Average Number of Adults on Formal Supervision

Public Safety

Adult Probation Department

The average number of adults on formal supervision represents the 12-month average number of adults on formal supervision with the Adult Probation Department (APD), as ordered by the courts, for felony or misdemeanor convictions. 

The APD provides a blend of justice, community support, and treatment designed to address individual needs and help clients exit the criminal justice system and avoid recidivism. The average number of adults on formal supervision depends on many factors including:

  • legal eligibility and sentencing decisions
  • changes in laws and policies focused on criminal procedure and sentencing.

The following chart shows the average number of adults on formal supervision with the ADP each month.

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF ADULTS ON FORMAL SUPERVISION IN SAN FRANCISCO

POPULATION TRENDS

Overall, the average number of adults on formal supervision with the Adult Probation Department (APD) has declined from 2011 to 2022. This decline correlates with several factors, including statewide legislative changes (e.g., Proposition 47 in 2014, and AB1950 in 2020) and department-wide efforts to:

  • implement evidence-based practices in community supervision and services;
  • improve availability of and access to critical reentry services and resources;
  • target resources to clients assessed as high risk;
  • identify successful clients and provide them with opportunities for early termination of supervision; and
  • provide extensive training to staff.

In addition, commencing in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in the handling of cases also had an impact on the number of adults on formal supervision.

HOW POPULATION IS MEASURED

Formal supervision and sentencing information is recorded in APD’s case management system. Clients on formal supervision are marked as such in the system and data is extracted on a monthly basis to report the average number of adults on formal supervision and the total active clients for the previous month. The population values in the chart above represent point-in-time snapshots of individuals on formal supervision for a given month. This snapshot data is extracted on the last day of the month.

The number displayed on the scorecard page represents a fiscal year average of the values in the chart above.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Learn more about San Francisco's Adult Probation Department.

Learn more about the San Francisco Adult Probation Department’s Reentry Services.

DATA

Please visit DataSF for the scorecard data.