Juvenile Community Supervision

Expand All | Collapse All

• Community Assessment Teams (CATs):

  The CATs are community-based prevention and intervention programs designed to provide services to families with school-age youth who have chronic behavior problems or other issues (i.e., chaotic home life, inadequate parental supervision) that place them at risk of entering or continuing in the Juvenile Justice system. Home-based in five locations throughout the county, mobile teams provide in-home, strength-based assessments, interventions, referrals and case management services for eligible families.

  • Community Assessment Teams - CAT
    
  • Equipo de Evaluación Comunitaria - CAT (Spanish)

   

• STAR/PAL:

  The San Diego Police Department’s Sports Training Academic and Recreation (STAR) program and the County’s Police Athletic League (PAL) merged into one major activities-oriented program to benefit the community. STAR/PAL’s focus is on providing athletic, recreational and literacy services and opportunities to youth and their families throughout the San Diego area.

• School Based Probation Officer Program (SBPO):

  This program targets juveniles with school attendance problems, grades K-12, in three school districts. The Probation Department provides a School Probation Officer at each of the sites to assist in monitoring the juvenile’s attendance through direct contact with the juvenile and his/her family. The goals are to increase the juvenile’s school attendance and enhance academic achievement.

Expand All | Collapse All

• Intake and Investigation:

  This unit determines whether a case will be diverted from the juvenile justice system, handled informally, or referred to the District Attorney for filing of a petition. If the Court makes a true finding, investigation probation officers will conduct a comprehensive investigation for the Court in order to make recommendations for the minor’s case during the disposition hearing. The investigation will include circumstances regarding the offense and the minor’s delinquent and social history. Recommendations are then made to the Court based on all of the information obtained during the investigation.

• Transportation

  The unit’s primary function is to transport wards to and from various Court ordered placements and appointments and to medical and private appointments.

Expand All | Collapse All

• Drug Court:

  This 9-month program intensively supervises juvenile drug abusers who are non-violent, but have repeated failures with drug-treatment programs. Wards appear before the judge weekly and are tested for drugs regularly. There are incentives for positive behavior and a series of graduated sanctions for those who fail to comply.

• Intensive Case Management (ICM)

  This program works to reduce the number of youth who enter the juvenile justice system or re-offend while on probation by focusing on the unique strengths and needs of youth. Officers and community based organizations teach families how to access and receive community resources. Officers provide intensive supervision and intervention for WIC section 602 wards and certain WIC section 601 wards on probation between the ages of 9 and 17.5 as selected and referred by the probation officer. Community based organization staff provides support to probation officers by holding youth accountable for court ordered conditions of probation and monitoring minors at home, school, and within the community. They provide strong client advocacy in their daily work with the youth while emphasizing sobriety, productive school activity, involvement with positive community activities, and rejection of gang activity. The average length of the program is 4 to 6 months.

• Placement Unit:

  The Placement Unit incorporates the screening, assessment and placement of all wards ordered into a residential treatment facility (RTF), foster home or relative/non-relative extended family member home. This also includes the monthly monitoring of wards in placement by officers who make on-site visits to the facilities and homes. Officers monitor the minor’s progress, provide progress reports to the Court, and ensure the minor’s safety while in placement.

• Supervision Unit:

  Probation officers develop strength-based case plans for each juvenile designed to provide for the safety and protection of the community, hold minors accountable for their behavior, provide care, treatment, and guidance as appropriate to the circumstances, and assist in the minor’s rehabilitation. Minors are contacted in field offices and in the community. Officers maintain and document regular contacts with parents, therapists, school personnel, and law enforcement officers.