Probation presents juvenile commission inspection of William F. James Ranch to Public Safety and Justice Committee

Probation Department staff on Wednesday presented the Juvenile Justice Commission's annual inspection report of the William F. James Ranch facility to the Santa Clara County Public Safety and Justice Committee.

Deputy Chief Jill Ugalde, who identified herself as deputy chief over the Institutional Services Division, introduced the presentation and said probation had no formal slide deck but would answer questions from supervisors and commissioners who were present in chambers. "My name is Jill Ugalde and I'm the deputy chief over the institutional services division," she said.

The report and the department's responses describe ongoing work to reinstate off-site furloughs (OTs) and home visits for youth in custody. Probation staff told the committee they have begun policy and equipment steps intended to reduce risks associated with OTs, including recently received body scanners to screen returning youth for contraband. Ugalde said the department was "actively working on a process for OTs" but did not give a firm timeline for resuming the program.

Why it matters: supervisors said the county needs clearer timelines and measurement of youth outcomes as probation restores programming curtailed during the pandemic. Vice Chairperson Lee asked the department to return with status updates before the end of the calendar year on last year's recommendations, probation's responses to the JJC's current recommendations, and changes to youth surveys used during inspections.

Supervisors and the independent defender praised the JJC's work and asked that probation provide more detail about reintroducing furloughs, which the department said would include consultation with the Youth Advisory Council and collaboration with Behavioral Health to ensure family stability and safe return conditions. Ugalde and staff noted prior challenges with OTs, including youth who failed to return and instances of contraband brought back into facilities; the department said body scanners would be used once policy and processes are finalized.

Supervisors also asked for more robust outcome tracking after release: Lee requested expanded data collection on youth outcomes and that any proposed modifications to JJC survey instruments be shared with the commission and returned to the board. The department confirmed it has been discussing survey parameters with the Youth Advisory Council and said it had recently been tracking perceptions of education and programming: supervisors cited a figure in the report that "76% of our kids feel good about their education." The department did not provide additional long-term outcome timelines during the meeting.

Committee action: Supervisor Lee moved to receive the report; the motion was seconded and the committee approved the report by recorded voice vote (Vice Chairperson Lee: Aye; Chairperson Oliver: Yes). The department agreed to return with the requested updates.

Looking ahead: Supervisors directed probation to bring back the requested status updates and to coordinate with the JJC and Youth Advisory Council on any survey changes. Probation said it would prepare additional materials for forthcoming committee meetings to show progress on policy, equipment use (body scanners) and outcome tracking.