Pretrial Program Specialist

sjgov•Stockton, CA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

This examination is being given to fill 4 vacancies in the Probation Department and to establish an eligible list that may be used to fill future vacancies. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of an application. A completed application must be postmarked or received online by the final filing deadline. All correspondences relating to this recruitment will be delivered via e-mail. The e-mail account used will be the one provided on your employment application during time of submittal. Please be sure to check your e-mail often for updates. If you do not have an e-mail account on file, Human Resources will send you correspondences via US Mail. Potential new hires into this classification are required to successfully pass a pre-employment drug screen as a condition of employment. Final appointment cannot be made unless the eligible has passed the drug screen. The County pays for the initial drug screen.

Requirements

Completion of 60 semester units at an accredited college or university, including at least 18 units in the social or behavioral sciences.
One year working in a social services, law enforcement or criminal justice setting that included substantial responsibility for interviewing clients as part of case management or law enforcement duties, or to establish program eligibility.
Possession of a valid driver’s license equivalent to a “Class C” in California.

Nice To Haves

Basic principles of human behavior and applied psychology, including issues common to criminal behavior; advanced interviewing techniques; basic court and arrest procedures; basic research and investigative methods/procedures; principles and practices of written and oral communication; language mechanics, report writing and principles of written composition; general computer operations.
Interview clients and obtain factual information in stressful situations; listen carefully during interviews to both content and presentation in order to identify questionable information; investigate, research and interpret information regarding a client’s criminal history, social and other background; interpret and apply complex laws, policies and procedures using considerable judgment; communicate effectively with a variety of people, both orally and in writing; effectively handle difficult situations; work well under pressure; develop and maintain good working relationships with a wide variety of people; utilize computers to retrieve and enter information.

Responsibilities

Interviews criminal defendants and others to obtain accurate and necessary information regarding criminal, social and/or other relevant history; reviews arrest reports and other legal documents as needed to facilitate the interview process.
Verifies information obtained from defendants and/or others by contacting references, researching available criminal justice databases, and/or contacting various criminal justice agencies as required; checks for local, state, and federal warrants; obtains California Department of Motor Vehicles history as necessary; interprets records as appropriate.
Compiles, evaluates and assesses information obtained, including observed behavioral indicators that are relevant to eligibility for release; establishes defendant eligibility for release programs, such as Felony Own Recognizance Release, Citation Release, or Conditional Release programs; makes recommendations to release defendants utilizing established criteria, legal requirements, and educated judgment.
Prepares complete and accurate reports, court/legal forms, summaries and/or other documents as required; prepares Pre-Trial packets and other files as assigned; prepares and obtains client/defendant signatures on various documents such as Promise to Appear (Misdemeanor Citation Release), Felony Own Recognizance or other forms; transports paperwork to the courts, Probation facilities, criminal justice agencies, or other locations as necessary.
Responds to inquiries from judges, officers, attorneys and other members of the criminal justice community regarding defendants; facilitates probable cause hearings with on-call judges.
Schedules defendants for court appearances and hearings based on established calendars; may be required to appear or testify in court.