Santa Cruz County Pretrial Services

The Pretrial Services Program aims to safely release people arrested/charged with the least restrictive level of monitoring while safeguarding community well-being and ensuring court appearances, utilizing actuarial assessments and a decision-making framework. The Pretrial program provides monitoring to those deemed eligible by the courts to remain in the community.

Since 2015, the average daily population (ADP) has steadily increased.
2024 ADP: 327; 2025 ADP 368
The highest daily census rose from 343 in 2024 to 415 in December 2025
631 individuals on Supervised Own Recognizance (SOR)
1371 individuals monitored in 2025

Pretrial Risk Assessment Compliance (SB 36 & AB 3364)

Santa Cruz County uses the Public Safety Assessment (PSA) to inform pretrial release decisions. To increase transparency and in compliance with California Penal Code 1320.35, information about the PSA is provided below.

COMMUNITY SCAM ALERT – PRETRIAL SERVICES / ELECTRONIC MONITORING SCAM

ALERTA DE ESTAFA PARA LA COMUNIDAD – ESTAFA RELACIONADA CON SERVICIOS PREVIOS AL JUICIO / MONITOREO ELECTRÓNICO

Santa Cruz County Probation Pretrial Services will be closed on November 7–8. The office will also be closed on November 11, 2026, in observance of Veterans Day. There will be no after-hours Pretrial Services activity during this period. Regular operations will resume during business hours on November 9, 10, 12, and 13, 2026 from 7am to 6pm.

Los Servicios Previos al Juicio del Departamento de Libertad Condicional del Condado de Santa Cruz permanecerán cerrados los días 7 y 8 de noviembre. La oficina también estará cerrada el 11 de noviembre de 2026 debido al Día de los Veteranos. Durante este periodo, no habrá actividades de los Servicios Previos al Juicio fuera del horario habitual. Las operaciones regulares se reanudarán en su horario normal los días 9, 10, 12 y 13 de noviembre de 2026, de 7:00 a. m. a 6:00 p. m.