Placer County’s Probation Department is moving closer to setting up an innovative, one-stop center where individuals on probation or those about to be released from incarceration can get services and assistance while they transition back into society.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a budget change to build a 2,000 square foot Community Transition Center in the County’s Santucci Justice Center near Roseville.
When built, the Center will be used by Probation Department to implement individualize case plans for each inmate and former inmate. The plans will be based on risk and needs assessments. Issues that will be addressed include housing, employment, education, restitution, substance abuse and other treatments and re-establishing family and community connections that improve the likelihood of success. The ultimate goal is to maintain a high level of public safety while providing an expanded program of rehabilitative opportunities for all offenders as they leave formal supervision or transition from jail back into the community. This program will be operated out of the Justice Center facility.
The Placer County Justice System Master Plan consultant conducted a survey of 200 inmates to help identify what helps them after release and what services are needed. Combining this data with research from programs used by other jurisdictions, the Center, when operational, will provide a combination of existing services and new ones that will be identified and shaped through the research.
“This is a way to provide a continuity of services to the offender population,” said Chief Probation Officer Marshall Hopper. “We want to have those services available at a location where individuals can go after their release. We have the concept in place and now we’re filling in the details to fine tune the services to our offender population.”
The array of services and classes offered through the program will provide participants with a structured return to the community after incarceration. Studies have shown that the highest risk for recidivism is during the first few months after release. Ex-offenders face significant challenges re-establishing themselves in society, remaining substance free and avoiding high-risk situations that can trigger relapse and recidivism. Reentry services are essential and the Probation Department’s program seeks to give ex-offenders tools they can use to successfully reintegrate into society.
The Center will be located next to the Probation Department’s offices and have its own exterior entrance, separate from the main building circulation. Staff from the Probation Department will work in the Center, along with staff from other relevant county departments and service providers. The Center is expected to open next summer.
