Adult Probation
The Probation Department, in conjunction with San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (BHS), San Joaquin County Employment and Economic Development Department (WorkNet) and the San Joaquin County Human Services Agency (HSA) created the Assessment Center. The Assessment Center is located next to the Probation Department’s Day Reporting Center (DRC) and serves as a hub for the comprehensive delivery of service to offenders.
The Assessment Center allows probation officers to complete offenders’ risk/needs assessments, provide intake decisions that incorporate multi-disciplinary team screening and assessment, decrease duplication of services between agencies and facilitates multi-agency background information sharing and record checking. These multi-agency agreements and rapport built between agency participants in the Assessment Center help overcome many of the traditional roadblocks to information sharing and provide a continuum of care.
The Adult Probation Division serves and assists the court in matters concerning the supervision of adult offenders and performs other investigations. The Deputy Probation Officers assigned to this division provide treatment and rehabilitation to adult clients, as well as provide referrals and services to victims. We utilize Evidence Based Practices to teach clients problem solving techniques to reduce recidivism.
Additionally, the department and county implements the requirements of the Public Safety Realignment Act, also known as Assembly Bill 109 (AB 109), through a Community Corrections Partnership (CCP), which is charged with developing a public safety realignment process. The San Joaquin County Public Safety Realignment Plan coordinates activities among several county agencies, the superior court, local law enforcement, and various community-based organizations. Probation’s Local Community Supervision and AB 109 supervision programs in this division provide offender accountability, while delivering rehabilitation services and surveillance of those offenders.
The courts have the ability to send an offender to the Assessment Center from the courtroom, where the offender can literally walk across the street to the Assessment Center. At the Assessment Center an offender can make immediate probation contact, receive additional “bridging” support from BHS regarding mental health and alcohol and drug services, access streamlined eligibility screening for all support services offered through HSA and/or begin the process of employment preparation and job placement services.
Should the client wish to pursue educational goals he/she can be referred to the DRC down the hall. This “one-stop shop” brings all the supportive services together in one centralized location to assist the client in his/her reintegration back into the community and provides them the necessary resources to assist in their rehabilitation.
