So-called “Probation Reform” is a topic that is on everyone's mind these days. Please see below for a roundup of news articles....
County leaders approve new watchdog for Probation Department
Nina Agrawal, Los Angeles Times | May 1, 2018
L.A. County's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to establish an independent, civilian commission to oversee its troubled Probation Department, which over the years has been the subject of countless audits, federal consent decrees, grand jury reports and lawsuits.
The watchdog body — which will be modeled in large part after the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission — will replace the Probation Commission. That advisory body reports to the head of the department, has no investigative authority and is limited to overseeing juvenile services.
A tall order for LA Probation Department's new civilian oversight panel
Frank Stoltze, KPCC | May 1, 2018
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday created a civilian commission to monitor the beleaguered probation department. Backers expressed hope that it can help improve the performance of an agency that has been plagued for decades by problems including the physical abuse of kids in juvenile camps, a failure to provide adequate supervision of adults coming out of prison and the mishandling of tens of millions of dollars in state grants.
The Day The LA County Board Of Supes Made The Historic Choice To Create An Oversight Commission For Probation
Celeste Fremon, Witness LA | May 2, 2018
Around 12:30 on Tuesday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create an independent oversight commission to act as a watchdog for the nation’s largest probation department, which oversees approximately 9000 children and 47,000 adults.
L.A.'s dysfunctional Probation Department needs real oversight
Editorial LA Times Opinion | April 30, 2018
To fully emerge from its multi-decade period of dysfunction, the Los Angeles County Probation Department needs vital, independent public oversight. More specifically, it needs an oversight commission along the lines of a proposal that comes before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The structure envisioned in a motion by Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis is imperfect, but it nevertheless represents a major step forward.
