Prison break
Shift in parole to probation, from prisons to jails, yields surprisingly positive results
By Shane Cohn 02/23/2012
Anthony Ramirez has spent about 20 of the last 30 years in state prisons. Maybe more, though not really worth thinking about now, he said, as he reclined freely in the Ventura County Probation Office. His last stint in prison was a seven-year sentence — felony theft with a prior, of which he served five and a half years. His crime: he stole shoes from a department store.
Take a look at his rap sheet and it’s more of the same — decades of intervention and incarceration, due to stealing to support his drug habit.
Because of his priors, a violation of parole would send Ramirez back to an overcrowded state penitentiary.
Now, because of Assembly Bill 109, also know as “realignment,” state parole cases for nonviolent, non-serious and non-sex offenders have shifted from state parole agents to county probation officers.
The law, championed by Gov. Jerry Brown, was a reaction to the Supreme Court’s order to alleviate overcrowding in state prisons, which resulting in making county agencies responsible for dealing with offenders after their release.
Many representatives from the criminal justice system feared a perfect storm: increased caseloads, limited funding and untested post-release programs could lead to a logistical mess, including overcrowding in local jails.
But almost five months into the adjustment, Ventura County probation officers and post-release offenders such as Ramirez say the system is working.
“I was curious,” said Ramirez, about how the county would handle the sudden shift. “I’ve never been on probation. I have an extensive criminal history, but I’ve never been on probation. So I didn’t know what it would be like.”
Released in October from CMC (California Men’s Colony) East in San Luis Obispo, Ramirez, 45, was one of the first cases indoctrinated into the county’s new probation system. He said that it is much more structured and involved than anything state parole programs had offered.
“With parole, they give you a psychiatrist,” said Ramirez, who only reported once a month during his last stint on parole. “But you have to be pretty bad off to see the psych. The program I have got established with the realignment offers more services than the state does.” He noted that the more structured environment vs. just seeing a psychiatrist once a month has really helped him stabilize.
Cynthia Maeyama agrees. Released from prison after 16 months for a burglary conviction, she didn’t think the realignment services would be any different than her previous experiences with probation and parole. “I’ve been on probation before. Didn’t care for it,” she said. “But now they are really keeping an eye on you. It’s not like parole. Parole is easy. You go see them once a month and that is it.”
In the alignment program, when offenders are released, each meets with an assigned probation officer, as well as with a representative from Ventura County Behavioral Health Department, and their criminogenic needs are assessed. What makes them tick? What’s their family situation? Substance dependency? Counseling? Housing? Then, collaboratively with local agencies, a plan is tailored for each individual in hopes of ultimately reducing the chances of recidivism and reacquainting the client with society.
“Absolutely it’s working,” said deputy probation officer Jim Davis, who has been with the Ventura County agency for 18 years. “We’re thinking outside the box, in terms of rehab. We’re providing graduated sanctions to keep them out of custody, like substance abuse counseling, increased office visits. … Once these needs are identified, the officer can formulate a case plan around that. What dictated case plans before was the court.”
Ramirez, sober and now employed doing maintenance work, is enrolled in college and getting reacquainted with his three children.
“Even though it has been a few months,” Ramirez continued, “the past seems so distant.”
According to data provided by the county probation office, as of Feb. 1, 230 post-release offenders had been assigned to Ventura County probation officers; 19 have been arrested for new offenses, a figure indicating early success, considering the recidivism rate in California hovers around 70 percent.
The way probation officers see it, the system is designed to work for those who want results.
“Some don’t want this and have been institutionalized and set in their ways,” explained Allan Hammerand, chief deputy for probation services. “But there is a whole population that is tired of being in custody. We want to give them this support and supervision.”
But the realignment program is new and still developing strategies for the many hurdles it still faces, namely housing and employment. Of the 61 offenders released to Ventura County in January, 26 were reported as homeless or transient. The state issued Ventura County $5.7 million for the current fiscal year for services pertaining to AB 109, but the current law doesn’t guarantee funding beyond this fiscal year. Being stripped of state funding could crush the services that the county has been providing.
“All we know is, we’re being given assurances by the government that funding will continue,” said Hammerand.
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"Outside the box in terms of rehab.". Really? Risk and needs assessment, progressive discipline, substance abuse counseling and increased office visits are considered cutting edge rehab techniques? One sure way to reduce recidivism is to essentially ignore probation violations, which is what Probation is currently doing. Check the crime rate in a couple of years...that will be how realignment is ultimately judged.