Dr. Thomas E. Holden Mayor Office of the Mayor*

Police departments within the County and the Sheriff's Department have extensive written policies and procedures regarding the detention, arrest, and disposition of juvenile offenders as required by State law. <b>Response:</b> We concur with this finding.

The majority of Officers interviewed by the Grand Jury contact Intake to receive prior approval before transporting juveniles to the Juvenile Justice Facility (JJF). The Grand Jury was unable to find any instance where doing so is a specific written policy. <b>Response:</b> We concur with this finding.

Officers said that they believe all felony and violent misdemeanor offenses should qualify for booking into the JJF. <b>Response:</b> We disagree with this finding. One of the primary objectives of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) is to reduce the inappropriate confinement of juveniles. The Risk Assessment Instrument (RAI) currently used in the County was developed by our local JDAI Committee with the technical assistance of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. It is consistent with the RAI's used at other JDAI sites. The RAI takes into account the seriousness of the offense. Violent misdemeanors, such as school fights and simple batteries, do not automatically qualify for booking. Felony offenses for property crimes, do not 251 South C Street * Oxnard, CA 93030-5789 (805) 385-7600 * Fax (805) 483-8408 * http://oxnardpd.org automatically qualify for booking. We do not believe that violent misdemeanors and all felonies should automatically meet the RAI criteria for booking.

Felony and violent misdemeanor crimes do not automatically meet the RAI criteria for booking into the JJF. <b>Response:</b> We concur with this finding.

Officers expressed concern that some chronic repeat offenders did not meet the RAI criteria for acceptance into the JJF and expressed belief that such offenders should be accepted. <b>Response:</b> We concur in part with this finding. The RAI is an effective tool designed to separate lower risk juveniles that can be released, with or without restrictions, from higher risk juveniles that need to be detained. Its focus is on adjudicated offenses within the prior 24 months as opposed to mere arrests. Officers will not have the same access to information on adjudicated cases as JJF personnel. A downside to using adjudications rather than arrests is in the instances where juveniles accumulate numerous offenses within a short time. The RAI also places a low point value on prior misdemeanor adjudicated offenses. It is a good practice to regularly assess and, if necessary, fine tune the RAI. Our Department would look forward to participating in this effort.

The Probation Agency states that it has made police departments and the Sheriff's Department aware of the RAI and of JDAI by contacting police chiefs and by attending some shift briefings on an ongoing basis. Response: We concur with this finding.