REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – San Mateo County Chief Probation Officer Stuart Forrest today announced the creation of a special division to promote the long-term success of Public Safety Realignment.
The Realignment and Re-Entry Division is dedicated to supervising offenders and parolees that are now under the supervision of San Mateo County probation officers due to changes in state law. Those changes, collectively called Public Safety Realignment, shifted supervision and incarceration of certain low-level offenders from the state in order to reduce overcrowding and reduce costs in the state corrections system.
“We have a tremendous opportunity here to build a corrections system that succeeds,” Forrest said. “By succeeds, I mean that we help offenders turn their lives around and provide the support they need to become productive members of our community and at the same time making our streets and our communities safer.”
Stuart Forrest
Forrest announced that the Division will be headed by Deputy Chief Probation Officer Larry Silver. He will be supported at the director level by Yvonne Kalber while Probation Services Manager Jody DiMauro completes the unit management team. Together, they represent a wealth of experience in the county, state and federal corrections systems. In addition, all are familiar with the priorities of the Superior Court and the County’s re-entry objectives as outlined in the Local Implementation Plan by the Community Corrections Partnership.
The Realignment and Re-Entry Division will support public safety through supervision and treatment. The division consists of one deputy chief, one director, one first-line supervisor, seven officers and three office support staff. Together they will supervise more than 600 offenders. The division customizes the existing probation structure to address the special needs of a population that, prior to “Realignment,” would be incarcerated in prison. The division is supported through state funding created by savings to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Forrest also announced that Christine Villanis has been promoted to deputy chief of the Court Services Division. She will be supported at the director level by Glenda Miller. Villanis began her county career after a career as a law enforcement officer. She climbed quickly to the rank of director after assignments and projects that crossed all divisions. Her last assignment was as Director of Communications and she supported several administrative projects including work with the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, multi-department realignment committees, contracts, department publications, and other activities. Deputy Chief Villanis’ promotion takes effect on July 22, 2012.
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