Juvenile Institutions Officer, Senior

• Vacation: 12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public employment.
• Holidays: 13 days per year.
• Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave per year. Unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement.
• Health Plan: Choice of medical and dental plans (with vision care). County contributes toward the employee's premium.
• On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria: Provides ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents over age of 2.
• For County benefits, please visit here. In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for retirement reciprocity and time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate.

• Strong written, and verbal communication
• Reputation for honesty and trustworthiness
• Excellent command presence
• Good moral character
• Credibility
• Integrity

Examples of Duties

1. Serves as lead worker on shift by assigning and reviewing work of staff; instructs new JIOs and Extra Help staff in daily routine including security, safety, operations, and procedures; provides input to supervisor on evaluations of officers in unit; and ensures delivery of medications to youth and young adults during shift.
2. Receives youth and young adults into the facility; makes detention or release decisions by evaluating detention intake criteria; contacts and informs parents/guardians of case status; assigns security status to youth and young adults; classifies youth and young adults by evaluating case factors; review bookings and case histories of youth and young adults and provides relevant information about youth and young adults to other agencies, such as Social Services, Behavioral Wellness, or law enforcement; and evaluates and determines eligibility status of youth and young adults for home passes/furloughs.
3. Advises, corrects, directs, motivates, and counsels youth and young adults as needed individually or in groups, or in writing; enforces disciplinary policies of the institution by updating security status of youth and young adults, removing youth/young adults from the group, restoring/removing privileges, and/or documenting rule violations; responds to grievances of youth and young adults; conducts individual, group, or crisis counseling; and contacts mental health workers at facility to report the emotional stability and security status of youth and young adults.
4. Prepares or reviews reports of staff activities, Worker Special Reports, progress reports for court, youth and young adult admissions and releases, and chronological behavioral reports on youth and young adults; and keeps records of and documents shift activities in End of Shift Summaries.
5. Ensures security and safety of facility and youth and young adults by orienting new detainees and aiding them in adjusting to custody status; controls youth and young adults in detention or treatment facility by informing them of rules, motivating them to succeed, correcting behavior, and physically redirecting and/or restraining if necessary; screens visitors to determine safety and security risk to facility prior to admittance; and monitors visits between parents and detainees.
6. May coordinate a program such as early release, home supervision, home passes/furloughs, detention alternatives, educational presentations, or volunteers.
7. Responds to emergency situations by taking appropriate actions such as securing facility, notifying authorities and documenting the incident; may administer first aid and CPR.
8. Meets with supervisor to seek direction when appropriate, and keeps supervisor apprised of institutional issues including movements of youth and young adults, and interacting or coordinating activities with other departments; oversees facility in absence of supervisor.
9. Performs various administrative tasks for facility operation and maintenance, such as maintaining inventories and ordering supplies; assists in the development of procedure manuals for facility; contacts vendors to repair equipment; conducts tours of the facility; assists in preparing facility for annual inspections.
10. Performs other staff work, such as preparing meals, meal distribution, and cleaning detail.
11. May perform various recordkeeping tasks on a computer; checks booking sheet and may enter information in automated booking system; and generate reports as needed or requested in automated system.
12. This classification includes assignments such as Community Transition Officer, Program Officer and Institutions Training Officer.

Employment Standards

AND:

1. two years of experience supervising youth/young adults in a detention and/or residential treatment facility; or,

2. two years of experience performing duties equivalent to the class of Juvenile Institutions Officer with Santa Barbara County; or,

3. a combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

• Must meet minimum peace officer standards as specified in Government Code Sections 1029 and 1031 including, but not limited to: not currently on probation for a misdemeanor; no prior felony convictions (unless fully pardoned), good moral character as determined through a background check, and free from any physical, mental, or emotional condition, including bias against race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, gender identity and gender expression, ancestry, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, that might adversely affect the exercise of the powers of a peace officer.
• Possession of a valid California Class C Driver License is required. Driver’s license must be kept valid throughout the term of employment. Incumbents must be able to travel independently.
• Some positions in this class may require incumbents to obtain and maintain a California Class B Driver’s License for the purposes of transporting youth/young adults in a commercial vehicle. Once an incumbent has obtained the Class B Driver’s License, he/she will be subject to mandatory testing for drugs prior to being assigned work requiring such a license; once assigned, incumbents will be subject to mandatory testing for drugs and/or alcohol on a random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, return-to-duty, and follow-up basis.

• Knowledge of: adolescent psychology, juvenile justice, juvenile delinquency, counseling, basic knowledge of the criminal justice system; Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Minimum Standards for Juvenile Facilities, Probation Department policies and procedures, and County Policies; Probation Department policies and procedures related to youth/young adult treatment and detention; training techniques and methods to conduct sessions on policies, procedures, and methods of handling youth/young adults in a locked facility.
• Ability to: assign and review work of employees on shift.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with related course work focus is desirable.
• Bilingual skills: Bilingual Spanish skills are desirable. The ability to read, write, and converse fluently in English and Spanish is desirable for some positions. Hiring departments will test you on your fluency. If you do not demonstrate sufficient fluency, your name may be withheld from future certification or removed from the bilingual employment list, in accordance with Civil Service Rule 7.
• Certificates: Possession of First Aid and CPR certificates. Possession of 832 PC and BSCC Core Certificates.

Supplemental Information

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

• 
  Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Review - Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
• Oral Board Examination: The oral board examinations are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, 2026, via ZOOM. Candidates will be notified by email with instructions. Based on the number of candidates who are invited to the oral examination, the dates could be subject to change.
• The oral examinations may be eliminated if there are fewer than sixteen (16) qualified candidates.

• BENEFITS: Retirement Plans Generous County Defined Benefit Plan Eligible to participate in 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan Retirement Reciprocity with CalPERS, CalSTRS, and 1937 Act plans For more information on our retirement plans, please visit: https://www.sbcers.org/ and http://www.santabarbara457.comHealth Benefits Choice of dental, vision and medical plans. In addition to the Benefit Allowance noted above, the County contributes toward medical premiums and dental premiums On-Site Employee Health Clinics in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria which provide ongoing and episodic services to eligible employees and their eligible dependents Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free, confidential assistance with personal and workplace problems to employees and their immediate family members Healthcare Advocacy Program to help employees navigate the complexities of health plan benefits Available Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Account (HSA), Supplemental Term or Whole Life Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Accident Insurance and more! For more information on our health benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4012/Health-BenefitsPaid Time Off Vacation Leave 12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public employment Sick Leave 12 days annually with unlimited accumulation, one year of which can be converted to service credit upon retirement Paid Holidays based on bargaining unit (view the compensation summary for this bargaining unit, link below) Alternative Transportation Benefit (TDM) up to 2 days of additional vacation for using alternative methods of commuting For more information on Paid Time Off please view the Compensation Summary for this bargaining unit (available below)Miscellaneous Benefits County Paid Term Life Insurance County Paid Long Term Disability Insurance Childcare and Employee Discounts Relocation Assistance may apply Flexible work schedule may apply For more information on all of these benefits, please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/4013/24636/WorkLife-BenefitsCompensation Summary To view the Compensation Summary specific to the bargaining unit for this position (link to full Memorandum of Understanding also available at bottom of the summary), please visit: https://www.countyofsb.org/1460/Probation-Peace-Officers-Association *This benefits list is for convenience only; please refer to the Memorandum of Understanding for complete details of terms and conditions. Amounts are generally prorated for part-time employment.