About Us

Core Principles

Society has a right to be protected from persons who cause its members harm.

The most effective way to increase community protection is to assist offenders in becoming integrated into the community as crime-free, contributing members of society.

Probation supervision is geared to community protection and offender success. Holding offenders accountable for their actions, while providing resources and support, serves the community and the offender.

The wise use of authority derived from law adds strength and stability to Probation’s efforts.

Sworn Probation employees have enormous authority, i.e., the ability to take away an individual’s liberty. With this comes the responsibility to use that authority in a measured, thoughtful, and just manner.

The authority extended to Probation is not just for the sake of enforcing Court orders. Probation uses its authority in the service and interest of community protection and for effecting positive changes in offender attitude and behavior. Appropriate use of authority helps keep probationers accountable for their conditions of probation, which will improve their lives and add to public safety.

The condition of probation imparts rights and responsibilities.

Offenders have the responsibilities of following the Court’s orders and of working productively with Probation towards a successful outcome of their supervision term.

Offenders also have rights and Probation fully respects and protects the rights of offenders in our care. Everyone with whom we work is treated with dignity and respect. This is basic, not just because it’s decent, but because it demeans us to act otherwise. It also serves to build relationships, which is fundamental for fulfilling our mission.

Victims of crime have rights deserving of protection

Successful probation work leads to fewer victims and helps reduce the incidence and impact of crime. Probation commits itself to advocacy for the needs and interests of crime victims.

Probation values restitution, which helps restore those impacted by crime, and encourages offenders to take responsibility for the harm they have caused.

Human beings can change – and Probation has an interest and investment in positive changes.

Probation works to promote this change. Probation employees actively pursue those relationships, interactions, and services that facilitate this change, rather than passively await violations or failure. While Probation is a neutral voice in the presentation of facts for the Court, we are not neutral in our hopes/desires for offenders. We recognize we cannot force offenders to be successful, nor can we create change by ourselves; but Probation works for this outcome, and ultimately we prefer that probationers successfully reintegrate into the community, rather than fail, with subsequent detention and return to Court.

Probation employees’ relationships with offenders are a critical tool in helping offenders succeed. Our work also consists of identifying, facilitating and coordinating those community and government services and programs that best afford offenders an opportunity for positive development.

Probation is appropriate for some, but not all, offenders.

Not all offenders have the same willingness or capacity to benefit from measures designed to facilitate law-abiding behavior.

Where public safety is not jeopardized, the community and most offenders are best served through community-based correctional programs.

Intervention in an offender’s life should be limited to the extent necessary to protect society and promote law-abiding behavior.

Probation must be proactive in helping determine and manage an offender’s level of risk; therefore, validated assessments - initially and ongoing - are necessary to determine the appropriate level of supervision at each phase for each offender.

Incarceration can be an appropriate component of a Probation program.

However, incarceration may be destructive, and should be imposed only when necessary. Appropriate usage includes community protection, and to emphasize the consequences of criminal behavior, and thus effect constructive behavioral change.