Sacramento, Calif. – February 27, 2020 – The Chief Probation Officers of California (CPOC) held their Evolution of California’s Justice System through SB 678 conference yesterday in Sacramento and welcomed special guest speaker Governor Gavin Newsom to speak on the shared vision for public safety in California and what future partnerships will look like. In addition, CPOC was also honored to have California Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye as a featured speaker.

SB 678 – passed into law in 2009 — served as a catalyst that sought to reduce the state’s prison population by making necessary investments into the adult probation population. SB 678 brought about new programs to holistically rehabilitate adult clients with proper evidence-based practices including targeted therapies, counseling, professional development, substance abuse programs, job placement initiatives and more.

California Probation is constantly evolving to create safer communities and advance positive lasting impacts. SB 678 laid the foundation for bold ideas aiming to benefit our clients and communities – come hear how we continue this great work and enhance it for the future!

Intended to reduce the number of adult offenders in state prison and infuse local probation departments with resources for evidence-based practices and innovative approaches to disrupting the cycle of crime, SB 678 was successful in dropping the adult probation revocation rate. Each year since SB 678 passed, California’s revocation rate stayed below the original baseline rate of 7.9 percent

After the passage of SB 678, California’s crime rate has remained steadily below the 2008 baseline level. Property crime rates decreased by 5.1 percent and violent crime rates decreased by 1.5 percent. In light of the positive results that evidence-based practices yielded, probation departments continue to implement researched based approaches to public safety like the use of risk assessment, collaborative practices, and risk-based supervision.

Governor Newsom spoke at the conference (video link below) and applauded the work probation has done to ensure reduced recidivism, for showing leadership in solutions to new policy changes, and for incorporating evidence-based practices into their daily work with clients of probation. He expressed hope for a partnership that works together to promote public safety and ensure a safer California.