COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Probation Department

DATE:

10/04/2006

BOARD MEETING DATE:

10/17/2006

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Loren Buddress, Chief Probation Officer

SUBJECT:

Application for Enhanced Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Technical Assistance Project Grant

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a resolution ratifying the County Manager’s application for the Enhanced Disproportionate Minority Contact Technical Assistance project grant funding, and authorizing execution of the grant agreement with the State of California Corrections Standards Authority (CSA).

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Ensure Basic Health and Safety for All

Goals: 7, 8. The first phase of three phases of the Enhanced DMC Technical Assistance Project will assist the County and the Probation Department to identify infrastructure needs within the Probation Department with staff and or resources needed to implement/improve data collection and analysis efforts and to provide training to Probation staff, which will lead to more culturally sensitive interventions by the Probation Department throughout the County. Developing more culturally sensitive interventions will enhance the public safety of all residents and visitors and will ensure that at risk youth will achieve a better quality of life.

BACKGROUND:

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 required that states address the disproportionate number of minority juveniles locked up in our facilities. San Mateo County has been openly reviewing the disproportionate confinement of its youth of color since 2002.

In December of 2003 National Council on Crime and Delinquency produced an assessment of DMC in San Mateo County. This was the result of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors directing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission to conduct a study in this area. Statistics from this study showed that while the largest percent of the population of San Mateo is White, the largest percent of those arrested, prosecuted and confined were Hispanic. There was also a greater percentage of African Americans in our system then are represented in our community.

With this in mind, the San Mateo County Probation Department is working toward improving services and reducing DMC by ensuring appropriate and equitable detention. Energy will be focused on gaining a better understanding of the situation and then re-allocating resources to provide culturally competent resources where they are most needed.

The Probation Department would use the money granted to hire a DMC Coordinator who would work with the Probation Department to create data collection programs with the necessary fields to analyze our situation. The Coordinator will then use this information to assist us in developing a strategic plan that will include educating and training our own staff as well as local law enforcement, court personnel and our collaborative partners. Ultimately, this project will provide us with the support needed to create a plan that is data driven in order to guarantee best practices.

DISCUSSION:

Phase one of this grant will allow us to get a better sense of how our County is doing in regards to DMC. We will hire a DMC Coordinator to assist us with data collection and the creation of programs to analyze the data on an ongoing basis in order to evaluate our progress.

The analysis of this data will be used in a number of ways. It will provide us with a clearer understanding of what culturally competent services are still needed in our community. It will also be used to educate many of our stakeholders, through statistics, on how we are doing and how we can improve interventions and services in our County.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Phase 1 of The Enhanced DMC Technical Assistance Project will provide funds to hire an expert consultant to research and ultimately implement programs that will positively impact the way the Probation Department responds to minority youth.