The Adult Division of the Probation Department promotes public safety and strives to reduce recidivism while supervising more than 2,000 adults sentenced to probation or released from custody under the supervision of adult probation. Justice involved individuals are held accountable in a fair and just way through a balance of supervision, correctional services, and sanctions designed to develop necessary skills for success while effectively using community resources.
The Adult Division divides supervision and services into the following areas:
- Intake Unit
- Supervision Unit
- Enhanced Supervision Unit
Intake Unit
The Intake Unit is the initial point of contact for adults who will be supervised by Monroe Circuit Court Adult Probation. The purpose of the Intake Unit is to provide the initial intake, assessment and case plan for justice involved individuals who have been placed on probation by the Court.
Probation officers have the specialized training and expertise necessary to examine the needs of the justice involved individuals and the present risk to the community. Intake probation officers strive to accurately assess each person’s needs, risk for recidivism, mental health status, and substance use history to develop a preliminary case plan. Intake probation officers make referrals to substance abuse and mental health providers.
Intake probation officers also complete Presentence Investigations (PSIs) for the Court. The Presentence Investigation Report contributes to a timely, fair, and consistent sentencing process. Intake probation officers provide a full investigation report that includes: the circumstances of a criminal offense; a defendant's criminal record; defendant’s personal history, present condition, and living environment; and sentence recommendations. The investigation report assists the court by providing information that is relevant to the sentencing decision and by presenting sentencing options that give the defendant an opportunity to achieve positive changes through integrated supervision, treatment, and sanction strategies. As part of the presentence investigation, victims are given the opportunity to inform the sentencing court how they have been affected by the crime committed against them and are provided with ongoing information during and after sentencing. The PSI report is provided to the defendant, the Prosecutor, and the Court and is a resource that is available to other agencies as provided by Indiana law.
Supervision Unit
When a person is convicted of a crime, the trial judge may order probation. The Adult Probation Division is responsible for supervising adults on court-ordered probation and monitoring their compliance with the conditions set forth by the court. The Monroe Circuit Court has established standard conditions of probation for adult probationers. Adult Probation Conditions
The Judicial Conference of Indiana requires probation departments to classify supervisions and measure probation officer workloads according to the Indiana Case Classification and Workload Measures System. This system provides probation departments with a standardized risk assessment, needs assessment and an accompanying workload formula. Indiana Probation Standards require assigned probation officers to maintain contact with their probationers according to the minimum requirements established by the Case Classification and Workload Measures System. These systems were designed for the intelligent allocation of resources and to establish minimum contact standards for each level of community supervision. (Indiana Probation Standards, Forms, Documents and Polices can be found at https://www.in.gov/courts/iocs/probation/forms/)
A system of regular meetings between assigned probation officers and probationers serves multiple purposes. It holds the probationer to the level of accountability associated with their risk of re-offending while on probation; it provides the means for officers to obtain updated information about the probationer; and it affords the opportunity to address relevant issues with the probationers. The Adult Probation Supervision Unit has three levels of supervision: High, Medium, and Low. Offenders who succeed while under High or Medium supervision may be transferred to low-risk supervision. Offenders who fail to comply with their terms of supervision may be switched to a higher level of supervision.
Enhanced Supervision Unit
Specialized caseloads provide specialized supervision for high-risk and high-need probationers. This department has developed the Enhanced Supervision Unit to most effectively supervise these types of offenders.
The Enhanced Supervision Unit (ESU) provides supervision to probationers who have been identified as needing a higher level of community supervision and/or who need specialized services. The ESU primarily supervises four specialized caseloads:
- Mental Health caseload
- Domestic Violence caseload
- Sex Offender caseload
- Serious Violent caseload
Mental Health Caseload – The Mental Health caseload provides supervision services for probationers who have a clinical diagnosis of a mental illness. Probation officers are trained specifically to supervise persons with serious mental illness. Officers have frequent contact with the probationers and with the mental health professionals who are providing services to them. Probation officers also work in partnership with a variety of community agencies that have mutual responsibility and interests in providing services to persons with mental illness.
Domestic Violence Caseload – Offenders who are extremely high risk with histories of violent or assaultive offenses are assigned to this caseload. The focus of this caseload is to facilitate offender behavioral change through mandated participation in batterer's intervention counseling, alcohol and drug treatment or other interventions as appropriate. Frequent contact is made with families, employers, and treatment agencies that address substance abuse and anger management. Probation officers provide intensive community-based supervision for offenders to improve safety for victims of domestic violence.
Sex Offender Caseload - This unit supervises those offenders required by law to register as sex offenders. Probation officers providing supervision are trained in areas of supervision of sex offenders, sex offender treatment, and the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry. Probation officers supervising these offenders have frequent contact with offenders' sex offender therapists and numerous contacts with the offenders each month in the probation office and at the offenders’ homes. The focus of the sex offender caseload is to enhance community safety, protect existing victims, prevent further victimization, preclude new criminal activities and enforce strict compliance with the conditions of supervision established by the Court. In addition to the Standard Conditions of Probation, the Monroe Circuit Court utilizes special probation conditions for sex offenders that closely mirrors the INDIANA SPECIAL PROBATION CONDITIONS FOR ADULT SEX OFFENDERS .
Serious Violent Caseload – Probationers who are extremely high risk with histories of violent or assaultive offenses are assigned to this caseload. The focus of this caseload is to facilitate behavioral change through mandated participation in anger management, batterer's intervention counseling, alcohol and drug treatment or other interventions as appropriate. Frequent contact is made with employers and treatment agencies that address substance abuse and anger management. Probation officers provide intensive community-based supervision to improve safety for the community.
Court Alcohol and Drug Program
The Monroe Circuit Court Alcohol and Drug Program is an integral part of the Adult Division. The Monroe Circuit Court Alcohol and Drug Program provides assessments, referrals, and monitoring of offenders convicted of alcohol and drug-related offenses.
The Court Alcohol and Drug Program is certified by the Indiana Office of Court Services. All adult probation officers within the department are certified as either substance abuse professionals or maintain a Certified Substance Abuse Management Specialist (CSAMS) credential.
Adult probation officers conduct substance abuse screenings on all new cases referred by the courts for probation, regardless of case type. If the referring offense involved drugs or alcohol, or the offense was somehow related to the use or abuse of such substances, the adult probation officers perform more extensive substance abuse evaluations.
Following the completion of the substance abuse evaluation, the probation officer develops an individualized service plan for each offender. This service plan typically includes a referral to a substance abuse education or treatment program. The probation officer then monitors the probationer’s compliance with the terms of substance abuse education or treatment.