Page 4 - Probation.Today.Summer.19

Probation in the News

Santa Barbara Probation Department Selected To Participate In the
2019 Reimagining Juvenile Justice (RJJ) Training Institute
one of 15 jurisdictions from around the country-including eight YOUTH REINVESTMENT GRANT
The Santa Barbara Probation Department has been selected as

state and six other local juvenile justice agencies-selected as a On Friday, June 14 , the
th
RJJ site. RJJ is a staff development initiative sponsored by the California Board of State
Annie E. Casey Foundation and delivered through School & Main and Community
Institute (SMI). Its objective is to develop the capacity of Corrections (BSCC)
professionals to support, divert and redirect youth to announced the
appropriate and fair justice options, including options that selection of the County
require a high degree of cross-system collaboration and of Santa Barbara Probation Department as a
coordination. It is based on adolescent development research recipient of the Youth Reinvestment Grant. The
and is intended to move the juvenile justice system from a Probation Department was one of 30 awarded
historically punitive framework — one that pushes many young programs to receive funding for strategies designed
people deeper into system involvement — toward a more to prevent local youth from entering the justice
effective approach that addresses the multifaceted needs of system or from furthering their involvement in it.
youth and families, and minimizes or avoids system involvement Locally, the Probation Department hopes to divert
entirely. Chief Heitman has noted the initiative’s alignment with an estimated 800 youth through collaboration with
the Department’s Comprehensive Multi-Agency Juvenile Justice law enforcement, schools and the community over
Plan and the important training the course of the 4-year $795,000 grant. The Youth
and technical assistance the local Reinvestment Grant Program was established in the
team will receive as a result of the 2018 State Budget Act for evidence-based, trauma-
Department’s participation in the informed and culturally relevant diversion programs,
RJJ training institute. especially those serving communities with high rates
of arrests that are racially disproportionate.

In June, all officers in the Juvenile Division participated in a two-day
training on the use and implementation of the Positive Achievement
Change Tool, or PACT. The PACT is an evidence-based assessment tool
that identifies youth and family needs, strengths, and areas of concern,
as well as appropriate goals and interventions to implement as part of the youth’s case plan. The tool uses an
interview guide designed to elicit information from the youth and family to accurately determine the risk to re-offend,
as well as identifying criminogenic needs and youth strengths. The questions allow officers to use Motivational
Interviewing (MI) techniques during the interview.
Significantly, the PACT focuses on protective factors such as relationships with trusted adults, prosocial structured and
unstructured activities, and extended families, and highlights the importance of supporting these factors, ensuring they
are seen as equally important as specific programs and interventions. The tool also prioritizes the specific criminogenic
need(s) that must be addressed through interventions and programs to help reduce recidivism, rather than symptoms
of the needs, such as acting out or drug use, which will likely be reduced once the areas are addressed.
Finally, the PACT creates a framework for creating meaningful case plans with input and buy-in from youth and
families, setting attainable goals, encouraging incentives for reaching those goals, and regular informal and formal
reviews at least every three months to ensure tools are provided to meet these goals. The tool also provides the
ability to look at trends and gauge how recidivism rates change over time, and how identified programs and
interventions are impacting a youth’s delinquency trajectory. Officers ended the training enthusiastic about using the
tool, and agreeing that the PACT is an important, meaningful way to supervise and provide case management. Equally
important, the tool creates the framework to prepare youth to continue to access services from collaborative agencies,
even after Probation’s involvement ends.
“Leading the Way to a Safer Community”
“Leading the Way to a Safer Community”