January 28, 2009
CA Chief Probation Officers Assn Response to LAO Criminal Justice Realignment
Today, Chief Don Meyer, President of the Chief Probation Officers of California, issued the following statement in response to the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) report Criminal Justice Realignment, 2009-10 Budget Analysis Series:
Probation departments throughout the state have taken severe cuts to juvenile probation services over the past few years and, yet again, this year's budget proposes to cut juvenile probation services even further.
These cuts will have devastating impacts on public safety and rehabilitation services for juvenile offenders. The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) proposal released today will deteriorate local probation services even further by requiring additional realignment of the juvenile justice system as well as drug and DUI adult offenders. Even if these additional realignments were fully funded, probation departments cannot take on this increased responsibility, or any increased responsibility, without first addressing the huge deficit probation departments are currently operating under.
Unfortunately, the LAO's proposal does not address the massive cuts recently imposed on probation services, nor does it address the further cuts being proposed to juvenile probation services over the next 18 months. The report also misses the mark by not addressing the shortfall probation will still face under a funded realignment proposal and the resources lacking in probation departments needed to fulfill the services and mandates required under the realignment.
In order for probation to take on any new responsibilities, the state must address the massive cuts probation has suffered over the past year as well as the proposed cuts for the next 18 months. Probation has been working from an underfunded status for years and further realignments would only serve to make that deficit larger. The current prison overcrowding crisis is in large part due to a chronically underfunded adult probation system that lacks resources to rehabilitate adult offenders at the local level. Over half of the convicted adult felons on probation in the community are provided little or no supervision, treatment, or other services needed to reduce recidivism. Without a responsible approach to realignment, it will only jeopardize public safety, cost the state more in increased court and prison costs, and be a detrimental downslide for proven public safety practices in our state.
