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Madera Unified, sheriff and probation praised for school-linked gang-intervention program
Summary
Madera Unified School District presented an award to the sheriff’s office and probation department for their joint gang-intervention program that brings students to jail and probation facilities for educational tours and motivational talks; officials said the program reports behavior-change signals and plans to continue visits next year.
Lawrence Fernandez, director of safety and security for Madera Unified School District, described a multiagency gang-intervention program at the Board of Supervisors meeting and presented awards to the sheriff’s department and the probation department for their roles in the effort.
"We started thinking. Let's reach out to our local partners...Our first stop was under sheriff Estes...and assistant sheriff Blim jumped on board and took this program to a new direction," Fernandez said, describing school tours of jail facilities, probation presentations and motivational speakers intended to dissuade youth from gang involvement. (Lawrence Fernandez, Madera Unified School District.)
Speakers from the jail and probation offices said the visits are educational, not "scared-straight," and that the program has run multiple visits with staff reporting roughly a 60% change in behavior among participating students based on program feedback. Probation leadership accepted a proclamation recognizing Probation Services Week and highlighted upcoming community outreach including a backpack giveaway with the district attorney's office.
Board members and sheriffs praised the collaboration and encouraged expansion of the program to other areas in the county.
What's next: Presenters invited board members and supervisors to join future visits and said they plan additional sessions next year.
