Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte County Probation Calling it a solution looking for a problem, Lonnie Reyman urged Del Norte County supervisors to oppose a bill that seeks to place a 12-month limit on the probation period for juvenile offenders. The chief probation officer asked the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to send a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting his veto on Assembly Bill 1376. The state’s juvenile justice system is already tailored to the youths’ individual needs, Reyman argued, and a judge determines how long they’ll be on probation. “As stated in the letter, this takes away that authority for the court to determine what is in the best interest of that youth given all the information they receive,” he said, “both from my department, other agencies involved in the crime that occurred and any other entities and agencies that have input on the length of that probation and what that probation looks like.” But, while three county supervisors approved sending the opposition letter to Newsom, District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said she supported AB 1376 and a similar bill, AB 503, which Newsom vetoed in 2022. “Yes, it has the 12-month period, but you can go and you can advocate and with your strong reasoning, convince the court to add an additional six months of supervision,” she told Reyman. “This just provides that justification. It helps us try and rehabilitate them early on and within that year’s time period. I think this is a good thing.” Authored by Democratic Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, of Oakland, AB 1376, in addition to limiting the probation period for a juvenile offender to 12 months, would require the probation agency to submit a report to the court detailing any basis for an extension request. It would also allow the ward and the prosecuting attorney to submit evidence as well. According to Reyman, this would apply to all youth as well as young adults up to age 24, including those who have “committed murder, rape [and] a whole host of extremely egregious crimes.” 0de65712-d438-4733-887a-95cb43ac9e3dDownload Though Newsom vetoed AB 503, which sought to place a six-month limitation on how long a juvenile offender could be on probation, Starkey, who was a probation officer in Sonoma County, said she wasn’t sure he would do the same with AB 1376. In Del Norte County, there are 12 youth on formal probation and two who are on the Deferred Entry of Judgment program, Starkey said. Youth who commit misdemeanor offenses get six months probation and those who commit felony offenses can be on probation for 12 months or more, she told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. The two youth that are in the Deferred Entry of Judgment program are there due to felony cases and are placed in the DEJ program for a minimum of 12 months, Starkey said. There’s a review in six months and another in 12 months. The terms and conditions of the DEJ can be extended but it needs to be justified to the court, she said. “In reality (AB 1376) forces the probation department to justify keeping kids on probation for extended times,” Starkey said. “It’s a good practice so that youth are monitored at the front end, encouraged to complete the terms and conditions quickly and move on with their lives.” On Tuesday, Starkey’s colleague, District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson said having “pre-set mandates” don’t make any sense and have created havoc in the justice system. “We’re not looking at whether or not this person has been rehabilitated,” said Wilson, who was Del Norte County sheriff from 2002 to 2014. “We’re not looking at whether this person has served out their time completely or whether incarceration is the solution to this individual because of the heinousness of the crime. These arbitrary 12-month mandates are turning our system upside down and oftentimes, they’re just being implemented merely for the fact that we can move these people out of the system.” AB 1376 is still making its way through the legislative process and is being considered in the California State Senate, according to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy web page. Reyman also asked the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to send another letter to the governor, this one urging him to sign AB 1210. The bill, authored by Republican Assemblyman Tom Lackey, of Palmdale, would require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to notify county probation departments verbally and in writing of the release date of an individual in their custody no less than 90 days before they’re released. Starkey said she supported AB 1210, but asked Reyman if he felt it would increase his department’s workload. Reyman said he didn’t think the 90-day preparation time would result in an increased workload. Instead, it would provide much-needed information “in the timeframes that are useful to us.” “Our internal practice right now that my supervisor of the adult unit has taken, is to hold off on sending reporting instructions to the prisons because his and our experience has been that as soon as they receive reporting instructions, they’re releasing those folks to us, no matter what the release date is,” he said. “It’s always been a strained relationship when it comes to these releases and planning. The hope is that this clarified timeline will help lay out what that process is more clearly for everybody.” AB 1210 is also making its way through the legislative process and is being considered in the State Senate, according to CalMatters. 4d0dff32-f9f0-458e-ad3c-14b78139108eDownload