O.C. Probation Has a Reputation for Success : Crime: Despite scarce resources, department strives to keep officers’ caseloads low for better monitoring.

Orange County Deputy Probation Officer Bill Collins is urging Jorge, a 17-year-old gang member, to finish high school, telling him that a diploma could someday mean a high-paying career or his own business.

“Hey, man, I’d like to be there when you graduate. Don’t ‘yes’ me to death, I mean it,” Collins tells Jorge, who was placed on probation in 1991 for stealing a car and then threatening the owner.

“I want you to finish school. I want you to do it for me. I want you to do it for you,” Collins insists, as Jorge laughs shyly and covers his face with his hand, his immature demeanor a sharp contrast to the crimes he has committed.

Collins is one of a handful of county probation officers who have been given drastically reduced caseloads so they can closely supervise troubled juveniles, including teen-age gang members.

It’s Collins’ job to make sure the youths are following the terms of their probation--avoiding drugs and gangs, meeting curfew and staying in school. In many instances, he knows these kids better than their own parents do. Often, teachers will call Collins to notify him of chronic absences or class failures, because there is no one at home who will return the call.

Such intense monitoring for juveniles like Jorge is part of the county’s attempt to intervene in the lives of youths who appear headed for trouble, in the hope of making a difference before it’s too late, said Orange County Chief Probation Officer Michael Schumacher.

“People look at the problem of juvenile crime and say: ‘Something has to be done,’ ” Schumacher said. “We’re taking that and putting it into action. We’re trying to get these kids back on track.”

But devoting a disproportionate share of scarce resources to younger offenders at a time when the number of probation cases is soaring means that many people suspected of misdemeanors and less-serious felonies get little or no monitoring at all, officials acknowledge.

Currently, the department has “banked” about 4,000 misdemeanors and felony cases, a process under which defendants are monitored only by mail, and little in-person contact occurs unless a problem arises.

The department determines whether convicts’ cases can be banked based on each offender’s criminal background and whether he or she is likely to break the law again.

“It’s just not realistic to think that a probation department can oversee thousands upon thousands of people,” said Henry Pontell, a UC Irvine professor of criminology. “I think people can be lulled into this false sense of security when they think someone is on probation, so they’re always being watched. It’s just not true.”

In the past two decades, the number of offenders and juveniles under department supervision has more than doubled, from just more than 8,000 cases in 1970 to a current high of about 21,586 cases as of Nov. 1.

“It’s really been an explosion,” Schumacher said.

Schumacher said he is the first to admit the triage system is not perfect, but contended that it is the best that can be done with limited resources.

“We’re being forced to do more with less. Ideally, we’d like to have one officer for every person,” Schumacher said. “We have to be more selective with what we can do.”

Each week, Collins pays at least one surprise visit to each of the 35 juveniles he monitors. He shows up at dinner time, before or after school and sometimes at night--just to make sure they are following the law.

He cruises known gang hangouts, pays weekly visits to their classrooms and puts in late-night phone calls to those under curfew. He routinely orders random drug tests for them, and frequently asks to search their rooms for drugs. Sometimes, despite his efforts to keep young offenders in line, he must rearrest youths who refuse to follow the law.

Orange County Municipal Judge Margaret R. Anderson said she would like to see the department more vigorously supervise probationers, especially those who are convicted of misdemeanors. However, Anderson said she is still pleased with the department’s job.

“I think most people would like to see more done, but I think they do a great job given their limitations,” she said.

The Probation Department’s budget, currently at $54 million for the 1992-93 fiscal year, has grown steadily since the 1987-1988 fiscal year, when the department was allotted $37 million.

However, the budget for staff positions for deputy probation officers has decreased slightly over the same period, from 271 slots in the 1987-1988 fiscal year to 268 in the 1991-1992 fiscal year.

Most of the budget increase was instead devoted to increasing capacities of juvenile offender camps across the county.

In addition to supervision, the department is responsible for conducting background investigations, preparing court reports, collecting fines, awarding restitution to crime victims, obtaining family and child support and supplying reimbursement for legal costs.

In 1990, the department collected more than $6 million in fines, restitution and child support.

“We wear a variety of different hats,” said John Robinson, chief deputy probation officer for field services. “We’re like the gatekeepers for the justice system. We have a very critical role, but most people just think probation is a slap on the wrist. It’s not.”

The department also supervises about 700 troubled juveniles housed in three juvenile camps and Juvenile Hall, where they receive counseling and rehabilitation and attend school.

Between 1987 and 1991, the number of juveniles arrested for violent crimes in Orange County increased 63.4%, from 500 in 1987 to 819 in 1992, records show.

Juveniles sentenced to probation make up 24% of the department’s caseload. Of the juvenile caseload, 40% have been convicted of felonies.

An Orange County Probation Department study that tracked juveniles after their first arrests found that 8% make up more than 50% of future juvenile cases.

The study, which is ongoing, has helped officials identify common traits among juvenile offenders. A juvenile whose first arrest comes before he turns 15, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse, is failing at school and has a disruptive home life is primed for future trouble.

“We think this is an innovative study that confirms what many thought,” Schumacher said. “Many juveniles come in for their first arrest, and we never hear from them again. For the problem group, if we can concentrate resources to help intervene, we’ll turn lives around and save money in the process.”

Collins, who has been on the street 12 years as a probation officer, said he believes that concentrating resources on high-risk cases will help break the cycle of crime. He knows from personal experience that many youths become involved with gangs because no one else cares enough to intervene.

He recalls another teen-ager whose brother is an alcoholic, whose father suffers from depression and whose mother has abandoned the family. Collins is the only one urging the youth to stay away from gangs and drugs. He said some of his kids wind up going to jail for violations, but he has also had many successes.

During Collins’ visit with Jorge, the teen-ager said he had little interest in school and had been working with his father in landscaping.

“You finish school and someday you won’t have to work for someone else. You’ll own your own landscaping business. That’d be nice, huh?” Collins continues. Jorge says he never thought about owning his own business and promises to go back to school.

But Collins wasn’t taking any chances.

“Great. I’ll be by school tomorrow and I’ll stop in for a chat,” Collins said as Jorge rolled his eyes. “I’ll be there,” Jorge promised.

Law enforcement officials say probation officers are blamed when criminals stray, but probation officials are limited in what they can do to track offenders--especially defendants who are not afraid to break the law again.

Orange County Probation Department records show that 80% of adults successfully complete probation without violating the terms or breaking any laws. Among adults considered to be high risk, there is a 75% success rate, department records show.

But Orange County has less success with juvenile probationers. About 70% complete probation without committing a new violation, according to county data.

Data comparing probation departments statewide is difficult to come by, in part because it does not always reflect minor violations that did not warrant a revocation of probation, officials said.

According to statistics by the State Department of Justice, 175,814 people were removed from probation across the state in 1991. Of those defendants, 52.72% had their probation terminated, the vast majority after successful completion. The statistics also show that 47.27% had their probation revoked for violations or other reasons.

Santa Barbara County Chief Probation Officer Sue Gionfriddo, president of the Chief Probation Officers of California, said Orange County has a reputation for outstanding work.

“If it doesn’t have one of the highest (rates of successful completion of probation), it’s in the upper percentiles,” said Gionfriddo, who added that the department is also respected for its work to keep caseloads low for better monitoring.

But some officials say even intense probation supervision does not necessarily translate into personal rehabilitation.

A 1991 study by the Rand Corp. found that convicts who received strict supervision had roughly the same repeat arrest rate as convicts in normal probation programs. But that is because those who received intense supervision had a higher rate of “technical” violations of their probations, such as breaking curfew, or testing positive for drugs because probation officers were scrutinizing them more closely.

Susan Turner, co-author of the report, said probation departments cannot provide maximum supervision for everyone, and law enforcement officials nationwide have begun to look at ways to concentrate their resources, as the Orange County Probation Department is doing.

“It’s impossible to think you can put one probation officer on every person,” Turner said. “More departments are trying to focus on where they can make an impact.”

Collins, a former New York City police officer who joined the Orange County Probation Department 12 years ago because he wanted to help people turn their lives around--instead of just locking them up--said probation is the last step before prison for many of these youths.

“You can get some of these kids back,” said Collins, who speaks with a distinct New York accent and dresses much like the youths he oversees--faded jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and sneakers.

On a recent afternoon, Collins meets with another youth on probation. Instead of an official visit where Collins goes down a checklist of requirements, he greeted the youth like a friend and began talking about the teen’s family.

“Hey, how’s it going with Mom?” Collins asked.

The juvenile shakes his head and spills out the latest family update--he’s still living with a neighbor after his mother threw him out one day because the troubled youth was interfering with her attempts to make her latest marriage work. “I heard them fighting the other night,” said the youth, who lives only a few doors away but rarely sees his mother and her new husband.

“I know some people may say it sounds hokey, but at least there’s a chance here,” said Collins, after the visit has concluded. “The alternative is that you know these kids will wind up in prison someday unless somebody stops them.”

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Probation Picture Probation officials are considered the gate keepers of the judicial system, performing a variety of tasks from investigations to collecting fines to monitoring hardened criminals. As crime increases prison overcrowding pressures, Orange County’s Probation Department juggles the need for public safety with the realistic limitations of the department. More Probation, Less Prison Probation or probation with an attendant jail stretch has gained favor among sentencing judges during the past decade. At the same time, prison sentences have decreased. Probation or probation/jail in 1991: 69% Prison in 1991: 30% Where They Went In 1991, the vast majority of felons convicted in Orange County courts were sentenced to either probation or probation after a jail sentence. Probation/jail: 65% Probation: 12% Prison: 12% Jail: 9% Fine/other: 2% Sources: California Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Information Center * Crime and Punishment The Orange County Probation Department is responsible for a wide variety of criminals. Probation and Crime Category As many as three in four of those convicted of serious crimes in 1991 ended up on probation outright or there after a jail stretch. Homicide: 2% Rape: 30% Robbery: 39% Assault: 87% Burglary: 75% Theft: 80% Auto theft: 77% Drug violations: 79% * Ethnic similarities The percentage of convicted felons receiving probation or a combination jail and probation sentence is substantially the same, regardless of ethnicity.

Whites Latinos Blacks Probation/jail 64% 68% 63% Probation 14% 8% 9% Prison 10% 14% 16% Jail 9% 9% 11% Fine/other 3% 1% 1%

* Caseload Increasing During the past five years, the county’s probation budget has increased 38% and the average number of adults and juveniles on probation has risen 16%. During the same period, the number of budget positions for probation officers has remained about level, increasing the average caseload. Probation Caseload 1987-88: 17,665 1988-89: 19,350 1989-90: 20,376 1990-91: 20,525 1991-92: 20,556 Average Caseload 1987-88: 65 1988-89: 70 1989-90: 74 1990-91: 77 1991-92: 77 Budget In millions of dollars 1987-88: $37 1988-89: $41 1989-90: $43 1990-91: $48 1991-92: $51 Sources: California Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Information Center, Orange County Probation Department * Probation in L.A. County Here is demographic breakdown of offenders involved in the Los Angeles County probation system: Number of adults on probation: 89,554 Females: 16% Males: 84% Race White: 27% Black: 26% Latino: 40% Other: 7% Type of offense of adults on probation Felony: 61% Misdemeanor: 39% Drunken driving: 13%* Adults leaving probation Defendants completing probation: 43% Defendants with probation revoked by court: 37% Other: 16% *including felonies and misdemeanors Source: Los Angeles County Probation Dept; National Assn. of Criminal Justice Planners, “Variations on Felony Probation” March, 1991