S.J. Probation Department gets $1M grant

STOCKTON -— The San Joaquin County Probation Department announced Thursday it has received a three-year, $1 million grant that will be used to partner with communitybased organizations to deliver services aimed at diverting youth away from the juvenile justice system.

Assistant Chief Probation Officer Steve Jackson said $900,000 of the grant will go to community-based organizations, with the rest going to the county’s Probation Department.

The Board of State and Community Corrections Youth Reinvestment Grant is a competitive grant established by the 2018 Budget Act. San Joaquin County Probation’s Juvenile Field Services Division will use the grant to establish a “Juvenile Deflection Project.”

The project’s goal, driven by the community, will be to avoid arresting children and youth for low-level offenses.

Community Accountability Boards will be formed to meet with youth, help them take responsibility for actions, and address the harm that was caused by making fair and just amends. Case management, mentoring, and youth development programming will be provided for young people deflected away from arrest.

Those young people will be referred to a “Probation Navigator” for review and referral to nongovernmental community partners for engagement into services.

Community partners will convene Community Accountability Boards and engage youth with services with the assistance of local schools.

“The San Joaquin County Probation Department is excited the Juvenile Deflection Project will make it possible for local schools and law enforcement agencies to deflect youth away from deepening engagement into the juvenile justice system and into community programming as an alternative to arrest,” Jackson said.