About Us

The Probation Department is an integral part of the justice system. We are charged with the responsibility of community protection through the provision of mandated direct services to the Courts. Our duties include the supervision, control, and correction of offenders who are granted formal probation. We use a combination of constructive authority and supportive guidance with probationers, and rely on community treatment resources to meet the specialized needs of both juveniles and adults.

A probation grant from the Court is a privilege that usually includes conditions that require serving a specific amount of time in jail or in a juvenile institution, paying restitution to the victims of crime, participation in counseling and education programs, abstaining from the use of alcohol and drugs, paying fines, and doing community service work, to name but a few. Failure to comply with these conditions can result in the offender's removal from probation status and the imposition of more severe punishment.

Sonoma County Probation:

• EMPLOYS a total of 280 full-time staff members, including 97 Deputy Probation Officers, 101 Juvenile Correctional Counselors, 66 support employees and 16 Department Managers.
   
• COLLECTS approximately $1.1 million in revenue annually through offender payments of fines/fees, all of which goes into the County Treasury.
   
• COLLECTS and disburses restitution monies to victims of crimes. In 2005, $452,352 was collected from adult and juvenile offenders on victims’ behalf.
   
• PROVIDES adult criminal investigative reports and recommendations on approximately 7,000 cases annually to the Sonoma County Courts.
   
• ACTIVELY supervises approximately 3,000 probationers each month for the Adult Criminal Courts. Approximate costs for Probation supervision are $36 per day per individual, as compared to roughly $75 per day to confine an offender in the County Jail.
   
• PROVIDES intake services, investigative reports and recommendations, and court officers for the Superior Court in approximately 5,000 juvenile cases each year.
   
• PROVIDES individualized supervision, case management, and counseling services to approximately 600 delinquent minors each month who are on Probation by way of the Juvenile Court.

For more information on the department's activities, please see our 2005-2006 Fact Sheet.

For addresses and phone numbers, please see our contact information.