Orange County Grand Jury
• 2013-2014
• Agency Response
Juvenile Offenders and Recidivism: Orange County Solutions*
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 11 findings
F1
Many juveniles are detained in treatment centers for 30 to 60 days, yet many probation staffers believe that additional days of treatment and classes will result in a lower recidivism rate. Probation's Response: Agree
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
The Orange County Probation Department and the Board of Supervisors should re-constitute a research department to collect and analyze the cost effectiveness of their programs, and further monitor their juvenile recidivism rates. (F.3., F.4., F.6.) Board of Supervisors and Probation Department Response: Agree. The recommendation is not able to be implemented because it is not feasible based on current budget constraints.
F2
By treating juveniles for more days, there are greater "upfront" costs to the County. Probation's Response: Agree
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The Santa Ana Unified School District, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Orange County Probation Department should continue to seek academic accreditation for the Community Day School. (F.10.) Agree. The Orange County Probation Department has no authority to seek accreditation for the Community Day School. 1 1 Response to Orange County Grand Jury Report "Juvenile Offenders and Recidivism: Orange County Solutions"
F3
The use of evidence-based practices (what treatment modalities work) results in lower recidivism rates since the focus has shifted from detention and punishment to rehabilitation and re-entry into the community. Probation's Response: Agree
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Orange County Probation Department and the Board of Supervisors should budget for evening meals/snacks, transportation home after evening programs, and additional trained behavior modification specialists. (F.9.) Board of Supervisors and Probation Department Response: Agree, this is an important need for the program. Grant funds and donations will be solicited to meet the transportation and evening meals/snack needs. The Probation Department is currently pursuing viable options with community partners
F4
Budget constraints have reduced the County's research department. The Probation Department is handicapped by this reduction in staff since they are unable to determine the true cost impact of their programs and recidivism rates due to the lack of research personnel to collect and analyze data. Probation's Response: Agree Board of Supervisors' Response: Agree
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
After successful evaluation of the Community Day School pilot program, the Orange County Probation Department and the Superintendent of Schools should pursue replicating this model to other areas in Orange County. (F.11.) Agree. Should the Community Day School pilot program prove to be effective, the Orange County Probation Department will pursue expansion of the program to other schools.
F5
The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is an innovative approach utilized by Orange County for a number of years Probation's Response: Agree Response to Orange County Grand Jury Report "Juvenile Offenders and Recidivism: Orange County Solutions"
No recommendations for this finding
F6
The decline in the number of juvenile detainees has resulted in unused capacity in several juvenile facilities, resulting in the closure of one facility and consolidation in the remaining four facilities. Modest unused capacity is a good thing. Probation's Response: Agree
No recommendations for this finding
F7
As of 2010, juvenile court cases in Orange County are in line proportionately with other like-sized counties of populations over 500,000. Probation's Response: Agree
No recommendations for this finding
F8
The recently established collaborative teams of the Community Day School, Santa Ana Unified School District, Orange County Probation Department, and various community services, are working as a cohesive team within the budget limitations of this pilot program. Probation's Response: Agree
No recommendations for this finding
F9
The Probation Department and Santa Ana Unified School District staffs are dedicated to behavioral modification treatments. Additional staff and programs are needed to provide psychological therapies for many juveniles. Probation's Response: Agree
No recommendations for this finding
F10
To date, the pilot program of Community Day School is not academically accredited. Probation's Response: Agree
No recommendations for this finding
F11
OCPD indicated their intention to replicate the Community Day School to other areas of Orange County, upon successful completion of the pilot program. Probation's Response: Agree Responses to Recommendations:
No recommendations for this finding
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.