San Benito County Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts will get
the chance to lend her jail management expertise and hopefully
improve corrections facilities across the state in the process
after being recently appointed by the governor to the state
Corrections Standards Authority.
Hollister – San Benito County Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts will get the chance to lend her jail management expertise and hopefully improve corrections facilities across the state in the process after being recently appointed by the governor to the state Corrections Standards Authority.
Botts, who has led the county’s probation department for the last five years, is excited about the appointment. She was selected after an extensive interview and application process and was appointed last week.
“I was surprised, but I was very pleased,” she said Tuesday. “To me this is a chance to serve. I really like the way the board works with local communities to improve facilities and I wanted to be a part of that.”
The Corrections Standards Authority is charged with inspecting juvenile and adult detention centers, establishing policies for hiring jail personnel, studying crime and doling out jail construction funds.
However, before taking on her new role in Sacramento the state Senate must first confirm the appointment.
“I really don’t know anything about it,” she said. “But I have a hunch that I’ll have to appear at the hearing.”
If approved, Botts, who applied for the un-paid position two years ago, will serve a two-year term on the 19-member CSA Board overseeing the department’s work with jail facilities. She will continue on as head probation officer locally, but will travel to Sacramento every other month or so to attend CSA Board meetings. Botts was appointed specifically to represent small counties with a population under 200,000.
“This is not a fluff position. The CSA disperses hundreds of millions of dollars each year,” said Sheriff Curtis Hill. “She’s going to have a voice in Sacramento and that’s a big deal – the county should be feeling pretty good with her in that position.”
Hill sees Botts’ appointment as carrying on a tradition of excellence in San Benito County, as he and former Sheriff Harvey Nyland both served on the board as well, he said.
But carrying out a mission to improve the state of affairs within the corrections system means more to Botts than carrying on a tradition.
“Basically, it’s to maintain high safety standards in detention facilities, offender programs and peace officer training,” she said. “The board wants to make things better and I want to help.”
As a board member, Botts said she will try to develop a consensus approach to standards, making sure that all counties understand the rules and want to comply with them.
District Attorney John Sarsfield, who works with the probation department on a regular basis, is convinced Botts is the right person for the job.
“We’re lucky to have her,” Sarsfield said. “She’s an acknowledged leader in her field and she brings a fresh perspective from outside San Benito County to her job.”
Botts will participate in her first CSA Board meeting on March 16 in Sacramento.
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
