Probation Services
Probation Services is divided into two Divisions; Probation Field Services and Court Division and the Probation Services and Education Division. There are nine units of which five are geographically de-centralized providing an array of community based service providers for children on Deferred Prosecution or Court ordered Probation. Children are supervised through home, school and office visits.
Under the Probation Field Services and Court Division, the Intake Unit functions as the "Gateway" into the juvenile system. Once a law enforcement agency brings an apprehended child to the Detention Center, an Intake Probation Officer reviews the police report and makes a determination as to juvenile court jurisdiction based on probable cause, and the very critical decision whether to release the child to a parent/guardian or to detain the child. In CY 2007 Intake processed 11, 377 children including "non-arrest" paper referrals.
The Court Unit receives the case of the referred child as a first time referral to the probation department or a re-referral after completing a previous term of probation. The child is likely supervised by a court Probation Officer until the child is formally placed on probation or granted a Deferred Prosecution contract. Under the Probation Field Services and Education Division, four Units provide an array of community based case services for children who may by placed on Deferred Prosecution and more serious offenses which may result in Court ordered Probation. However, the Division is also comprised of all substance abuse supervision probation officers and programs (Drug Court), Family Preservation, Project Connect, GED classes, and the Community Service Restitution and Victim Services Programs that support the department as a whole. The Child Support Probation Unit provides community supervision to adult non-custodial parents who have been non-compliant in child support matters.
The Mental Health Services Division assists the juvenile and their families by working diligently to maintain the delicate balance between rehabilitation and accountability. This division attends to children who present with a broad range of special needs that are addressed through dedicated educational settings, specialized treatment services, character/skills training, and residential placement. This division is comprised of the Bexar County Day Education and Treatment Program, Challenge Program, Contract Care Residential Unit, Cyndi Taylor Krier Residential Services Unit, Mental Health Assessment and Triage Unit, Vocational and Employment Services Program and Specialized Intensive Supervision Probation and Intensive Clinical Services.