Karl Holton (April 10, 1898 — January 9, 1978) worked at the Los Angeles County Probation Department from the late 1920s to early 1960s. During his career, Holton became the head of the county's probation department in 1938 before moving to the

California Youth Authority The California Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), previously known as the California Youth Authority (CYA), is a division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that provides education, training, and treatment services fo ...

in 1943. From 1943 to 1952, Holton served as the Youth Authority's director before he returned to Los Angeles County in 1952. With the Probation Department, Holton continued his head probation officer position until his 1963 retirement. The year he retired, Holton received the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

Biography

On April 10, 1898, Holton was born in

Blaine, Kentucky Blaine is a home rule-class city in Lawrence County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 47 at the 2010 census, down from 245 at the 2000 census. History Blaine was originally settled and established as a local trade center by 1882. T ...

. Holton started his post-secondary education at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

and received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1923. For his graduate studies, Holton attended multiple

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soci ...

programs in Californian universities during the 1920s. After university, Holton joined the Los Angeles County Probation Department in 1928 as a

probation officer A probation and parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probati ...

. With Los Angeles County, Holton held multiple positions before being named head of the county's probation department in 1938. Holton remained in his executive role until he was selected to lead the

in 1943. At the youth authority, Holton conducted research on Californian correctional facilities and co-structured the crime prevention department of the United States Children's Bureau. In 1952, Holton left the youth authority to resume his probation department lead position for Los Angeles County. Outside of California, Holton examined Washington's correctional services for juveniles in 1957. He was later asked by

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...

to talk about New York's youth crime prevention plan in 1959. Holton remained in his executive role until his 1963 retirement and received the

the same year. In his personal life, Holton had one child before he died on January 9, 1978, in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

References

{{reflist 1898 births 1978 deaths Probation and parole officers Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients