Juvenile Probation
The Mono County Probation Department Juvenile Division’s main goal is to prevent and rehabilitate. There are an array of programs and services that the Probation Department uses to assist with the prevention of criminal behavior or to rehabilitate those juveniles who are on probation. The Juvenile Division handles matters pertaining to juveniles up to the age of 18, unless the Juvenile Court has chosen to maintain jurisdiction up to the age of 21.
Incentives and Sanctions Model
A risk-based Incentives and Sanctions program is an evidence-based intervention where supervising officers apply sanctions or rewards in response to specific behaviors of the offender. The goal is to increase positive behavior change related to behavior such as reducing drug use or applying for jobs.
How Does It Work?
Incentives, or rewards, are provided to individuals to reinforce specific, target behaviors such as attending substance abuse treatment, remaining abstinent, submitting clean drug tests, and meeting other case plan goals. Incentives can include reporting by telephone instead of in person, bus tokens, gift cards, or genuine praise from their probation officer. Social rewards can be as effective as monetary rewards. To decrease the frequency of an undesirable target behavior such as missing an appointment or testing positive, officers can apply a punishment from the graduated sanctions and incentives offense matrix that is provided to the minor at the initial intake process with the probation officer. Sanctions can include more frequent drug tests, electronic monitoring, or a short stint in the juvenile hall.
Why Does It Work?
Rewards and sanctions, or contingency management programs, are based on the theory of operant learning, which explains that human behavior is learned through the consequences that result from our actions. Behaviors that result in positive consequence will be repeated. Therefore, behaviors that are reinforced or rewarded are more likely to increase, and behaviors that are punished are more likely to decrease over time.
American Probation and Parole Association and National Institute of Corrections
Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) are the laws, rules, and regulations pertaining to juveniles. The prominent difference between the following types of probation is non-wardship vs wardship. Non-wardship probation does not allow the Probation Department to remove the juvenile from their home. Wardship Probation means that the Court has jurisdiction over the minor as if the Court was the minor’s parent. In addition, wardship probation allows the Probation Department to remove a juvenile from their home if necessary.
This page contains information on the Juvenile Detention Facilities for Eldorado County and Tuolumne County. Mono County does not have a detention center or juvenile hall in the County. Information on this page also includes placements that may be used for Juveniles.
If you or your child have a juvenile criminal record, whether you appeared before the Court or you just had contact with law enforcement, you have the right to seal your juvenile record. However, there are some mandatory requirements that must be met before petitioning the Court to seal the juvenile record.
Sealing your juvenile records means that the Court will order all those departments that interacted with you destroy their records of that contact. If anyone wants to see your juvenile record, they must petition the Court to expunge your record.
Requirements:
Juvenile traffic matters are handled by the Mono County Juvenile Traffic Hearing Officer in the Informal Juvenile and Traffic Court. This means, that if you are 17 years of age or younger and you receive a traffic citation or any citation you are promising to appear (when you sign the citation) before the Informal Juvenile and Traffic Court.
Process:
School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs), are composed of representatives from various youth serving agencies. The Board helps truant or recalcitrant students and their parents/guardians solve school attendance and behavior problems through the use of available school and community resources. County SARBs are convened by the county superintendent at the beginning of each school year.
On December 8, 2016, Orlando Mejia, Deputy Probation Officer III, of Mono County Probation, was bestowed the Central Region Employee of the Year Award from the Chief Probation Officers of California.
The award represents meritorious service by one employee within the five regions of California. Central Region is comprised of Mono, Inyo, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Kern, Tuolumne, Fresno, Kings, Merced, San Luis Obispo, Tulare, Madera, and Mariposa counties.
What happens when my child commits a crime, but was not arrested?
When a juvenile commits a crime local law enforcement is contacted. Law enforcement takes a report and refers it to the Probation Department. You may be contacted by the Probation Department for a meeting or you and your child may be noticed to appear in Court.
What if my child was arrested?
