| SUMMIT
COUNTY ADULT PROBATION
The County of
Summit, Adult Probation Department, is part of the General Division
of the Court of Common Pleas. The
Department works under the direction of the Common Pleas Judges
and the Court Executive’s Office. The Probation Department
is charged with providing supervision of offenders in the community,
as well as producing investigative reports for the court. The goal
of the Department is to help insure a safer community through the
diligent supervision of offenders.
Supervision includes
maintaining personal contact with the offenders and making appropriate
referrals
to community agencies to help rehabilitate
the offenders. In the event an offender has failed to adequately
follow the probation orders as outlined by the court, it is the responsibility
of the Probation Officer to return the offender to court for further
appropriate action. The Probation Department employs 59 individuals,
in a variety of capacities, who provide services in four separate
locations.
NORTH BRANCH
The
North Branch is located in the Macedonia City Center, at
9699 Valley View Road, in Macedonia. This location houses one
full-time
Probation Officer who serves the offenders located in the Northern
portion of Summit County. This office also supervises the majority
of the Probation cases that are transferred out-of-state. The
North Branch can be reached by telephone at 330-468-5488.
SOUTH
BRANCH
The South
Branch is located at 480 Portage Lakes Drive. This office has
three Probation Officers and one secretary.
They
provide supervision
of the offenders who reside in the communities in the Southern
part of the county, such as Green, Barberton, and Coventry.
One of the
officers at this location also specializes in Child Support
cases. The telephone number for the South Branch is 330-644-6312.
COURTHOUSE
The Courthouse, located at 209 S. High
Street, houses the Probation Department’s Pre-Trial Staff
and Probation Intake secretary. The Pre-trial Staff consists of
one supervisor and four Officers. Pre-Trial performs two primary
functions:
- Make bond recommendations
to the Judges in the Court of Common Pleas, as well as Akron
Municipal Court, for
any individual
making
an initial appearance on a Felony Charge. Bond recommendations
are made after the offenders are interviewed and
specific information, such as criminal record, home address,
and
employment, are
investigated.
- Help alleviate jail overcrowding.
This is accomplished through the bond recommendations and the
supervision of
some of the offenders
who are released on bond. Supervision of those
released on bond includes random drug testing, reporting, and
referrals
to appropriate
community
agencies. The goal of supervising these individuals
is to
help them get started in some rehabilitative efforts
as well as
maintaining close contact to make sure they make
their scheduled court appearances.
Supervision results from a direct order from the
Court, or as a condition
of bond as recommended by Pre-Trial. Pre-Trial
can be contacted at 330-643-2314.
The Intake secretary is the first contact for
offenders referred to Probation. The Intake secretary is responsible
for gathering
initial information and referring the offenders
to the
Main Office for Probation
at 25 North Main Street. The Intake Secretary can
be contacted at 330-643-2051.
25 NORTH MAIN STREET
The majority of the Adult Probation Department
is housed at 25 North Main Street. The Chief Probation Officer,
five
Supervisors,
26 Probation
Officers, 1 LEADS/Work Release/Community Service
Coordinator, and 14 Secretaries, work at this location. Depending
on
the needs
of
the offender, Probation cases are assigned to
general supervision officers as well as Specialty Units. Specialty
Units consist
of the following:
INTENSIVE
The Intensive Unit consists of four Probation
Officers and one supervisor. Offenders are typically
high-risk offenders
that
require very close
supervision. They are placed into the Intensive
Unit by court
order. Caseloads in this unit are smaller to
allow for more concentrated supervision with
a major emphasis being
placed
on field supervision.
The Intensive Unit is funded by a State grant
and is intended to
be used as a diversion from a state institution.
SEXUAL
OFFENDERS UNIT
The Sexual Offender’s Unit
consists of two Probation Officers. This unit
supervises all individuals who either have a
history of
sex offenses or are presently under supervision
for a sex offense. The purpose of the Unit is
to effectively supervise sex offenders
who have been released to the community. This
includes referrals to appropriate rehabilitation
agencies and close supervision, including
frequent field contacts. The Unit is also responsible
for making sure that the offenders are properly
registered with the Sheriff’s
Office.
MENTAL HEALTH
This Department has one Officer who specializes
in Mental Health cases. Individuals who are placed
on Probation
that have been
diagnosed with a severe mental illness, and/or
are clients of Community Support
Services (CSS), are referred to the Mental Health
Unit. An emphasis is placed on insuring that client’s
comply with counseling and medication requirements.
FELONY
DUI
All felony DUI Offenders are referred to one
Officer who specializes in these cases. This officer is responsible
for making sure
that the offender is complying with all statutory
requirements. This
Unit also facilitates all referrals to the agencies
who provide the programming
to meet these requirements.
CHILD SUPPORT
Four Officers, including one at the South Branch,
supervise cases that originated through the Child
Support Enforcement
Agency.
The main focus in these cases is to make sure
that offenders are making
their current monthly support payments. This
unit works closely with the two Assistant Prosecutors
regarding the
monitoring
of the cases
as well as matters of non-compliance. Offenders
assigned to this Unit who are unemployed, are
referred to a special
program
that
was developed and designed to assist this type
of offender with job training
and placement.
SEALINGS
The Department has one Officer specializing
in Sealing Investigations. This Officer conducts
interviews
with the applicants, and
conducts all the research, before preparing a
written report for the
court to consider at the time of the applicant’s
formal hearing.
WELFARE FRAUD
One Officer is responsible for supervising
all of the Welfare Fraud cases. This officer works
closely with the Department
of Jobs and
Family Services to coordinate compliance with
court ordered payments and other needs, as they
arise.
GENERAL SUPERVISION OFFICERS
Officers in General Supervision perform
a wide variety of tasks. Besides supervising a caseload
of offenders,
they
are also
referred offenders for the purpose of conducting
a Presentence Investigation
and providing the court with a comprehensive
report. The report includes information relative to the criminal
circumstances,
criminal record,
social history, victim impact statements, and
the officer’s
impressions of the offender. These reports are
taken very seriously and must be prepared under specific
time constraints.
(The Officers
at the branch offices are considered General
Supervision officers.)
With the exception of Intensive, all
Officers are also assigned specific courts to cover during
Criminal
Call Days. All Officers,
including
Intensive, make field contacts when appropriate.
The
main office for the Probation Department at 25 North Main
Street can be reached by calling
330-643-2300.
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