Housing and Development Newsletter
For decades probation in California has led, collaborated and defended effective reforms within the justice systems. Probation is focused on helping justice-involved individuals transition out of the system permanently through transformative and evidence-based rehabilitation.
Probation departments are a connector in the justice system: interlacing and maximizing the resources available within the courts, local governments, law enforcement, social services, schools, nonprofits and the community to reduce recidivism by balancing direct human services and research-based deterrents and interventions.
Together, this approach provides the help and accountability needed to create hope and restore trust.
The resolution commemorating Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week from the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors “recognizes these officers for their significant contribution to making Santa Barbara County a safer place to live.”
By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
July 15, 2021
| 6:33 p.m.
As part of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors' call for collective efforts to improve the criminal justice system in the county, the District Attorney’s Office and the Probation Department presented additional diversion efforts and developments of a data dashboard at Tuesday’s board meeting.
Sherill Ellsworth, a retired presiding judge from the Superior Court of Riverside County, has been assisting the Santa Barbara County Executive Office as a consultant for the efforts and began the presentation by talking about some diversion efforts that have been made.
“These past several months, we have been brave enough to try lots of things,” Ellsworth said. “Among those things are some small but very important decisions that have been made and some collaboration that has taken place.”
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Housing and Development Newsletter
The District Attorney’s Office also will continue to partner with the Second District Office to implement a Neighborhood Court pilot program in Goleta to serve as a restorative justice-based pre-filing diversion program for misdemeanor offenses and infractions.
The department’s preliminary budget is about $30.5 million, with about half of that funding coming from the general fund contributions.
The District Attorney’s Office requested a little more than $1 million in expansion requests for the upcoming budget year, including funding for an eSCARS — electronic suspected child abuse report system — a coordinator, two discovery clerks to manage data, 1.5 full-time employee positions for the post-conviction litigation unit, a data analyst and a digital storage system upgrade.
By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
February 3, 2021
| 3:41 p.m.
January proved the be the deadliest month of the pandemic in Santa Barbara County, and the death toll continues to rise as Public Health officials reported a record-breaking 13 additional COVID-19-related fatalities on Wednesday.
Twelve of the individuals who died were over the age of 70, and one was between the age of 30 to 49.
Seven of the deaths were associated with outbreaks at congregate care facilities and 11 had underlying health conditions, according to Public Health.
Seven of the deaths were from Santa Barbara, four were from Santa Maria, one was from the unincorporated area of Goleta, and one was from the city of Lompoc.
KEYT File
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Chief Probation Officer Tanja Heitman with the Santa Barbara County Probation Department reported that one staff member at Santa Maria Juvenile Hall (SMJH) recently tested positive for COVID-19.
The probation department said the staff member last worked at the facility on Jan. 25 and was tested for COVID the following day.
As a precaution, in coordination with the Public Health Department and the facility’s medical unit, the department conducted contact tracing of staff and youth for potential exposure. Fortunately, all youth and staff reportedly tested negative.
For more information on the probation department's approach to COVID-19, visit www.sbprobation.org.
By Jade Martinez-Pogue, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @MartinezPogue
January 22, 2021
| 6:53 p.m.
Santa Barbara County appears to have passed its explosive winter peak of COVID-19 case rates and testing positivity, Public Health officials said Friday at their weekly COVID briefing.
But they warned that the community should not become complacent, noting that the number of deaths remains high — including 11 announced on Friday.
“This is really encouraging news,” Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso said. “However, I do want to share that we are not out of the woods yet.”
Public Health data shows that case rates and testing positivity peaked in the county on Jan. 9, and have been trending downward since, Do-Reynoso said.
Chief Probation Officer Tanja Heitman reported Friday that a staff assigned to the Santa Barbara Probation Department’s Santa Maria Juvenile Hall (SMJH) recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Santa Maria Juvenile Hall staff member tests positive for COVID-19; another possibly exposed
and last updated 2020-12-19 16:29:46-05
A staff member assigned to Santa Barbara County Probation Department's Santa Maria Juvenile Hall (SMJH) tested positive for COVID-19 Friday, according to chief probation officer Tanja Heitman.
According to a press release from the Santa Barbara County Probation Department, the staff member left work early after feeling "mild symptoms" and getting tested with their personal physician.
Officials said the staff member continues to experience mild symptoms of the virus and is self-isolating at home.
Probation department officials determined after contact tracing that an additional staff member was possibly exposed, but no youth, contract nor other personnel were contacted.
Housing and Development Newsletter
The Public Defender’s Office has been focusing on the issue of holistic defense to reduce jail commitments and recidivism.
“It is incredibly groundbreaking that rather than focusing on the facts of each case, the Public Defender’s Office looks at the actions and the conditions in the individuals’ lives to see what led them to get to where they are,” Melekian said. “It’s inspiring to see the work that the District Attorney and the Public Defender have done to look at the individual cases to determine actions other than just putting them in jail.”