Probation Department - FAQ

Here are some common questions pertaining to the Department of Probation. 

1. What services does the Probation Department provide to the courts and crime victims?
   
   The Probation Department provides a voice for crime victims in the judicial system, offers information and services to the Courts, and assists in supervising and rehabilitating offenders.
   
   
2. What is the role of the Probation Officers?
   
   Probation Officers intervene in the lives of offenders, holding them accountable, offer guidance, and serve as catalysts for positive change, while protecting the community.
   
   
3. What are the functions of the Criminal and Family Divisions in the Probation Department?
   
   The Criminal and Family Divisions provide pre-disposition diversion services, court-mandated investigations, and community supervision services when offenders cannot be diverted.
   
   
4. What is the Pre-Trial Services program and its purpose?
   
   The Pre-Trial Services program monitors defendants in the community while their cases are pending in court to ensure they appear for their court dates.
   
   
5. What is Probation Supervision and what does it involve?
   
   Probation Supervision, the most common Court-imposed sanction, involves enforcing court-established conditions such as restitution, treatment, electronic surveillance, and community service.
   
   
6. What is a Pre-Disposition Investigation and who uses these reports?
   
   Pre-Disposition Investigations are comprehensive offender evaluations including risk assessments and viable dispositional alternatives, used to inform judicial decisions and establish a rational basis for community supervision.
   
   
7. What is the purpose of the DWI Monitoring and Alcohol Interlock Monitoring (AIM)?
   
   DWI Monitoring and the Alcohol Interlock Monitoring (AIM) program enforce that offenders under the Leandra’s Law-statute have an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicles.
   
   
8. What kind of services does the Family Division provide?
   
   The Family Division provides intake, investigations, and community supervision services, working to divert juveniles from the Family Court system when possible.
   
   
9. What is the Peer Diversion Court and how does it work?
   
   Peer Diversion Court is a diversion program where youth volunteers adjudicate real cases involving peers who have committed low-level offenses.
   
   
10. What is the purpose of the Juvenile Detention Center?
    
    The Juvenile Detention Center provides secure detention for juveniles awaiting appearances in Family Court or the Youth Part of the Superior Court.
    
    
11. What is the "Raise the Age" law and how has it impacted the Probation Department?
    
    The "Raise the Age" law no longer automatically charges all 16 and 17-year-olds as adults, leading to increased detention volumes at the Juvenile Detention Center.
    
    
12. How does the Probation Department use technology in its work?
    
    The Probation Department uses an actuarial based risk assessment and a range of technological aids such as ignition interlock devices, remote alcohol monitoring, house arrest, and GPS monitoring in its work.
    
    
13. Who is eligible for the Pre-Disposition Supervision program?
    
    Adolescents who appear in the Youth Part are eligible for voluntary assessment and case planning services for Probation's pre-disposition supervision program.
    
    
14. What are the different types of monitoring devices used by the Probation Department?
    
    The Probation department employs a range of monitoring devices including ignition interlock devices, remote alcohol monitoring device, house arrest and GPS monitoring.
    
    
15. How does the Probation Department assess an offender’s risk of recidivism?
    
    Probation Department uses an actuarial based risk assessment to determine an offender’s risk of recidivism, ensuring that the system response matches this risk.