Help to get clean, sober

“Our parole and probation people, they have a real passion for creating solution for people,” said Lane Magill, Wasco County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy, who oversees the community corrections department.

Those on parole have served time in state prison, and those on probation have served time in the local jail.

The parole and probation system is highly complex, he said.

Parole and probation officers work with numerous programs, including those for sex offenders, child abusers, and batterers, and they monitor their clients’ attendance at treatment programs for mental health issues and drug and alcohol abuse.

They also monitor and encourage their clients’ job seeking efforts, which dovetails with work done by DHS.

Lori McCanna, a supervisor in the self-sufficiency program at DHS, said, “Some of our participants in the jobs program have the criminal history background or are currently on some kind of supervision. The only time that we really have any reason to communicate with parole and probation is if parole and probation wants [their client] to do something that prevents them in creating a jobs plan with us.”

But, in those situations, which is usually a time conflict, she said, the two agencies communicate and “oftentimes what we’ve found is parole and probation likes our plan and switches things so they are in support.”

While parole and probation does not provide transportation to meetings, DHS and other programs do.

McCanna said the jobs program run through DHS can provide money for transportation to drug and alcohol meetings, while mental health meetings are a medical appointment that is covered by another program in terms of transportation.

“There’s no excuse,” not to attend meetings, McCanna said.

The parole and probation office also requires clients to engage in job searches, but they also provide leads for work, Magill said.

The parole and probation office posts any local job openings it becomes aware of — from listings in the Chronicle to postings seen outside of businesses — so clients who come for appointments can view them, Magill said.

Parole and probation officers in Wasco County have faced a double-squeeze recently: a higher caseload and fewer staff. Down by one employee for most of 2015, the office only recently got back to what now counts as a full complement of four parole and probation officers, Magill said. Years ago, there were five parole and probation officers in the community corrections department, he said.

Each officer supervises 120 to 130 parolees or probationers, double the state average, Magill said. Right now, the office has 400 cases.