PROBATION OFFICERS OBSERVE NATIONAL PROBATION SUPERVISION WEEK

Probation Officers in Massachusetts will join their colleagues across the nation and abroad in observing “Probation, Parole and Community Supervision Week,” an annual celebration set by the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). This year’s observance begins Sunday and runs through Saturday, July 24th.

In the Commonwealth, there are 92,000 Massachusetts residents who are under probation supervision or whose case is being monitored by a Probation Officer in the District, Superior, Boston Municipal (BMC), Juvenile, and Probate and Family court departments throughout the Commonwealth.

In District Court, Probation Officers supervise criminal cases. Superior Court Probation Officers oversee the most serious felony cases. Juvenile Court Probation Officers supervise children and adolescents involved in delinquent or status offending (truancy, runaway, stubborn child) behavior which are also known as Children In Need of Services or (CHINS) cases. Probation Officers in the Juvenile Courts also monitor the welfare of children who are before the court as subjects of parental abuse and neglect. These types of cases are referred to as Care and Protection (C&P) cases. Probate & Family Court Probation Officers handle civil matters such as divorce and paternity as well as issues involving custody, visitation and child support.

Probation also offers a number of initiatives for offenders across the Commonwealth, including Mother and Fatherhood Programs, where parenting skills are taught and Changing Lives Through Literature, designed to enhance reading and comprehension. Probation Officers also help keep neighborhoods safe through their partnerships with local police.

“Massachusetts was one of the first states to track high-risk offenders using GPS. The NiteLite Program, a community supervision program which pairs probation officers with police officers on night time visits to offenders' homes, is another initiative that has had a huge impact. NiteLite was first established by Suffolk County Probation Officers in 1992, spread quickly to many other departments and ultimately earned national attention as a groundbreaking effort in community-based probation,” said Probation Acting Administrator Ronald Corbett. “We are very proud of the service and the hard work performed by Probation Officers who do their part to help keep communities safe.”

Probation Officers supervise offenders through visits to their homes and by enforcing the orders of the court. It is also the Probation Officer’s job to determine an offender’s need for services such as substance abuse counseling. Eighty-three percent of probationers are male and 17 percent are female. The typical profile of an adult probationer in Massachusetts is a 31-year-old man who is on maximum supervision. An offender on maximum supervision receives regular home visits from their probation officer and may be required to report to the probation officer at the court.

Massachusetts Probation has served as a model for Probation Departments across the country and abroad. In 1878, the Massachusetts state legislature passed the first probation statute which put into place an official state probation service.