General Session

Hunt the Good Stuff

Author, veteran, and global resilience advocate Duncan Kirkwood guides participants through the foundational tools of personal and professional resilience. Using his Hunt the Good Stuff framework, he demonstrates how presence, grit, joy, and gratitude strengthen mental health, boost workplace performance, and foster a grounded sense of self. Key themes include letting go of the past, developing grit to overcome challenges, and reframing negative thoughts through gratitude and self-discovery.

General Session

Investing in People is the Key to Investing in Safety

A human-centered approach to strengthening the probation workforce can transform both correctional systems and communities. By investing in workplace culture, probation enhances staff effectiveness, fosters innovation and collaboration, and supports overall well-being. Learn how organizational health strategies build stronger leadership, improve outcomes, and create safer communities through transformative rehabilitation.

General Session

From Rock Bottom to Redemption: A Probation Officer’s Journey Through Trauma, Recovery and the Power of Perseverance

After surviving a near-fatal surfing accident, one probation officer’s journey from paralysis to completing an ultramarathon became a powerful metaphor for personal and professional purpose. This session will explore how a near-death experience, resilience, and rehabilitation became not just a story of survival, but a renewed call to serve—more intentionally, more humanely, and more powerfully as a probation officer. Drawing parallels between his physical recovery and the rehabilitative journeys of those probation serves, this session highlights how belief, accountability, and community are essential to transformation—on both sides of the justice system.

Breakout Sessions

Embedding Family Engagement in Juvenile Justice: Enhancing Systems Through the Strengthening Families Program

Family connection is key to helping youth thrive, especially for those in the juvenile justice or foster care systems. This session highlights how Butte County Probation uses the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) to improve outcomes for justice-involved youth and their families. The Strengthening Families Foundation will also share national insights on how SFP is being implemented in detention, diversion, and early intervention settings across the country.

The Silent 10%: The Untold Crisis of the Justice Systems Fastest Growing Population – Women

Women are the fastest-growing population in the U.S. justice system—yet their unique needs remain widely unmet. This session explores the impact of incarceration on women and their families, and how gender-responsive strategies like the Gemma Project are addressing this hidden crisis. Participants will learn about the importance of tailored, trauma-informed approaches, and the power of multi-system collaboration to support justice-involved women, most of whom are mothers, through both pre- and post-release programming.

Power in Partnership: Advancing Probation Outreach Through Collaboration

Probation departments are uniquely positioned to help address homelessness issues facing our communities – connecting accountability with services that promote long-term stability. This session highlights how Sacramento, Placer, and San Joaquin County Probation Departments developed Homeless Outreach Programs through innovative partnerships with community organizations and law enforcement. Presenters will share strategies for engagement, cross-system collaboration, and the critical role probation plays in reducing homelessness, enhancing public safety, and promoting rehabilitation.

Breakout Sessions

Smart Justice: Using Data to Guide Pretrial Decisions

The Public Safety Assessment (PSA) is a validated pretrial tool that informs release decisions based on risk—not resources. Presenters will break down how the PSA works, how it supports both courts and probation, and share the lessons learned from its implementation across California. Attendees will learn practical ways to use the PSA to enhance fairness, reduce reliance on monetary bail, and improve public safety through effective pretrial monitoring.

Move the Middle: Shifting Culture Starts with You

Probation is dedicated to helping people change—yet change is often the very thing we resist within our own organizations. To evolve and achieve our mission, we must confront this paradox. Culture shifts not from the top down, but when the people in the middle—the majority—choose to move. This workshop will challenge you to identify where you stand on the curve of change and empower you to take action. Embracing change isn’t optional; it’s essential. The future depends on your willingness to help Move the Middle.

Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) for Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth

This session explores how San Francisco Juvenile Probation and Alternative Family Services launched an Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) program to reduce detention and improve outcomes for justice-involved youth. Attendees will learn what it takes to develop and sustain an ISFC model, including recruiting culturally responsive foster homes and providing 24/7 support/services such as individualized case management, peer support, and mental health services for both youth and caregivers.

General Session

25 Years Strong: How JJCPA Reshaped Juvenile Justice

This year marks the 25th anniversary of California’s Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA), a landmark investment in prevention that gave probation departments critical resources to help keep youth from entering—or progressing further into—the justice system. With this support, probation fostered strong community partnerships to address risk factors and reduce system involvement. This session will reflect on JJCPA’s origins, its impact in both urban and rural counties, and how it laid the groundwork for future juvenile justice reforms.

General Session

From Supervision to Success: Lived Experiences from the Justice System

Individuals with firsthand experience in the justice system share powerful personal journeys toward rehabilitation. Through candid stories, panelists reveal the pivotal role probation played in their progress—offering both accountability and support. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of probation’s human impact and the transformative potential unlocked when people are connected to essential resources and provided opportunities to build safer, healthier, and stronger lives.

General Session

If Youth and Young Adults​ Are So Smart, Why Do They Engage in Risky Behaviors

Individuals with firsthand experience in the justice system share powerful personal journeys toward rehabilitation. Through candid stories, panelists reveal the pivotal role probation played in their progress—offering both accountability and support. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of probation’s human impact and the transformative potential unlocked when people are connected to essential resources and provided opportunities to build safer, healthier, and stronger lives.

Breakout Sessions

Partnerships in Action: Probation, Courts, and the Judicial Council in Pretrial

California’s Pretrial Services Program is built on strong collaboration between probation, the Judicial Council, and the courts. Presenters will examine probation’s expanding role in monitoring and case management, the Judicial Council’s support for local implementation, and how judges balance release decisions with public safety and court appearance. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how these partnerships create effective, balanced pretrial practices across the state.

Transitioning from Foster Care to Adulthood: Unlocking Resources for Success

It is important for youth to have a sense of security and stability in their lives to better assist them in accomplishing their goals. This session, led by John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), will highlight essential resources available to non-minor dependents and young people exiting foster care. Attendees will learn about practical tools and supports—including housing programs, education access, and tax relief—that help promote long-term stability and success for youth navigating the path to independence.

Building Community & Safety Though School-Probation Partnerships

Strong partnerships between probation and education systems can enhance safety and strengthen communities. Shasta County Probation and the Office of Education share how their collaboration has led to shared practices, including restorative approaches with youth and staff in juvenile facilities. Attendees will gain practical tools, training ideas, and strategies to develop similar partnerships in their own counties.

Breakout Sessions

Bridging Care: CalAIM Implementation and Reentry Coordination for Justice-Involved Youth

This session from Orange County Probation highlights how justice-involved youth are better supported through the implementation of California’s CalAIM Justice-Involved Initiative. The focus will be on the role of Transitional Care Coordinator (TCC) Officers, who lead monthly case conferences with families, counselors, health professionals, and school staff to support reentry planning. The session also emphasizes cross-agency collaboration to ensure youth are enrolled in Medi-Cal and receive their benefits prior to release.

Individualizing Intervention: Lessons from AB 372 Domestic Violence Pilots

Individualizing treatment and probation terms is a cornerstone of effective criminal justice practice, including supervision of domestic violence cases. This session features a panel of probation departments sharing their experiences implementing AB 372, a pilot program allowing probation to administer batterer intervention programs with varying lengths. Panelists will discuss implementation strategies, lessons learned, and how individualized approaches can improve outcomes for individuals on domestic violence caseloads.

Elevating Evidence-Based Supervision Through Equity-Conscious Validation: Lessons Learned from Sonoma County SRNA Tool

Sonoma County Probation conducted a rigorous, equity-focused validation of its Static Risk-Needs Assessment (SRNA) tool using more than a decade of local data. This session explores findings on predictive accuracy, implementation fidelity, and observed disparities by race, gender, and age. Presenters will share best practices in validation and adjustments made to reduce bias. Attendees will learn how local validation can improve fairness, strengthen evidence-based practices, and enhance alignment between supervision and actual risk.

General Session

This isn’t a Wellness Talk – It’s a Wake-Up Call

Emotional regulation isn’t a soft skill—it’s a survival skill. This energizing keynote introduces Emotional Endurance, a neuroscience-based framework for recognizing and managing stress before it impacts performance, leadership, and safety. Attendees will learn why most people aren’t trained to manage emotional energy and how that gap affects clarity, relationships, and careers. Through practical tools and powerful insight, this session offers a wake-up call to shift from reactive to resilient in probation’s high-stakes environment.

General Session

Behind the Headlines: Media Insights on Probation and Public Safety

This panel brings together members of the media to discuss how public safety policy issues and stories are covered. Panelists will share the considerations they weigh, how coverage has evolved, and why breaking through the noise around public safety can be challenging. The conversation will also explore how probation can more effectively elevate its message of balancing accountability with opportunities for rehabilitation—helping the public understand its vital role in ensuring safety and creating second chances.

General Session

Chief Panel: Investing in People, Strengthening Public Safety

Probation officers and staff are the foundation of the profession—providing stability, guidance, and the essential link between accountability and rehabilitation. In this panel, probation chiefs will discuss why investing in the workforce is critical to public safety, particularly amid rising challenges in public safety. The conversation will also address how probation will navigate these issues and the future of the profession in California, ensuring officers are equipped to connect those they supervise with both accountability and rehabilitative services.