Posts Tagged ‘Probation’
County supervisors approve task force to combat criminal justice racial disparities
Last Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors took a step towards examining racial disparities in the county’s criminal justice system. At the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 12, the board unanimously approved the formation of a Disproportionate Minority Contact Task Force, comprised of county leaders.
Read MoreContra Costa seeking alternative to shackling during transport of juveniles
Critics claim that the indiscriminate use of restraints, particularly when youth are out in public wearing shackles, is damaging and unnecessary. Until recently, probation department drivers carrying minors would park their vehicles in a lot across the street from the Martinez courthouse. The designated curb stop was created amid complaints that the long walk amounted to an unnecessary humiliation.
Read MoreThe waiting game of prisoner realignment
With a proposed jail expansion now on the back burner, county officials are spending long hours hammering out the fine print of what Contra Costa services will look like for the low-level felons who have been transferred to county jurisdiction in the last year.
Read MoreRealignment funding formula not adding up in Contra Costa County
Not too long ago, the men now sitting around this table at the Contra Costa Probation Office were in prison. “I want to ask how long have you been in prison,” Chief Adult Probation Officer Philip Kader asks them. They respond with three, six and even 12 times. But now they’re getting a taste of their newly found freedom.
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