping Kids in School. Keeping Kids in School is a truancy prevention and intervention program focused on reducing juvenile delinquency by increasing school attendance and success. Since 2015, this Probation Department program has served over 450 youths in ten school districts across Sonoma County. Seneca, a contracted service provider, screens referred youth to identify barriers to school attendance and develops an action plan with the student, family, and school to overcome these barriers. Program outcomes have been favorable, with many participants improving attendance and having little involvement in the juvenile justice system following enrollment in services.
Service Highlight--Sonoma County Juvenile Hall Director Marty Mitchell Recognized as Chief Probation Officers of California Employee of the Year. Each year, the Chief Probation Officers of California selects an employee from each of four probation-department affiliated organizations who represents the best employee in their field of service. At its December 2020 awards ceremony, the Chief Probation Officers of California recognized Juvenile Hall Director Marty Mitchell as the California Association of Probation Institutions Administrators Employee of the Year. The award notes Marty’s exemplary performance as an administrator in both the California Association of Probation Institutions Administrators and the Sonoma County Probation Department. As one example, Marty led successful efforts to evacuate Juvenile Hall during the fires of October 2017 and September 2020 and maintain youth’s programming from other locations. As Marty exemplifies, leaders from across the County and across the State recognize excellence within the Sonoma County Probation Department.
Racial Equity and Social Justice
Building upon its longstanding commitment to the Board’s strategic plan pillar of Racial Equity and Social Justice, Probation recently retained Sharon Washington Consulting to assess the Department’s current climate and train leadership to lead efforts toward racial equity. Training topics will include learning a common language for discussing race and racial inequity, exploring how racial inequity is upheld by our systems, encouraging organizational development to integrate racial equity into Probation’s work, assisting with forming authentic partnerships to increase racial equity in the community, and developing internal processes to make change.
Sonoma County Probation Department Core Values
Community Support
Through the fires and pandemic of FY 20-21, Probation has stepped up to change lives, reduce crime, and restore community. Our many contributions include the following.
• Probation filled multiple County Emergency Operations roles while maintaining core operations. As of February 2021, staff has provided over 34,600 hours of disaster service work this fiscal year to Sonoma County’s fire and pandemic responses. Fire-related roles included providing logistic support to the Emergency Operations Center, traffic control and other duties to free up first responders, and staffing local assistance centers, food banks, and community shelters. Supporting the pandemic response, Probation has coordinated and staffed testing and vaccine sites, distributed PPE to the community, supported homeless services to reduce spread of disease, and even sewn and distributed face coverings.
• Probation’s small but mighty three-person IT team supported the community on multiple fronts. As disaster service workers, IT implemented a software solution that automated scheduling for county residents seeking COVID-19 tests. This solution reduced the need for call center personnel and greatly reduced errors during the test result notification process. The team also facilitated transfer of vaccination data to state immunization databases. In support of Probation’s core roles, IT adapted Day Reporting Center services to a virtual environment, allowing 100 or more offenders a week to continue their evidence-based programming. IT also coordinated with the Superior Court to provide remote adjudication services for adults and youth. Finally, in this busy year, IT designed, implemented, and supported a remote working environment for the entire Probation Department.
• During the September 2020 Glass fire, Probation ensured the safety of youth in our care by evacuating Juvenile Hall. During the evacuation, youth were housed at Solano County’s juvenile detention facility, where Sonoma County personnel continued working with them to maintain continuity of service.
• Adult Services supervised an influx of state prisoners and county inmates as incarceration facilities released offenders earlier than scheduled to reduce populations and disease spread.
• Probation continues expanding peer activities that support the morale and wellbeing of fellow probation professionals. New this year, Probation personnel implemented an eight-week mind-body skills course to help employees manage stress and maintain emotional health.
Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week 2021
Every day, Probation works to reduce recidivism, foster accountability, promote positive behavioral change, and safeguard the community. During Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, we invite the community to join us in honoring these committed professionals.
Prior Board Actions:
07/21/15 - 07/14/20: Board Resolutions Proclaiming Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week
Fiscal Summary
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
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Attachments:
National Probation Supervision Week 2021 Resolution
National Probation Supervision Week 2021 Photos
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None