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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07161996 - D1 D.1 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA DATE: July 16, 1996 MATTER OF RECORD SUBJECT: Probation Department Status Report for Fiscal Year 1995-1996 Terrence Starr, County Probation Officer, presented an oral and a written report to the Board of Supervisors on the' status of the Probation Department for Fiscal Year 1995-1996. Jacque Salvador, Local 1, commended Mr. Starr for his efforts as the County Probation Officer. cc: County Administrator County Probation Officer THIS IS A MATTER FOR RECORD PURPOSES ONLY NO BOARD ACTION TAKEN *i Terrence Starr �'robalon Department Contra COUNTY PROBATION OFFICER Administrative Offices Costa 50 Douglas Drive,Suite 201 County Martinez,Califomia 94553-8500 (510)313-4180 (510)313-41.91 FAX - To: ;: ,.` date: 6/25/96 Phil r, _ �. C/u d inistrator From: Terrence Starr, Subject: Status Report/Probation County Probation officer Department for FY 95/96 What follows is an overview of the Contra Costa County Probation Department as of this date. A description of the services offered, budget information, delivery systems, as well as departmental accomplishments for this fiscal year. Finally, the challenges to be faced by this department in the coming fiscal year are outlined. TS:ds Attachments T1lprobrpt.61 TABLE OF CONTENTS ae I. DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW 1 A. Department Responsibilities B. Organizational Structure II. RESOURCES 3 A. Financial Resources B. Personnel Resources C. Affirmative Action D. Sick Leave E. Staff Development F. Automation Ill. CLIENT SERVICES 7 A. Workload Clientele and Service Delivery Status IV. ANNUAL PERFORMANCE 11 A. , Goals Accomplished in Fiscal Year 1995/96 V. CHALLENGES AND NEW DIRECTIONS 15 A. Challenges B. New Directions S V i III 1996 PROBATION DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE REPORT I. DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW A. Department Responsibilities While the role of the Probation Department in any county is specified in detail by the Penal Code and the Welfare and Institutions Code, in essence the Department exists to provide information and services to both the Adult and Juvenile Courts. Probation's mission is a broad and difficult challenge: to balance offender accountability and offender opportunity for change, on an individualized case by case basis, while maintaining priority attention to the protection of the community. B. Organizational Structure The Probation Officer is appointed by the Court and is responsible to the Superior Court. Probation Department resources are allocated by the Board of Supervisors. As part of the criminal justice system, Probation Departments interrelate daily with: * the Courts and justice departments * the Board of Supervisors and the CAO * the Human Services agencies * the State of California * federal agencies with private funds * public schools. - 2 - 1 . The Probation Department offers the following services: a. Serves as the eyes and ears of both the adult and Juvenile Courts, with investigative and report services which assist the Bench in making detention, sentencing and dispositional decisions. b. Provides unbiased recommendations to the Courts which take into consideration community protection and the opportunity for offenders to modify their lifestyles. C. Supervises both adults and juveniles in a manner which assures compliance with the conditions of probation as prescribed by the Courts. d. Provides temporary detention and residential treatment programs for delinquent youth. e. Diverts appropriate offenders from the justice system by offering supervision for diversion programs for such things as domestic violence and drug use. f. Supports and encourages delinquency prevention in cooperation with law enforcement, schools and other agencies. g. Provides a variety of services to victims of crime. h. Provides the Superior Courts with investigation services and reports in civil/probate matters (conservatorships, guardianships and abandonments). These investigations are required by law, although not necessarily by the Probation Officer. C �f - 3 - II. RESOURCES A. Financial Resources This fiscal year, our gross budget was $25,406,929. Of this $15,632,466 comes from the general fund (62%). The rest of our fiscal resources come from other revenues and have included some $4.2 million from Title [\/-A Emergency Assistance funds which were terminated in mid-year. B. Personnel Resources Current budget allocation of positions and funds for FY 1995/96. There are currently 287 full time employee positions allocated to Probation: 1 . 90.5 are deputy probation officers 91 .9 are probation counselors 42.3 are clerical 31 are first line supervisors 7 are managers and the rest (24.3) are a variety of support and specialist employees. C. Affirmative Action The Probation Department's Affirmative Action Implementation Plan was updated April, 1996. The Department Affirmative Action Committee is regularly provided with incoming information on rulings and case law on Affirmative Action, Americans with Disabilities Act, Department statistics, and other relevant topics. Meetings are held quarterly unless specific issues require more frequent meetings. Comparing overall Department staffing with labor force statistics, the Probation Department is above parity in employment of females, African Americans, and American Indians/Alaskan - 4 - Natives, but below parity regarding Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders, Employment of Hispanics has increased, is now 9.2%, approaching parity (10.56%). Most positions vacated since Summer, 1992 have been filled by rehiring from layoff lists; the last person wishing to return from layoff was reappointed in Winter, 1995. This has meant that outside recruitment has been limited. Despite this, evaluation of Targeted Job Classes unique to the Department shows us at or above parity in most categories, with need to hire one individual in each of four categories (Probation Supervisor I, female and African American; Institutional Supervisor I, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander) and six individuals in another category (Deputy Probation Officer III, Hispanic). Though the continuing shortfall of Hispanics in Deputy Probation Officer ranks is significant, it is encouraging to note that Hispanics are now represented at labor workforce levels in the entry position of Probation Counselor. Recruitment efforts will focus especially on encouraging Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander candidates for Probation Counselor and Deputy Probation Officer. D. Sick Leave The Probation Department is required to staff our juvenile institutions and any excessive use of sick leave negatively impacts our budget when those staff must be physically replaced. Several Department staff have sick leave balances of from 1 ,000 to over 2,000 hours, while others have less than 50 hours even though many have been with the County for 25 or 30 years. It is recognized that some people have legitimate reasons for not having a healthy sick leave balance, but it is our intent to begin an aggressive program of holding those people accountable who abuse this benefit. • - 5 - The average sick leave balance for Probation Department staff for the period June, 1995 to April, 1996 has gone up from 388 to 416 hours. E. Staff Development 1. Performance Evaluations Evaluations have traditionally been done annually on all employees. During contract negotiations in 1993, negotiated agreement was reached that for permanent employees, evaluations would be done every two years, and probationary employees would be evaluated at least once during their probation period. Department policy and procedures support making the evaluation process one that enhances staff performance by recognizing and reinforcing good work, clearly identifying performance problems and how they can be improved, and encouraging periodic assessment of career goals and activities. Performance evaluations of managers and supervisors include assessment of the timeliness and quality of their evaluations of their subordinates. 2. Inservice Training As an agency participant in California's Standards & Training for Corrections (STC) program, the Probation Department receives approximately $80,000 annually in state funds for appoved training costs. As a condition of participation in the program, the Department agrees that all corrections staff will meet STC training standards. This requires a specific and detailed "academy' type Core training for new or newly promoted staff during the first calendar year after their appointment, and annual training for those who are remaining at the same position. • - 6 - New Probation Counselors (at Juvenile Hall or the Ranch) receive a four-week Core training, and 24 hours annually thereafter. Deputy Probation Officers receive a five-week Core training, and 40 hours annually thereafter. Probation or Institution Supervisors and Probation Managers receive a 2-week Core training, and 40 hours annually thereafter. (The Managers' Core course is a new requirement still in development stages; heretofore Managers have simply taken 40 hours each year of management-related training). The Probation Department Training Officer carries out a training needs assessment each year, and from that develops a catalog of courses from which staff choose classes to meet their training requirements. Courses are offered in such areas as Laws & Interpretation of Laws; Gangs; Resources; Skills Development; Mental Health / Psychology/ Substance Abuse; Staff Safety & Wellbeing;' and Professional Development. A sampling of this year's courses: "Officer Safety - Field Probation," "Three Strikes Update," "Gangs in Custody," "Americans With Disabilities Act Update," "Dealing with Chemically Dependent Families". During the current fiscal year about 65 classes were presented under department sponsorship; in addition, about 50 staff attended various courses presented elsewhere on issues relating to their assignments. The department also regularly has staff (including clerical and other non-STC staff) participating in courses at County Training Institute and in Data Processing computer courses. Approximately 10 staff each year take advantage of the county s Indirect Benefits program to assist them in taking career-relevent coursework for college credit. F. Automation The Department has now been able to give all field staff on-line access to several automated systems. Recently the Adult Division went on line with the Jail Management System (JMS) IDA - 7 - and the warrant system (JAWS). This gives them information more efficiently to complete their reports. The Department also recently gained access to the Office of Revenue Collections (ORC) automated system to obtain account information. This has saved time for both ORC and Probation. During the past year, the Department has set up a Local Area Network (LAN) at the 50 Douglas office. This will enable staff to utilize shared data base applications. The department is awdous to implement the Adult electronic court report project. This will allow the Department to obtain even greater efficiencies. The Probation Department continues to be one of the major users of the County's E-Mail system (TAO). III. CLIENT SERVICES A. Workload Clientele and Service Delivery Status 1. Adult Probation Services--Investigations a. The Contra Costa County Municipal Courts have funded four deputy probation officers who perform duties.for those courts as identified by each Municipal Court District. b. Investigations and reports to the Superior Court are mandated by the State and provide presentence information for the Courts. C. Probation provides over 200 bail study/preplea reports each month which permits the Court to determine the amount of bail, thereby reducing a costly hearing and impacting the jail by moving inmates on an average of three days earlier than if there were no bail review studies. d. There are some 5,500 reports produced each year by 15 deputy probation officers. 2. Adult Services--Supervision a. Contra Costa has over 4,300 felony level probationers in the County. Some 2,200 of these cases are supervised by the Computer Assisted Probation Services unit (CAPS) and the rest are supervised by the 14.5 Probation Officers who are available to actively supervise felons on probation in the County. 3. Juvenile Probation Referrals and Investigations a. The Probation Department receives referrals of 350 new juvenile delinquents arrested every month. b. Some 300 repeat offenders are re-referred for new offenses and probation violations every month. C. Of the 660 investigations done monthly, approximately 200 are booked into Juvenile Hall and require a level of detention. d. About two-thirds of cases referred to us are resolved through investigation and utilization of alternatives and counseling; about a third of the referrals we receive necessitate a court hearing and additional investigations and reports to the court. 4. Juvenile Probation Supervision a. Most juvenile offenders are released on conditional probation back to their own homes, schools and communities. (1) There are between 1 ,400 and 1 ,500 juveniles on probation in Contra Costa County at any given time. (2) After a short period of time on regular probation supervision, many of these - 9 - youngsters are placed on a service as needed status. By banking a number of probation cases, the remainder can be supervised more closely by deputy probation officers. b. Juvenile Out of Home Residential Care: During the course of this fiscal year, Contra Costa Juvenile Courts have had up to 180 youngsters in out of home residential care. This includes group home placements, foster home placements and other county residential programs. Projections were that the Department would have no more than 150 youngsters in placement at any given time and the Department has made a concentrated effort to try to reduce the number of youngsters in out of home residential care. Currently the county has some 145 youngsters in group homes, foster homes and other residential programs. C. In addition to our other responsibilities at any given time, we are responsible for some 160 youth incarcerated in Juvenile Hall and some 74 young men at the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility (Ranch). d. Home Supervision: As an alternative to Juvenile Hall detention pending further hearings, minors are often released to house arrest where they are intensely supervised by Probation staff. This program calls for intense monitoring; caseloads are limited by law to 10 per counselor. In the course of a year over 600 youngsters are released to Home Supervision. 80% do very well in that status; 20% require further action by Home Supervision staff or the Courts. At any given time we have between 45 and 55 youngsters on Home Supervision status. e. Electronic Monitoring: This program has also been utilized.to alleviate overcrowding at Juvenile Hall. The current program has room for only 20 juveniles, _ 10 - and is the top priority for expansion sometime in the next few months. The program itself has been very successful in saving a considerable amount of money on those occasions when our only alternative would have been to open up a closed unit at Juvenile Hall at a cost of some $1,000 a day. 5. Community Services Program: Approximately 1 ,000 juvenile offenders a year are sentenced to perform supervised community service on weekend work crews. Work is performed byway of contracts between Probation and other governmental entities, such as the East Bay Regional Parks, School Districts and the Public Works Department. These contracts make the program nearly self-sufficient. We are currently planning to add crews to work specifically in the Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill areas, utilizing young offenders from those areas to do graffiti eradication and other public service work. 6. Juvenile Hall: Over a third of the Probation Department's employees and a fourth of the Probation Department budget go to the operation of the Contra Costa Juvenile Hall. a. In 1995, some 2,299 youthful offenders were admitted to the Hall with the average stay being 28.1 days. The capacity of the Hall is 160. It has been very difficult to maintain that number given population growth and other factors such as a more violent population. For the month of May, the population ranged from 168 to 190. b. About half the youngsters in Juvenile Hall are there after having been through the Court processes and are awaiting placement in either foster homes, the Ranch or California Youth Authority. For example, on May 31, there were some 70 young men awaiting placement at the Byron Boys' Ranch. DOI - 11 - c. Juvenile Hall Resident Population: West County - 48% East County - 28% Central County - 20% Other - 4% d. In comparing Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall's size and use with other counties, we have fewer beds, lower admissions and lower average daily populations per 1,000 population than is the average statewide. 7. Boys' Ranch: The Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility is run by the Probation Department and is a residential correctional program. All juveniles admitted to the Ranch are committed there by the Juvenile Court in one of three programs: (1) Sixty days; (2) Six months; and (3) Nine months. The average stay at Orin Allen is four months. Boys committed to the Ranch are from: West County - 51%, Central County - 16%, and East County - 33%. It should be noted that in the past year, the Byron Boys' Ranch has effectively reduced the number of walkaways from some 50 a year to less than 6. IV. ANNUAL PERFORMANCE A. Goals Accomplished in Fiscal Year 1995/96 1 . The Probation Department, in cooperation with Mental Health and the CAD's office was able to secure a SafeFutures grant which is going to allow the Department to open an intense 20 bed residential program that will work with youngsters who would ordinarily be sent to out of County group home placements. The program will feature a very strong Mental Health component, a very strong school component, good after care services, and a closed and secure setting. Plans are for the program to be - 12 - opened in a wing of Juvenile Hall on September 1 , 1996. This program will give the Juvenile Court a badly needed alternative and will, hopefully, answer a need that currently exists for an intensive, short term placement with very active intervention with both the youngster and his family. 2. The Electronic Monitoring program has now been in existence for a period of almost one year. After a slow start, due to getting the deputy probation officers and Court on board with the concept and only placing youngsters on the program who would normally be detained in Juvenile Hall, the unit has all of its monitoring equipment in use and the hope is to expand electronic monitoring for juveniles from 20 to 40 youth. This program has been extremely successful and effective and has dramatically impacted Juvenile Hall overcrowding. On some days, there were enough youngsters on electronic monitoring that the overflow unit did not need to be opened, thereby saving the County $1 ,000 a day in operating expenses. The program itself has been a very big success, particularly with parents who needed some help in controlling their offspring. It will be a necessity in the future in trying to keep a cap on the Juvenile Hall population. 3. The Diversion Project works with youngsters who would ordinarily have been placed in out of home placements. It has been very successful and has worked with up to 90 . youngsters at a given time. This is an intense supervision project where Probation Officers are contacting every youngster on their caseload at least once a day and are following school progress, monitoring any problems at home and focusing on keeping these youngsters law abiding and out of Juvenile Hall. 4. A great deal of time and effort has been spent this year on the upkeep of the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility. Last summer, in cooperation with General Services, a three month painting apprenticeship program was held. That program consisted of a lead painter from General �• 1 - 13 - Services instructing the youth. Due in part to the success of that program, this summer three apprenticeship programs are operating; landscape, painting and bike repairs. All three are primarily funded through the East Bay Corridor Project as well as General Services. New windows are currently being installed in the dormitory, again funded by General Services. A new walk-in freezer is anticipated later this year. The school program has been restructured with a greater emphasis on vocational development. The GED preparation program has more than doubled with an increased number of youths successfully taking the GED. In addition to the substance abuse education programs and Gang Diversion programs which have been in operation for several years, an Anger Management group has been added with a Victim Awareness program anticipated by the end of the year. Teen Parenting continues to be offered quarterly to those young men who have children. The maintenance of a low AWOL rate has continued for the past two years, with last year's six AWOLs being the lowest of record. In cooperation with the County Office of Education, a classroom has been opened in West County to assure a school placement for those residents who leave the program and would otherwise have to wait several weeks for a school placement with the West Contra Costa School District. Enhanced transition services are anticipated through the SafeFutures grant. Monies have been allotted from the state through Proposition 86 to air condition the dormitory; however, the electrical service will need to be upgraded to accommodate additional power. 5. The Department is currently working with police departments in the east part of the County to establish a Serious Habitual Offender program and with the Housing Authority to seek a grant to work with high risk juveniles in the east part of the County. - 14 - 6. Virtually all Contra Costa Probation Department staff in field offices and those in institutions who have mainframe access have been trained in the use of E-Mail and most use it regularly. This automation has allowed for a great deal less paperwork and more rapid, efficient communication. 7. Contra Costa County had over 180 youngsters in out of home group home placements as late as November of 1995. A new policy on placements was put in place and we anticipate being below 120 placements as of July 1. This would not be possible without the SafeFutures grant which will give the Court an option and a placement for those youngsters who need to be out of their homes for a period of time. 8. Juvenile Hall has coped with overcrowding, the incarceration of a 6 year old and two 8 year olds on attempted murder charges, and all kinds of other dilemmas. Staff have done an admirable job this year and the Juvenile Hall continues to be one of the better operated Juvenile Halls in California. 9. As a result of cooperation with the Sheriff and the Highway Patrol, the Probation Department has fielded an officer who works with those agencies to specifically target auto thefts in Contra Costa County. That project has been very successful and has been funded for another year. 10. The Probation Department is active with the Service Integration Teams (S.I.T.) and along with Mental Health, C.P.S. and other agencies has worked very diligently to service families on a multi disciplinary basis to try and keep them out of the juvenile justice system. These officers have caseloads of about 25 and spend a great deal of time working intensively with families in the community. 11. The Probation Department's Juvenile Community Service Program runs weekend crews which field teams of juveniles to do such things as pick up trash, eradicate - 15 - graffiti, clean drainage ditches of weeds and debris, and other public service jobs which benefit the community. 12. Despite problems which are looming on the horizon because of a reduction in Title RI-A monies, the Probation Department met every single budget commitment set for Fiscal Year 1995/96. V. CHALLENGES AND NEW DIRECTIONS A. Challenges The Department is currently struggling with a revenue shortfall which occurred when the Federal Government arbitrarily and unilaterally decided that the Title IV-A monies which had been going to counties for a number of years for emergency assistance to families whose youngsters were taken out of the home would cease to exist as of December 31 , 1995. Because billing was always at least a quarter behind, the impact of this loss will not be felt until July 1 , 1996. At that point, the Department is looking at some draconian cuts which will pretty effectively gut our ability to serve the Adult Court in this County. Some of the possible cuts which may occur in non-mandated functions are: Contra Costa County now has 12.5 Probation Officers supervising adult felons in the County. Less serious felons are already supervised through CAPS. Plans call for banking over half of those cases now actively supervised and reducing the number of DPOs supervising felons by 50%. Cases would be evaluated and classified and only the most serious and violent offenders will receive probation supervision. Termination of bail reviews. Bail study/pre-preliminary hearing investigations are usually ordered at the arraignment hearing in Municipal Court. A report is prepared and sent to the Court so that when the inmate appears before the Court, the Court not only has an idea - 16 - of how much bail should be set, but an idea of the criminal offense, the criminal records background and other salient factors. These reports are also used for sentencing and, if not provided, will impede the Superior Court process. Additional hearings will likely be necessary for each of these inmates (over 200 each month), inmates will stay in jail longer, and the Courts will refer cases later in the process for preplea and presentence reports. Elimination of Computer Assisted Probation Services (CAPS): This unit collects some $250,000 a year in fines, fees and restitution. This unit also monitors all out of county and out of state probationers. This is an active unit and is constantly being queried by the Court when it needs information about these 2,200 felons. Elimination of Court Officers: 2.5 officers who are assigned to the Superior Courts, mostly in Courts that handle cases in the early stages of criminal procedure. These officers have been extremely effective in helping the Courts keep calendars moving and in providing badly needed information to the Courts. Probation currently has an officer who specializes in caseloads of adults ordered placed by the Court into residential treatment programs. This function is to be abandoned. B. New Directions These cuts come at a time when Probation services are needed more than ever in the past. With a more violent population of offenders, with jail overcrowding, and with all the other factors that are in play, Probation has long been the safety valve that has kept much of the justice system affordable. Without Probation services, the Adult Court is going to have few options for holding offenders accountable and even less ability to know what is happening to those people who are placed on probation because there will be no eyes and ears for the Court. Del - 17 - It should be noted that while the above mentioned cuts are possible for this fiscal year, a similar revenue shortage will exist in 1997-98 and will bring about the cessation of almost all adult services in that year unless some other revenue stream can be found. 6/25/96 Attachment TS:ds ` T1/Probrpt.61 Dil n] 3 � bGrop "0 C p \ (D N (D N (D 0 (D rt rt N• LIJ c � neo ( " C- - n m N ... r�7 Ea FO (D h, rr n� n � uKiD m m ro ► C15 m D7 N1-0 R N x rr hj J rY O (D lKrD� � t--hd d N rt ti 1-h ' ro c� L4L4 0) d L.4 ~'n n w ° H. ort ro f' 1J not m P-►-J m N ti 9- 1 O ►- O n to * r- rr ren r7 N t,'r H O r-n 0o H- ((D tj t-' R� K (~D n • n (D W U.S.ba,�artment of Justice 10ftice of Justice Programs — Of ce of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention i Juvenile Probation : The Workhorse of the From the Administrator This bulletin was prepared, in part, Juvenile Justice System based upon responses to a on - pr wide survey of juvenile probation officers and administrators conducted Patricia McFall Torbet in 1992 by NCJJ.The survey was part of ongoing efforts by NCJJ's Juvenile Probation Officer Initiative In 1993 nearly 1.5 million delinquency Generally,juvenile probation officers (JPOI)to address the needs of cases were handled by,juvenile courts. are college-educated white males,30-49 juvenile probation officers nationally Virtually every one of those cases had years old,with 5-10 years of experience through applied research,program contact with a probation officer at some in the field.Typically the officers earn development,technical assistance, point.Probation departments screened $20,000—$39;000 per year and receive and information dissemination.JPOI most of those cases to determine how standard benefits packages,but not nec- is a component of NCJJ's Technical they should be processed,made deten- essarily annual salary increases.The aver- Assistance to the Juvenile Court tion decisions on some of them,prepared age caseload is 41 juveniles.Although Project funded by the Office of Investigation reports on most of them, probation officers have some arrest pow- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency provided supervision to over a half mil- ers,they do not normally carry weapons. Prevention (OJJDP). lion of them,and delivered aftercare serv- Some of the typical problems juvenile As part of JPOI, NCJJ compiled a ices to many of the juveniles released probation officers face are a lack of re- data base of juvenile probation from institutions.Since 1929,when the sources,not enough staff,and too many officers in every county in the first Juvenile Court Statistics report was cases.Although they chose this line of country.This data base is used to published using 1927 data,probation work"to help kids,"their greatest sources select random samples for surveys, has been the overwhelming disposi- of frustration are an inability to impact the analyze information about probation tional choice of juvenile and family court lives of youth,the attitudes of probation- departments,and disseminate judges.In 1993,56 percent of all cases ers and their families,and difficulties in information to the field. Information adjudicated for a delinquency offense identifying successes. on youth placed on probation comes received probation as the most severe from the Juvenile Court Statistics disposition,compared with 28 percent series,which describes data stored that were placed in some type of residen- The Profession in the National Juvenile Court Data tial facility, 12 percent that were given Archive at NCJJ.The archive,funded some other disposition(e.g.,fines,resti- What Is Juvenile Probation? by OJJDP,contains the most detailed tution,or community service),and 4 per- Juvenile probation is the oldest information available on youth in- cent that were dismissed with no further and most widely used vehicle through volved in the juvenile justice system sanctions. which a range of court-ordered services is and on activities of the Nation's Over the past several years,the rendered.Probation may be used at the juvenile courts. National Center for Juvenile Justice(NCJJ) "front end"of the juvenile justice system It is my hope that this bulletin has produced reports,parts of which de- for first-time,low-risk offenders or at the assists the probation field in its scribe the profession of probation or the "back end"as an alternative to institu- critically important work. youth on probation(see References).This tional confinement for more serious of- information is compiled here to present fenders.In some cases probation may be Shay Bilchik the most comprehensive picture of juve- voluntary,in which the youth agrees to Administrator nile probation activity in the Nation. i N ,will comply with a period of informal proba- How Many Juvenile Eighty-five percent of these professionals tion in lieu of formal adjudication.More Probation Officers Are are involved in the delivery of basic intake, often,once adjudicated and formally or- There in the Country? investigation,and supervision services at dered to a term of probation,the juvenile the line officer level;the remaining 15 per- must submit to therobation conditions There are an estimated 18,000 juvenile p probation professionals impacting the cent are involved in the administration of established by the court. probation offices or the management of The official duties of juvenile probation lives of juveniles in the United States. probation staff. professionals vary from State to State and can even differ between jurisdictions with- in asingle state.Nonetheless,a basic set - of juvenile probation functions includes: TSble 1. intake screening of cases referred to juve- rile and family courts,predisposition or Probation Supervision Tends To Be Administered by presentence investigation of juveniles, Local Juvenile Courts or by aState Execadve Branch`Agency . and court-ordered supervision of juvenile offenders. Not all probation departments execute State Administration Local Administration all three of these functions independently. Judicial Branch =-Executive Branch _Judicial Branch `Executive Branch For example,in some jurisdictions the prosecutor shares the intake responsibil- Connecticut Alaska Alabama California fty with the probation officer,and in other Hawari Arkansas Arizona Idaho jurisdictions the prosecutor has sole re- Iowa Delaware Arkansas Minnesota , sponsibility for the intake process.Simi- la `Kentucky Florida California Mississippi dy,probation responsibilities are not Nebraska Georgia Colorado New York always limited to intake,investigation, and supervision.Some departments also North Carolina Idaho District of Oregon provide aftercare for youth released from North Dakota Kentucky Columbia Washington institutions;others may administer deten- South Dakota =Louisiana Georgia Wisconsin tion or manage local residential facilities Utah Maine Illinois or special programs. ;West Virginia Maryland Indiana Minnesota Kansas How Are Probation Mississippi Kentucky . Departments Organized? New Hampshire Louisiana Probation services are administered by New Mexico Massachusetts the local juvenile court or by the State ad- North Dakota Michigan ministrative office of courts in 23 States Oklahoma Minnesota and the District of Columbia.In another Rhode Island Missouri 14 States,probation administration is a combination of structures,usually with South Carolina Montana services administered by the juvenile Tennessee Nevada court in urban counties and by a State Vermont New Jersey executive system of probation in smaller Virginia Ohio counties.In 10 States probation is adminis- West Virginia Oklahoma tered statewide through an executive „ ''Wyoming Pennsylvania branch department.In three States,the Tennessee county executive administers probation Texas (Table 1). Virginia While juvenile probation services Washington continue to be predominantly organized Wisconsin under the judiciary,recent legislative ac- Wyoming tivity has primarily transferred these sere- ices from the local juvenile court to a State court judicial department.The transfer of Note:,Bolded States indicate.that probation is provided by a,combination of agencies.Often juvenile probation services to State judi- larger,urban counties operate local probation departments,while the State,.administers probation" in smaller counties r tial administration is consistent with the emerging pattern of State funding of Source:Hurst,H N,and Torbet,P.(1993).Organization and Administration of Juvenile Services: courts. Probation;Aftercare,and State lnstitrnfons for.DelinquentYouth.In Snyder,H.and Sickmund,M. (1995),Juvenile Offenders and Victims:A Natrona/R sport NC.t',153569. 2 HOW Large Are Probation for more than 25 percent of delinquency Youth on Probation Officers' Caseloads? referrals to courts in jurisdictions with an Survey results of those officers who upper age of 16.The exclusion of 16-year- What is the Volume of reported an active field supervision olds from juvenile jurisdiction has a dra- Cases Placed on caseload indicate that the size of matic effect on the need for juvenile Probation? caseloads within departments ranged probation staff. In 1993,35 percent(524,640)of all between 2 and more than 200 cases, In addition to mixed caseloads and formally and informally handled delin- with a typical(median)active caseload upper age differences,other variables quency cases disposed by juvenile courts of 41.The optimal caseload suggested by that Impact department or caseload resulted in probation.Probation was the respondents was 30 cases(Table 2). size include the range of functions per- most severe disposition in over half(56 A comparison of caseloads across geo- formed by juvenile probation,the range percent)of adjudicated delinquency cases, graphic areas(urban,suburban,and rural) of juvenile behaviors prohibited by law, with annual proportions remaining con- revealed substantial differences.The me- and the number of crimes excluded from Stant for the 5-year period 1989-1993. dian caseload for urban officers was juvenile court jurisdiction.Moreover,the extent to which laws are enforced and The 1.5 million delinquency cases greater than the median caseload for sub- crimes are cleared with an arrest varies handled by juvenile courts in 1993 repre- urban officers,which,in turn,was greater between jurisdictions,as does the in- sented a 23-percent increase from 1989. than the median caseload for rural offic- volvement of prosecutors and the use Similarly,the number of juvenile cases ers.Similarly,urban and suburban juvenile of diversion or informal handling. placed on probation(either formally or probation officers reported a higher opti- informally)increased 21 percent,from mal caseload than rural officers.Rural of- How Much Do Juvenile 428,500 in 1989 to 520,600 in 1993.The ficers are more likely than their urban or probation Officers Earn? growth in probation caseloads was di- suburban counterparts to carry a mixed rectly related to the general growth in re- caseload of both adult and juvenile cases. Over three-quarters of all survey re- ferrals to juvenile courts.The likelihood spondents earned less than$44,000 per of a probation disposition did not change, How Do Urban Counties year.More than half(53 percent)of line because judges did not increase the rate Compare in Terms of staff earned less than$30,000 per year, at which they used probation as a disposi- Department Size? but 13 percent earned$40,000 per year tion.During this same period,the number Table 3 presents manpower rates for or more.Nearly 30 percent of the admin- of adjudicated cases placed on format pro- several urban jurisdictions.All have spe- istrators earned more than$49,999 per bation increased 17 percent,from 216,900 cialized juvenile probation departments; year.Very few line staff reported earning to 254,800,and the number of cases in- therefore,mixed caseloads of adults and salaries higher than that. volving a person offense(homicide,rape, juveniles are not an issue. Only 28 percent of the respondents robbery,assault,kidnaping,etc.)resulting At first glance it appears that New indicated that they routinely received in formal probation increased 45 percent York is understaffed relative to Chicago. annual salary increases;30 percent re- (Table 4). However,the upper age of juvenile court plied that they received none;and 42 per- cent indicated that it varied whether they jurisdiction in New York is 15;it is 16 in What is the Profile of Cases Illinois.Even though rate calculations con- received increases.Of those that did re- Placed on Probation? trot for upper age differences,older s cojuveceive annual salary increases,50 percent Most cases(54 percent)placed on for- mols generate more delinquency referrals received increases of less than 4 percent mal probation in 1993 involved youth adju- than younger juveniles.While delinquency r16-ye referrals s annually,47 percent received increases of dicated for property offenses;21 percent in- constitute about 14 percent of the popula- `-6 percent,and fewer than 3 percent involved person offenses; 18 percent in- cfon aged 10-16 nationwide,they account received increases in excess of 6 percent. volved public order offenses;and 7 per- cent involved drug law violations(Table 5).Even though most of the cases placed on probation are for property offenses(be- . cause most cases seen by juvenile courts _ are property cases), e p f Table 2. ease profile op rty the o#f z o cases aced on formal probation changed placed f e Probation Officers Report Differences in - p slightly between 1989 and 1993,with an .Their Actual and.Optimal Caseloads increase in the proportion of cases involy- x s `' Ing person offenses.Probation caseload changes reflected overall delinquency <Caseload'' 'Urban Suburban :`Rural <(werail caseload changes in terms of growth Current 47 40 `30 41 and offense profile—the majority of cases O mai 35 35 25 30 d by juvenile courts remained property offenses,but the court also expe- } rienced an increase in cases involving per- Sourre.Thomas,Z.,-(1993).'7he State ofJuvenite Probation f982:Results of a Nationwide son offenses.To the extent that probation Survey NCJ 159536 i is a mirror of what juvenile courts are ^: facing,it is not surprising that probation = 3 M . � able 3: There Are Major Differences in the Number of Probation Officers in Urban Jurisdictions Duties .. � i=intake 1990 Census ;. V=investigation. -.Officers/ Population S Supervision 10,000 , 10-Upper Upper Oicers Reported A=Aftercare Youth Gity Age Age 1993-1994 D^Detention 10 Upper Age New York,NY 536,300 r i5 175 I ' V `S 3 Chicago,IL 469,000 . .,;, 16 .318 I V S 7 , Houston,TX 288,300 _ = 16 .r- 208 I V S 7 Detroit,MI 212,100 : :. : .. 16" 100 : - I V S 5 Los Angeles,CA . 943,500 ..- 17 404 1 V S 4 Orange,GA 242,000 17 148 1. 'V S 6 . Phoenix,AZ 225,400 17 275 1 V S D 12 Miami,FL 201,900 :17 191 I V S A 10 Philadelphia,PA 158,800 17 190 1 V S A 12 Cleveland,OH 142,500 17 105 I V S 7 Seattle,WA 137,100 17 95 1 V S 7 Oakland,CA 120,500 17 120 1 V S 10 Memphis,TN, 95,600 17 65 1 V S A 7 Cincinnati,OH 92,200 17 34 V S 4 Minneapolis,MN 91,700 17 82 - 1 V S A 9 Fairfax,VA 88,100 " 17 95 1 V S A 11 Newark,NJ 83,000 17 38 S 5 Baltimore,MD -70,500 17 142 1 V S A 20 Oklahoma City,OK 64,600 17 25 1 V S 4 Note:*Officers Reported 1993-19W count includes local juvenile probation administrators,supervisors,line staff,and special program staff (e.g.,community service and drug and alcohol program officers). Source:Hurst,H.,IV,and Vereb,P.(1995).Special Anaiysis of the Juvenile Probation Officer Initiative Database. officers are finding more violent youth in over capacity and often have caps on ad- Balancing juvenile probation officers' their caseloads.Moreover,while there missions.In that sense,probation is the safety and the safety of the public with has not been a change in judicial use of "catch basin"of the juvenile justice sys- probationers'needs is a major challenge. probation as a disposition,the increase in tem and is being confronted with increas- Many departments have developed cre- violent youth on probation may very well ing and,as indicated below,more ative and successful intensive supervision be a result of a lack of secure beds for dangerous caseloads. and school-based programs that target these offenders.Probation is the only in fact,one of the biggest issues facing special populations of probationers; alternative. the field of juvenile probation is on-the-job however,there is increased pressure to safety.There is a growing perception that do much more community-based Challenges to Probation the work of juvenile probation is increas- programming. The field of probation is staffed by ingly dangerous.Almost one-third of the Indeed,in the face of rising caseloads, dedicated individuals who believe that survey respondents reported that they fixed resources,public demand for more young persons who break the law can had been assaulted on the job at some accountability,and serious safety con- change their behavior in favor of law- point in their careers.When asked ceras,the mission of probation will need abiding activities.Probation departments whether,during the course of their duties, to evolve even further to respond not cannot,however,limit their intake of pro- they were ever concerned about personal only to juvenile offenders but also to the bationers like private providers or State safety,42 percent of the respondents re- community. training schools,which routinely operate ported that they were usually or always concerned. 4 Do References Table 4• Maloney,D.,Romig,D.,and Armstrong, Probation Caseloads Are Crowing T.(1988)."Juvenile Probation:The Bal- anced Approach."Juvenile and Family CourtJournal,39(3). Number of Adjudicated Cases Umbreit,M.(1989)."Victims Seeking Placed on Formal Probation Fairness,Not Revenge:Toward Restor- Offense 1989 1993 Percent Change ative Justice."Federal Probation, September. Delinquency 216,900 254,800 17% This bulletin was prepared using the Person 37,200 53,900 45 following reports produced by the Na Property 126,300 136,600 8 tional Center for Juvenile Justice: Drugs 17,600 17,500 0 Butts,J.,et al.(1995).Juvenile Court Public Order 35,900 . 46,800 30 Statistics 1993.NCJ 159535.* Hurst,H.,N.and Torbet,P.(1993). Or- ganization and Administration of Juvenile Note:Detail may not add to totals because of rounding."Percent Change"calculations are Services:Probation,Aftercare, and State based on unrounded numbers. Institutions for Delinquent Youth. Source:Butts,J.,et al.(1995).Juvenile Court Statistics 1993.NCJ 159535. Hurst,H.,IV and Vereb,P.(1995). Special Analysis of the Juvenile Probation Officer Initiative Database. Snyder,H.and Sickmund,M.(1995). not only at the delivery of probation sere- Juvenile Offenders and Victims:A NationalReport.NCJ 153569.* Table 5• ices,but also the continuum of services available to respond to juvenile offenders Thomas,D. (1993). The State of Juvenile Offenses Against Other in the community.The balanced approach Probation 1992:Results of a Nationwide Persons Make Up a Growing (see Maloney,Romig,and Armstrong, Survey.NCJ_159536.* Proportion of Probation 1988)espouses the potential value in any Torbet,P.(Editor). (1993).Desktop Officers' Caseloads case of applying,to some degree,an entire Guide to Good Juvenile Probation Practice. set of principles—community protection, NCJ 128218.* accountability,competency development, *Documents available from the Juve- Offense 1989 1993 and/or treatment—along with individual- nile Justice Clearinghouse,800-638-8736; ized assessment.Restorative justice(see Person 17% 21% Umbreit, 1989)promotes maximum in- all others available from NCJJ. Property 58 54 volvement of the victim,offender,and Drugs 8 7 community in the justice process.These Public Order 17 18 two concepts have been combined into Total 100% 100% the"balanced and restorative justice" model,which suggests that justice is best served when the community,victim,and Cases youth receive balanced attention,and all This bulletin was prepared under grant Resulting gain rete ie benefits from their,and al number 95--JN-FX-KO03 from the Office of Juve- in Formal tions with the juvenile justice system. (OJ Justice and Delinquency Prevention Probation: 216,900 254,800 Future bulletins will address these issues (OJJDP),U.S.Department of Justice. in an attempt to support juvenile justice Points of view or opinions expressed in this Note:Detail may not total 100 percent professionals on the front lines in finding document are those of the author and do not because of rounding. new solutions to emerging problems.An necessarily represent the official position or Source:Butts,J.,et al.(1995).Juvenile upcoming OJJDP Program Summary will policies of OJJDP or the U.S.Department of Court Statistics 1993.NCJ 159535. highlight the American Probation and Pa- Justice. role Association's program for early identi- fication of and appropriate intervention An emerging issue for probation depart- for drug-involved youth. ments seeking some reasoned relief from For further information about the Juve- The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delin- juvenile justice policies that shift between nile Probation Officer Initiative,contact: quency Prevention is a component of the Of- just deserts and treatment philosophies is Doug Thomas,JPOI Coordinator lice of Justice Programs, which also includes whether to embrace a paradigm that en- National Center for Juvenile Justice the Bureau of Justice Assistance,the Bureau compasses yet another philosophy.The 710 Fifth Avenue of Justice Statistics,the National Institute of "balanced approach"and"restorative jus- Pittsburgh,PA 15219 Justice,and the Office for Victims of Crime. tice"concepts evoke new ways of looking 412-227-6950 5