Innovative Probation Strategies, Split Sentencing will Prove Instrumental in Realignment
PublicCEO.Com, December 20, 2012
The Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) released the second report on data collected from California’s 58 counties regarding the impacts of Public Safety Realignment from its implementation in October 2011 through June 2012. The data show a significant increase in caseloads for county probation departments, but also the need for evidence-based practices by probation officers and split sentencing by local judges to manage new offenders.
Part of the new caseloads for probation comes from counties using
split sentences, which divide an offender’s sentence between time
in jail and time under mandatory supervision. From October 2011
to June 2012, 23 percent of all local prison sentences were split
sentences (even with this increase, data show an inconsistent use
of split sentences in counties, which can limit their ability to
reduce overcrowding in their jails and lead to less favorable
outcomes using incarceration alone for offenders).
Realignment (AB 109) went into place in October 2011 in response
to a mandate from the U.S. Supreme Court to reduce California’s
prison population to 137.5 of capacity. The law shifts
responsibility of certain people convicted of non-serious,
non-sex, non-violent offenses from state prison and parole to
county jails and probation.
According to CPOC data, county probation departments have taken
on new responsibility for supervising more offenders since
Realignment began. This includes 29,000 Post-Release Community
Supervision offenders (people who have finished their term in
state prison and now report to county probation) and 2,000
offenders supervised on mandatory supervision through probation
as part of a split sentence. This is in addition to the existing
population of 320,000 felony probationers.
Probation departments are utilizing evidence-based practices
developed in recent years to more effectively manage risk and
reduce recidivism among the people they supervise. This includes
validated risk assessment tools, basing service referrals on the
highest priority needs of the offenders, as well as increased
coordination among law enforcement entities and combining
probation supervision with treatment.
“The good news is that probation departments have been utilizing
evidence-based practices before Realignment and that has helped
us easily adapt to probation’s greater role in our new
responsibilities,” said Marin Chief of Probation Michael Daly,
“research has shown that conducting risk assessments, targeting
specific needs of each individual and utilizing swift and certain
sanctions actually work with this population. Probation is
pleased that the Governor supports our efforts and has faith in
Probation’s practices.”
To view the report, Mandatory Supervision: The Benefits of
Evidence Based Supervision under Public Safety Realignment,
please click on the following link:
http://www.cpoc.org/assets/Realignment/issuebrief2.pdf
For information on split sentencing, visit:
http://www.cpoc.org/assets/Realignment/splitsentencedashboard.swf
For statewide data trends, visit:
http://www.cpoc.org/assets/Realignment/dashboard.swf
For county data trends, visit:
http://www.cpoc.org/assets/Realignment/dashboard_county.swf