The conditions at your child’s high school are not bad. Probation officers are on high school campuses for a variety of reasons, few of which have to do with crime or dangerous circumstances. Each officer at a school has a caseload of minors who are on probation for one reason or another, and can closely supervise them during school hours. Most importantly, officers are on campus as a resource for students having difficulties at school, home or in the community. They are able to answer questions about these issues and how they relate to the juvenile justice system, and make referrals to services in students’ communities. Probation officers are available as a resource to school teachers and administrators regarding problems and issues that may arise on campus.

If the law allows your child’s record to be sealed, the Probation Department can assist you in this process. To initiate this process you should contact the main Probation Department Office in Shingle Springs, (530) 621-5625, or the branch office in South Lake Tahoe, (530) 573-3083.

No, you cannot “put” your child into Juvenile Hall. Your child must commit a crime and be arrested by a police/sheriff’s officer to be booked into Juvenile Hall. There are other community resources available to assist you with your child such as New Morning Youth and Family Services, EDCA Lifeskills, Tahoe Youth and Family Services, etc.

You cannot “drop” your child off at the Probation Department or Juvenile Hall for any reason. A child cannot go to a group home except by order of the Juvenile Court wherein the Court finds there are very serious, traumatic and problematic circumstances within the child’s life and family.

Yes, the Welfare and Institutions Code provides that you can be charged for the costs of care and support of your child for each day he/she is detained in Juvenile Hall or a juvenile ranch or camp. You must also reimburse the cost of your child being placed in a group homes or foster home. The local office of Child Support Services will collect these group/foster home costs from you.

Under the Welfare and Institutions Code the father, mother, spouse, or other person liable for the support of a minor, the estate of that person, and the estate of the minor, shall be liable for the reasonable costs of support of the minor while the minor is placed, or detained in, or committed to, any institution or other place pursuant to an order of the Juvenile Court. The liability of these persons and estates shall be a joint and several liability.

In California, probation is the County function of supervising persons placed on probation by a Superior Court (criminal or juvenile), performed by probation officers employed by each California County. Parole is the State function of supervising persons released from a commitment to State Prison or the Division of Juvenile Justice (formerly known as the California Youth Authority), performed by parole agents employed by the State of California.

If you are named as a victim of a crime in a law enforcement report and the person who committed the crime is convicted of the crime, and the case is referred to the probation officer, you will be contacted by the probation officer for specific information regarding your losses. From your information, the probation officer will determine an amount of restitution to be recommended to the Court. Once the Court orders restitution on your behalf from the person who committed the crime, the probation officer will make every effort to collect the amount owed to you. As payments are made to the Court, they will be forwarded to you.

If law enforcement has not investigated the crime against you, you must contact the Sheriff or Police Department, whichever is appropriate.

If law enforcement has investigated the crime against you but the case has not yet gone to Court, you must contact the District Attorney’s Office (adult) or the Probation Department (juvenile) to determine the status of the case.

If you are on criminal probation or are a ward of the Juvenile Court for a felony, you cannot possess any firearm or any deadly or dangerous weapon. A deadly or dangerous weapon is any illegal weapon and may also include any knives or other weapons such as bow and arrow, crossbow, pellet gun, etc. If you are on probation for a misdemeanor, the weapons prohibition will depend on the particular crime for which you have been convicted. Check your Court paperwork which will list the conditions of probation that apply to you.

Yes, your person can be searched at any time, anywhere. A probation officer or any law enforcement officer can also search your room, home, vehicle and space at your place of employment at any time. Your constitutional rights in regard to search and seizure were one of the rights you waived in order to be granted probation by the Court.

The first three mean exactly the same thing, on probation to the Court without the supervision of the probation officer. Formal probation is supervision by the probation officer on behalf of the Court.

Courtesy supervision on behalf of another California County or a State via Interstate Compact cannot be established without a formal request by the jurisdiction in control of your case. It is safest for you to return to the County or State having jurisdiction of your case and remain there until formal supervision is established.

The Probation Department may request another jurisdiction provide supervision of your case, courtesy supervision for another County or Interstate Compact for another State. You cannot, however, relocate to another County or State until your case has been accepted unless you were a resident of that County/State at the time you were arrested in El Dorado County. In any case, you must notify your probation officer of your desire to relocate/return to another County/State.

Under very limited circumstances your probation can be terminated early. This also can only occur by order of the Court after a hearing. At the very minimum you must have all of your probation conditions satisfied, including all monies paid in full. Further, you must have complied fully with every condition of probation, and not had any probation violations or committed any new crimes.

The law prohibits the Probation Department from disclosing this information to you as a general rule. If the department determines this probationer is a threat to your personal safety, you may be advised of this threat. Megan’s Law determines that you may learn the identity of sex offenders within your neighborhood through the Sheriff’s or Police Departments.

The law prohibits the Probation Department from disclosing this information to you. You may contact the office of Child Support Services for assistance in obtaining child support. That department has offices in Placerville and South Lake Tahoe

The law prohibits the Probation Department from disclosing this information to you as a general rule. If the department determines this probationer is a threat to your personal safety, you may be advised of this threat. Megan's Law determines that you may learn the identity of sex offenders within your neighborhood through the Sheriff's or Police Departments.

The department does not drug test anyone who is not on formal probation with a Court order to be tested by the department.

This process under Section 17 of the California Penal Code can only happen if the sentence for the crime for which you were convicted can be either a felony or misdemeanor sentence. If one can only be sentenced for a crime as a felony, it cannot be reduced to a misdemeanor. If the law allows your crime to be reduced to a misdemeanor, the Probation Department can petition the Court for this reduction on your behalf. There is a fee to the department for this service. As an alternative, you can pay an attorney to provide this service for you.