Close to Home: Saying goodbye to a ‘linchpin’ service: probation

A “linchpin of the criminal justice system.” This is how the California Penal Code describes probation departments. I'm preparing to move on to new adventures after 10 years as Sonoma County's chief probation officer, and I couldn't have put it any better myself.

Allow me to explain a little more fully in this note of reverence to the profession and to the department I have come to love.

Despite its central and critical role in the system, probation remains a misunderstood world for most Californians, usually confused with parole.

It's not surprising (and generally welcome) that offices of our elected district attorney and sheriff receive much more attention; plus, our public defender often reminds me that her office, as well, is mandated by the state Constitution.

Yet, probation departments interact with and impact a great deal more organizations, institutions and individuals, and probation itself is the most commonly used sanction in the justice system. Over the past decade, probation departments have become even more central to the system, and I've had the pleasure of watching dedicated employees do remarkable things, from safely managing increasingly difficult and dangerous offenders to cutting recidivism and supporting victims. The linchpin moniker is well deserved.

Probation's most unique feature is the span of the arenas in which we operate. Probation officers and juvenile correctional counselors are peace officers, sworn to uphold the law and to protect the community as we supervise offenders. On the other hand, we are specifically trained, and a critical part of our mission is, to help offenders improve their lives. We are steeped in the latest scientific research about what works with offenders.

Lessening the chance of an offender reoffending, of reducing recidivism, is our holy grail. When we are successful, the payoff is immeasurable, from the prevention of future victims and making our communities safer, to the value of saving a life and helping regenerate a contributing member of our community.

Beyond this, there are enormous and obvious hard savings for the entire criminal justice and health and human service systems.

Probation runs the county Juvenile Hall, a locked detention facility, and, in Sonoma County, the Boys Camp.

Thankfully, the number of incarcerated youth in California has dropped dramatically, yet some will require this level of protection and control. I have watched probation staff work tirelessly to safely supervise these youth, to prevent them from hurting one another or themselves and to comfort them when they cry themselves to sleep at night because they miss their moms. Sadly, for too many youth in our institutions, probation staff are the most stable and mature adults they know.

Because of probation's role, we have been central to the largest criminal justice realignment in history, and it is no accident that the chief probation officer in every county chairs that county's realignment committee. We have partnered with Sonoma County's collaborative and wise criminal justice and health and human service leaders as we leveraged this initiative to improve the entire criminal justice system.

Probation also has a lesser known but critical function. Before a judge imposes a sentence following conviction for a felony, the case is referred to the county Probation Department. We investigate the facts of the case and the offender's background and recommend the most appropriate sentence. And, consistent with probation's role as honest broker, in the vast majority of cases in Sonoma County, the court goes along with the department's recommendation. It's an extraordinary vote of confidence. Is it any wonder probation employees feel such pride in their mission? We protect the community, support the court, assist victims and help rehabilitate offenders

More and more in Sonoma County and throughout California, probation departments are enhancing their ability to be a force for positive change. Probation departments don't typically seek nor receive the limelight. But as the linchpin of our criminal justice system, they are enormously important to the entire community.

Robert Ochs, a Santa Rosa resident, is head of the Sonoma County Probation Department. His last day will be April 29.