The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) announced the recipients of their 2018 Challenge Awards that spotlight the most innovative programs developed and implemented by California Counties.

In the Administration of Justice category, top awards went to Inyo, Shasta and Sacramento Counties for their innovative and effective programs.

Receiving the award in the rural county division was Inyo County.  Inyo’s entry highlighted the innovative use of their Juvenile Justice Center and the probation department’s creative partnership with Health and Human Services Agency in order to bring the best level of services for at-risk youth in their community. You can read about their program here.

In the suburban county division, the award went to Shasta County for their Shasta Technical Education Program-United Partnership (STEP-UP) program that is a partnership between the Sheriff’s Department, Probation Department and the Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District.  The STEP-UP program is aimed at providing alternative custody programs and provide innovative solutions to providing economic opportunities through education to justice involved individuals. For more about the STEP-UP program click here. 

Sacramento County took home top honors in the urban county division for the Sacramento Probation Department’s Multi-Sensory De-Escalation Room (MSDR) housed within their Youth Detention Facility. A multi-sensory de-escalation room is an innovative practice that creates a safe, trauma-informed environment allowing residents to de-escalate without use of force to prevent violence and increase safety. For more information about the MSDR click here.

For a complete list of award recipients, click here.