THE MASSACHUSETTS PROBATION SERVICE OBSERVES
NATIONAL PROBATION WEEK AS IT CELEBRATES
ITS HISTORICAL ROOTS

This Sunday, July 15 th, marks the beginning of a national week-long observance of Probation Officers and those who work in the Community Supervision field by the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) entitled, "Keys to a Better Tomorrow."

The Massachusetts Probation Service celebrates the distinction of being the birthplace of Probation, a concept first introduced by Boston cobbler John Augustus in 1841. Augustus, who is credited as the "Father of Probation," convinced judges to release individuals who suffered with alcoholism into his care in lieu of jail. Two years later in 1843, according to the Lexington, Kentucky-based APPA, Augustus began supervising children accused of stealing.

There are 245,987 adults and juveniles being monitored each year by the Massachusetts Probation Service within the five court departments: Boston Municipal Court (BMC), District, Juvenile, Probate & Family, and Superior. This figure is based on Fiscal Year 2006 statistics. Probation also works with troubled children through the Children In Need of Services (CHINS) initiative which serves youngsters through age 16, and their families. These children are deemed stubborn by the courts, truants, runaways, and school offenders.

Substance abuse, an issue which led to the creation of Probation, is still a major problem among individuals under probation supervision. Eighty-five percent of probationers suffer with drug and/ or alcohol addiction, according to statistics provided by the Research Department of the Massachusetts Probation Service.

"Probation has a number of programs and initiatives to address this problem which continues to plague offenders and their families," said Probation Commissioner John J. O'Brien. "Our primary goal does not stray from the original mission of probation and that is to provide rehabilitation to offenders while also holding them accountable for their actions."

Probation boasts of a number of Probation Officer-established programs to help offenders remain sober.

One initiative is the Alcohol Awareness Program, established and run by Brockton District Court Probation Officer Audrey Banks, is targeted at young adults charged with minor possession, minor transporting, or minor procurement offenses.

"The purpose of the seminar is to focus on the impact an individual's behavior may have on the lives and safety of others," said Banks who is responsible for leading more than 100 individuals through the program in the past couple of years.

Banks' Alcohol Awareness Program requires individuals to attend two Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, attend a presentation by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and to participate in exercises on the "use, misuse, and abuse of alcohol" as well as explore one's life and addiction history.

Examples of other substance abuse programs, coordinated and or created by Probation Officers, include the First Choice (First Offender Substance Abuse) Program at Chicopee District Court; the Somerville District Court Substance Abuse Program; the Support Substance Abuse Education Program at Boston Municipal Court (BMC)– Charlestown Division; the Brains at Risk and HEAT (Heroin Education Awareness Task Force) programs at Woburn District Court; the TIP (Total Immersion Program) at Quincy District Court; the Men's and Women's Substance Abuse groups at BMC-West Roxbury; Substance Abuse and Alcohol Crisis Invention programs at BMC-South Boston Division; and SOAP (Structured Outpatient Addictions Program) at Framingham District Court.

Probation offers a wide range of services and programs that were built based on the model created by Augustus nearly two centuries ago. One such program is the Community Corrections Centers, an independent operation run by the Office of Community Corrections. The 25 Community Corrections Centers across the state serve as one-stop facilities where offenders receive educational services, substance abuse counseling and testing.

One thing that has not changed since Probation was established 166 years ago is the use of manual labor or community service as a sentencing option. Augustus gave offenders under supervision structure by providing them with jobs in his Boston factory.

Today, offenders sentenced to community service through the Massachusetts Trial Court Community Service Program have logged in close to 400,000 hours of work over the past year. Projects have included roadside clean up, sprucing up parks and ball fields, and transporting food and stocking food pantries.

“While we are proud of our rich tradition in Probation and of being the nation’s first, we are equally as proud that we have stayed the course and continue to maintain our agency’s original mission of helping offenders address their issues and enforcing the orders of the court,” said Commissioner O’Brien.