Adult Investigative Services Bureau Court Reports Completed for 2018 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 21,555 15,312 35,758 391 UNASSIGNED PROP 63 ASCOT CAI Bail Reform The L.A. County jail population averages over 17,000 inmates daily of which nearly half of those confined in pretrial detention. Many remain in detention because they simply cannot afford their bail. Following the lead of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, Probation has been actively planning for bail reform that will address the issue of equity, favoring a more individualized approach to bail and less on a person’s ability to pay. Reform will also reduce overcrowding in jails and increase cost savings for taxpayers. The current cost of L.A. County Pretrial Services ranges from $0 to $25.80 daily per person as compared to the $177 per day to house someone in jail. Bail reform will likely have a profound impact on Probation Departments across California with a dramatic increase in the number of defendants requiring a pretrial risk assessment and pretrial supervision services. This year Pretrial Services began to explore the creation of a Pretrial Release Supervision Program and a new, validated risk assessment tool including an analysis of the financial and human resources the Department would need for implementation. Probation estimates that it would need to manage over 120,000 cases per year under a new bail reform system. Bail reform will require additional resources to provide the kind of support and services that can change the course of defendants’ lives. On August 28, 2018, the California Money Bail Reform Act, Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), was approved by Governor Brown. The bill mandated that individuals arrested and detained are subject to a pretrial risk assessment conducted by Pretrial Assessment Services. However, a referendum to overturn SB 10 qualified for the November 2020 election. Adult Investigations Guiding Sentencing Decisions Multiple Probation investigative officers at Central Adult Investigations (CAI) and the Adult Services Court Officer Team (ASCOT) serve a vital function by providing information and recommendations to guide the court’s sentencing decisions, including defendants’ eligibility and suitability for community- based supervision by the Probation Department. Central Records Central Records provides clerical support to the CAI and ASCOT programs, maintaining the inactive and closed probation files of both juvenile and adult probationers, processing digital imaging files, file management, as well as overseeing the justice inmate video conferencing system of Probation. Probation’s Central Records processed 61,778 adult investigation court report referrals in 2018 and closed 33,300 adult files for those who no longer have an active probation case. Court Report Totals for 2018 L.A. County Probation Department | 2018 Annual Report 41 40 L.A. County Probation Department | 2018 Annual Report