BACKGROUND

On October 17, 2017, the Board of Supervisors (Board) directed the Chief Executive Officer to lead a workgroup to include County Counsel, the Chief Probation Officer, Auditor-Controller, Office of Inspector General, labor representatives and Board Deputies (Workgroup) and report back in 60 days with “recommendations required to create an independent entity…focused on Probation Department reform and public accountability as well as coordination of existing recommendations and efforts produced to date.”

On April 9, 2018, the Chief Executive Officer submitted a Report-Back to the Board of Supervisors recommending the creation of our team to drive this initiative forward. On May 1, 2018, the Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt the CEO’s recommendations and additional steps to establish a Probation Oversight Commission and a comprehensive reform plan for the Probation Department. The Probation Reform and Implementation Team (PRIT) was a temporary entity that was charged with completing the necessary administrative tasks to transform the County’s Probation Commission into the Probation Oversight Commission. This Team coordinated and prioritized the various recommendations aimed at reforming the Probation Department, and reduced these recommendations to a plan for reform.

This Team drafted the necessary ordinances and agreements to ensure the independence of the POC and its investigatory function. It acted as the bridge during the operationalization of the POC. It established a solid foundation and structure for the POC so that this permanent oversight body entered its role with a well-thought out plan for reform and a clear path to follow.

History of Board Action and Community Input on Reforming Probation

This County web site includes video, meeting agendas, and in some cases audio to previous steps in the Probation reform effort. We encourage you to use these resources to learn more about these steps.

The final report of the 2016 Working Group submitted to the Board of Supervisors is available below. This report was reviewed by RDA, and subsumed into its final Probation Governance Study under consideration by the PRIT.