Placer County’s Probation Department is moving closer to setting up a one-stop center where individuals on probation or those about to be released from incarceration can get services and assistance while they transition back into society.

The Board of Supervisors last week agreed to build a 2,000-square-foot Community Transition Center in the County’s Santucci Justice Center near Roseville.

The center will be used by the Probation Department to implement individualized case plans for each inmate and former inmate. The plans will be based on risk and needs assessments.

Issues that will be addressed include housing, employment, education, restitution, substance abuse and other treatments and re-establishing family and community connections that improve the likelihood of success.

The Placer County Justice System Master Plan consultant conducted a survey of 200 inmates to help identify what helps them after release and what services are needed. Combining this data with research from programs used by other jurisdictions, the Center, when operational, will provide a combination of existing services and new ones that will be identified and shaped through the research.

The array of services and classes offered through the program will provide participants with a structured return to the community after incarceration.

The center is expected to open next summer.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report