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Serving Those Who Have Served: Veterans’ Treatment Court Provides Support in Lieu of Incarceration
From Sacramento News & Review, by Anne Stokes
SACRAMENTO, CA | October 26, 2023 — While post-traumatic stress disorder affects millions of people, veterans suffer at higher rates than civilians, three times more for those who were deployed. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 11-20% of veterans who served in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom have PTSD in a given year. Approximately 12% of Gulf War veterans and an estimated 30% of Vietnam Veterans struggle with PTSD. Symptoms include persistent flashbacks or nightmares, difficulty with emotional regulation, particularly anger management, and reckless or self-destructive behavior. Through California’s Veterans’ Treatment Court, veterans facing criminal charges may be eligible for treatment rather than punishment.
“The most common [struggle] for vets is PTSD [and] TBIs, which are traumatic brain injuries, just from service. That can turn into addictions, can turn into anger issues, and those can turn into other criminal activities if it goes far enough,” says Kevin Cadena, senior deputy probation officer with Sacramento County.
“Approximately 90% of the veterans in Veterans’ Treatment Court are combat veterans from mainly the First Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Many have experienced gruesome events.”
The goal of Veterans’ Treatment Court is to address the underlying issues at hand in the hopes of getting those who have served their country back on their feet.
A Story of Justice and Recovery
From The Press Enterprise. By Anthony Martinez.
As our communities come together to celebrate National Recovery Month, I want to take a moment to share my personal journey. My hope is that by telling my story, I can help inform ongoing discussions about addiction and criminal justice, while offering some hope to those who struggle with addiction.
I am a recovered addict, and am proud to say I have been sober for almost five years. My recovery journey has been shaped by many factors, but a few stand out as the most important: my family, especially my daughter, who never gave up on me; my faith in God; the treatment programs like the one I attended at the Salvation Army; and, surprisingly, the justice system.
In particular, I am deeply grateful for one of my probation officers who treated me with respect and compassion, seeing me as a human being.
Reassessing California’s Approach to Public Safety and Reentry
By Karen Pank, Executive Director, Chief Probation Officers of California.
Every day, new reports of crime shake communities across California. Recent high-profile violent crime incidents have intensified concerns about public safety and the policies guiding safety decisions in our state. But it’s not just the high-profile cases that have California residents shaken, it’s the too-close-to-home incidents we all see on the streets of the communities in which we live every day.
It’s natural to wonder who or what is to blame and ask why this surge in crime is happening and what went wrong within our communities and public safety systems. The reality is that the situation is both straightforward and complex.
As on-the-ground experts in community safety and rehabilitation, Probation officers have seen firsthand how the state’s efforts to dictate how to address policy issues that impact public safety are attacking the problem from the wrong point of view. While well-intentioned, the state’s top-down approach, which has not fully taken into account the expertise and input of the professionals who do this work every day at the local level – is failing.
Orange County Deputy Probation Officer Earns Outstanding Probation Officer of the Year Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Orange, Cali., September 11, 2024 – In a world where driving under the influence (DUI) remains a critical public safety concern, the dedication and innovative approaches within the justice system can make a significant difference. One such individual, Ronald De La Riva, is a recently honored member of the Orange County Probation Department, whose work with DUI court programs has earned him the 2024 Outstanding Probation Officer of the Year from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The following insights shed light on this remarkable journey, from groundbreaking initiatives to a lasting impact on the community.
A Career Built on Commitment
The MADD 2024 Outstanding Probation Officer of the Year award was not a spontaneous accolade but rather a result of a deliberate and impactful career. De La Riva joined DUI Court as a Supervising Probation Officer (SPO) in 2013. His drive to improve DUI interventions was influenced by a department wide initiative towards evidence-based practices (EBPs). This commitment to employing effective, research-backed methods rather than traditional approaches laid the foundation for significant advancements in the DUI court program.
Statement on CPOC’s Support for Proposition 36 from President Kelly Vernon
The Chief Probation Officers of California support Prop 36 as an important step toward meaningful change in the justice system and the communities we serve. As professionals dedicated to public safety, helping individuals transform their lives and supporting victims, we recognize the urgent need for action and approach this decision with a lens of balancing accountability and opportunity for change.
Victim Resources
CA Department of Justice Victims’ Services Unit – The Victims’ Services Unit offers crime victims and their families support and information at every stage of the criminal process.
CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation, OVSRS – Provides information on offender release, restitution, parole conditions and parole hearings when the offender is incarcerated in prison. 1-877-256-6877
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Solano, Mono, & Contra Costa County Probation: Innovative Thinking in Pretrial Services
From APPR. By Zerline Hughes Spruill.
Partnering with rideshare companies and transportation departments, offering virtual counseling, and unveiling an office on wheels are a few creative services offered by pretrial programs in California. Since the state piloted the creation and expansion of pretrial programs, staff are thinking outside the box to focus on helping people succeed before trial.
“We have come to a place where the criminal legal system is finding its new normal in regard to pretrial services,” said Deirdre Benedict, a supervising analyst with the Judicial Council of California. “Courts and their pretrial service providers and jails are figuring out ways to work together and get people through the pretrial process by finding ways to support their needs. Among 58 counties, there are 58 different stories. Many things are coming to life which is exciting.”
Solano County: Putting the Shoe on the Other Foot
When Solano County Superior Court Judge Wendy Getty learned that transportation was a barrier to showing up for jury duty, she realized it was likely a challenge for people attending required court hearings, too. Following a meeting that included a Solano County Transportation Authority executive, Judge Getty garnered support that led to the Equitable Access to Justice Pilot Program, an initiative that provides rideshare options to those needing to get to court.
The program works in two ways. First, it uses an online system that limits users’ travel via Lyft rideshare to a specific destination, like the Solano County courthouse, a clinic, or a pretrial program office. Second, it allows users up to 10 Uber rideshare vouchers. Since smartphone access can pose a challenge for some residents, the car service is arranged by a probation officer or case manager.
“Sometimes what we ask clients to do is not that easily done,” said Cynthia K. Garcia, specialty courts manager, Superior Court of California, County of Solano. “Our director encouraged the team to take public transportation. They all decided to give it a try, and it changed their perspective on what we were ordering them to do. They learned it’s not easy. You can leave on time, but if a bus is late, you can miss your intake appointment.”
“We see that in the counties where the bench and court leadership convene a multidisciplinary group of local stakeholders and justice partners in the development of pretrial release programs, they have been very successful,” said Benedict. “Having the Court involved and engaged is so important as the whole purpose of the funding is to provide the bench with information they need to make their independent decisions, and to be aware of the monitoring resources they have access to through their pretrial service providers.”
Collaboration is key to making innovative ideas a reality. “Three partners [the Superior Court of California, the County of Solano, and the Solano Transportation Authority] have come together to make sure people are able to get where they need to be in order to successfully complete court programs,” Benedict said.
Mono County: Staffing Up, Thinking Differently
“Things are really different for a lot of people,” said Leianna Eissinger, deputy probation officer with the Mono County Probation Department, which manages the county’s pretrial program. “We decided to figure out who each person is and figure out why they are in the system. We asked ourselves, is it because their income is low? Is it due to no transportation that they are not showing up for court? Quickly, you can realize the needs of these individuals. I don’t know if there was a lightbulb that went on, but it evolved. Us being more active with the courts because of pretrial legislation really opened up people’s eyes to what needed to be done.”
Once Mono County’s pretrial program was operational, a behavioral coordinator was hired to help integrate a wide range of voluntary resources within agencies, from coordinating driver’s license appointments to drug and alcohol treatment referrals.
“People were interested in virtual counseling, and I wasn’t too big on that; I’m more of an in-person person,” said Dylan Whitmore, deputy probation officer responsible for overseeing Mono County’s pretrial program. “Now, however, in witnessing it, people are taking to virtual counseling. I didn’t think it was going to work, but it has. We have to be progressive in our thinking.”
Funding from the legislation also allowed coordinators to set up weekly (or more frequent) multidisciplinary meetings between pretrial services, social services, behavioral health, jail staff, adult education, and community service agencies.
Mono County is one of the least populous counties in the state. To better serve its small population following the new legislation, the probation department began focusing on the lived experience of their clients; listening to their challenges and needs. This change produced an increase in client traffic.
“I see more people coming into the office when they don’t even have an appointment with the behavioral coordinator,” said Whitmore. “It’s more like a community service for them. For example, if the calendar we provided to them gets wet, they’ll return and ask for another.”
Contra Costa County: Breaking Barriers
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Contra Costa County’s Pretrial Services Unit experienced significant challenges with clients reporting to the court and pretrial services program. The legislation allowed the agency to bring an idea to fruition, but the impact of the pandemic nearly halted their efforts.
“Our in-person reporting mechanism almost ceased to exist. We were trying to explore ideas in terms of how we could innovate reporting when the idea of mobile-service vans came into play,” said Yuri Secoquian, probation director, Specialty Field Services, Contra Costa County.
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The vans park in front of the courthouse, giving people an opportunity to check in before or after a court hearing and access resources like free “sustainability bags”–backpacks with essentials like t-shirts, underwear, and deodorant.
The vans also allow staff to travel throughout the county to locations further away from the court, making it more convenient for people to ask questions and for staff to assess needs and make referrals.
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“The feedback I’ve been getting from staff is that once people know that that service is there, they appreciate the fact they can come right out of court and report directly to pretrial, get instructions, and learn about their attorney,” said Bart B. Sloan, who supervises the Contra Costa County Military Veteran Pretrial Services Unit.
The county also operates a pretrial court date reminder system, an effective approach to increasing court appearance and warrant clearance rates. According to Benedict, 46 of California’s 58 counties currently have reminder systems. The 12 jurisdictions that have not implemented court date reminder systems report that they are planning to do so.
The Future of Funding
“It’s about thinking outside of the box,” said Mono County’s Eissinger. “Things we wouldn’t have even thought of 10 years ago in this profession are at the forefront now. Accepting those simple things, like challenges around immigration status or helping schedule DMV appointments, makes a difference. For example, our behavioral coordinator lets us know when the [citizenship] consulate will be in the area.”
Benedict said emphatically that these innovations could not have happened without state funding to pilot and expand pretrial programs in the state.
“The funding provided for pretrial projects has been instrumental in giving courts and their pretrial service partners the ability to shore up their technical infrastructure, staffing, and support services that enable them to monitor individuals released prior to trial while preserving public safety,” she said.
Benedict said they continue to work with the legislature because funding for all 58 counties remains the same three years later—$68.95 million.
“The Court and their pretrial service justice partners are concerned about the stagnant level of funding, ” said Benedict. “This impacts the ability to adequately staff and plan long-term for the vital support and monitoring services necessary for a fully functioning pretrial program.”
Read the full article here.
O.C. Juvenile Hall Youth Help Rescue Dogs Overcome Trauma, Train Them for Forever Homes
From the Daily Pilot.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – December 18, 2024 – Surviving a 20-year sentence for his role in a 1997 gang-related homicide in Westminster forced Nhut Thanh Vo to disassociate from his emotions. By the time he was three-fourths of the way through his prison stint, he was starving for an opportunity to form a relationship with another soul.
A program that taught inmates dog handling by pairing them with pets rescued from shelters allowed him to bond with another living being for the first time in over 16 years.
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