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Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission

Our Mission

Juvenile Justice

Our Mission is to inquire into the administration of Juvenile Court Law in the County of Tulare and develop new strategies which continually improve juvenile justice and delinquency prevention with the focus on long term impact on the community.

The Tulare County Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC) has access to, and must inspect, all publicly administered institutions in the county authorized by the Juvenile Court Law. It also monitors all activities involved in the care and supervision of both dependent children and wards of the court from the time they are taken into temporary custody until they leave the child welfare or juvenile justice system.

Please submit questions to bud@sequoiariverlands.org or JBautista@tularewib.org.

Juvenile Justice Minutes

Juvenile Court

History

The involvement of responsible citizens in California’s juvenile justice system dates back to 1903. At that time, a newly adopted statute required that in each county the Judge of the Juvenile Court appoint seven citizens of good moral character to be known as the Probation Committee.

These Probation Committees were given the power to inspect private institutions accepting wards of the court, investigate and report on juvenile cases before the court, provide friendly supervision and visitation, and nominate the county probation officer as well as approve of the probation officer’s deputies.

The work of these committees continued until the Arnold-Kennick revision of the Juvenile Court Law in 1961. With this revision, the Probation Committee became the Juvenile Justice Commission. Welfare and Institutions Code Section 229 states, “It shall be the duty of a juvenile justice commission to inquire into the administration of the juvenile court law in the county or region in which the commission serves.”

Meeting Information

Meetings are held every other month on the second Tuesday from 5:30PM to 7PM at Connections, 3249 W. Noble Avenue, Visalia, CA 93277. All meetings are open to the public. You may join in person or virtual, at the following link or by phone.

Photo of Connections

Teams Meeting

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Download Teams | Join on the web

Meeting ID: 253 315 088 279
Passcode: nhUWxN

Join by Phone

+1 669-247-1027,,220704293# United States, San Jose

Phone Conference ID: 220 704 293#

Click here to find your local number

Chair

Bud Darwin

Chief Probation Officer

Kelly M. Vernon

Judge of the Juvenile Court

Sylvia Hanna

Presiding Judge
of the Juvenile Court

John Bianco

Members

Carla Calhoun
Dylan Callison
Ernest Gibson
Frank Escobar
Galen Quenzer
Jeff Jacobs
Jennie Bautista
Manny Castro
Mario Flores
Megan Casebeer
Sam Weiser
Sneha Kumar
Timo Pizana
Americus Campos

Appointments and Meetings

Authority Information

By law, the Commission shall consist of “not less than seven (7) and no more than fifteen (15) citizens. Two or more members shall be persons who are between 14 and 21 years of age, provided there are available persons between 14 and 21 years of age able to carry out the duties of a commission member in a manner satisfactory to the appointing authority” (WIC 225).

Appointments

The Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court with the concurrence of the Presiding Judge of Superior Court of Tulare County, Juvenile Division appoints individual citizens for terms of four (4) years to the Juvenile Justice Commission.

Items for courtroom

Meetings

Public meetings are held every other month on the fourth Tuesday of January, March, May, July, September, and November to begin at 3:30 PM. The public meetings are conducted in such places within the County of Tulare, as the Commission shall designate.

Special meetings of the Commission are open to the public and may be set at any time and at any place within the County of Tulare designated in the notice of the special meeting. A special meeting may be called by the Chairperson of the Commission or any three members on 24-hours’ written notice unless such notice is waived by all members of the Commission. The convening authority of the special meeting may close any special meeting of the Commission to the public. Juvenile Justice Commissions are not subject to the Ralph M. Brown Act. They are, in effect, part of the Superior Court and, as such, fall within the exemption from the so-called Secret Meeting Laws for Judicial agencies provided in Section 11121 of the Government Code. (Ref: Opinion No. CV75/29 I.L.)

Commissioner Affiliations

Bud Darwin – Education Director, Sequoia Riverlands Trust

Jennie Campos Bautista – Deputy Director – Operations, Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County

Carla Calhoun – Deputy Director, Community Services Employment Training Inc. and Board President, Arts Visalia

Dylan Callison – Student, San Diego State University

Manny Castro – Coordinator, Intervention-Prevention, Woodlake Unified School District

Mario Flores – School Social Worker, Farmersville Unified School District

Ernest Gibson – Assistant Administrator, Psynergy Programs, Inc.

Jeff Jacobs – Professor, Porterville College

Galen Quenzer – CEO, Boys & Girls Club of the Sequoias

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the Juvenile Justice Commission?
The Juvenile Justice Commission is a state-mandated commission consisting of both adult members and student members (between 14 and 21 years of age) of Tulare County. Members of the Commission are appointed by the Presiding Judge of the Tulare County Superior Court.
What are the Responsibilities?

Within its statutory duty, the Commission’s responsibilities include:

  • Inspecting detention facilities used for the placement of any minor under the supervision of the Juvenile Court of Tulare County.
  • Investigating programs, policies, and procedures for these youth.
  • Conducting public or closed hearings on matters relating to juvenile law in the county.
  • Advocating for needed services for youth in the juvenile justice system.
  • Providing an opportunity for the public to present oral petitions and public comments concerning juvenile justice at meetings.
What is an Oath of Confidentiality?
At the time of being sworn as Commissioner by the Judge, each Commissioner signs an Oath of Confidentiality. The oath states that Commissioners will keep Juvenile Justice Commission matters, juvenile records, cases observed, investigation specifics, and inspection reports confidential prior to their approval and release. Commissioners use the authority of the Juvenile Justice Commission only in the interest of the youth of the County, using discretion, diligence, and integrity in the conduct of Commission business.
How are members of the Juvenile Justice Commission appointed?
The Presiding Judge of the Superior Court appoints them with the concurrence of the Supervising Judge of the Juvenile Court. Youth members are between 14 and 21 years of age. Adult members serve four-year terms and may apply for reappointment. Youth members are asked to make a minimum one-year commitment. All adult and youth Commissioners are community volunteers.