Parole & Probation

The Public Safety Agency in Lincoln County

Lincoln County Parole and Probation Department is the public safety agency in Lincoln County with the primary responsibility to supervise adult who have been placed on formal supervision in the community. Currently, this translates to supervisory responsibility for over 600 adults. Of these adults on supervision

Statistics on Lincoln County Adults on Supervision:

  • 76% (approx.) are under supervision for a Felony offense
  • 24% are under supervision for a Misdemeanor crime
  • One-fourth of these offenders are considered to be the highest risk and are subject to the most intense supervision.

In addition, Lincoln County Parole and Probation provides a variety of services to the Courts, Parole Board, and other criminal justice agencies.

One way to view our mission is to look at it as an effort:

  • To effectively monitor and enforce offender conditions of supervision;
  • To achieve immediate, short-term public safety; and
  • To strive for long-term public safety.

Monitoring / Enforcing Conditions

Every client is in the community with formal supervision conditions that he/she is required to comply with. These include both General Conditions that apply to all adults on supervision (see General Conditions) and Special Conditions that are relevant to that particular person.

Examples of financial Special Conditions include: fines, victim restitution, court costs, and supervision fees. Adults on Supervision are required to partially pay for the cost of supervision, normally at the rate of $35 per month.

Examples of other Special Conditions include: participation in specific treatment, prohibition against associating with certain persons, participation in educational programs, etc.

Short-Term Public Safety

Evaluating client's performance and behavior to determine the ongoing public safety risk is a critical, daily function of Lincoln County Parole and Probation. When there is a significant potential or likelihood of criminal activity, a variety of actions can be taken including:

  • Arrest and detention;
  • Direct intervention to minimize the risk;
  • Placing additional restrictions on the individual's movement (i.e. home detention);
  • Imposition of varying types of local sanctions; and
  • Coordinated investigations with local police agencies.

Long-Term Public Safety

The focus on long-term public safety means continually confronting our client's thinking patterns, habits, and behaviors. It means getting at the core of what results in criminal behavior. To be successful, we need to directly address individual adults on supervision achievement and performance; friends/peers and associates; and attitudes, values and beliefs. This is not only addressed through various treatment and educational programs but also through the direct interaction between parole/probation officers and the cllients they supervise.
Treatment referrals include: programs for drug/alcohol abuse, anger/aggression control, sex offender behavior, and mental health.

Services

Some Lincoln County Parole and Probation Services

  • Pre-sentence Investigation Reports for the Courts
  • Pre-Release investigations for the prison and Lincoln County Jail
  • Routine breath and urinalysis testing of adults on supervision
  • Providing emergency funding to address critical survival needs (i.e., housing, food, etc.)
  • Conducting home visits, searches and seizures
  • Ensuring payment of adults on supervision financial obligations (i.e., court ordered fees, fines and restitution).
  • Making disposition recommendations to the Courts and other releasing authorities
  • Coordinated criminal activity investigations (with other law enforcement agencies)
  • Direct referrals to treatment, educational, and social service programs
  • Pre-sentence Investigation Reports for the Courts
  • Pre-Release investigations for the prison and Lincoln County Jail
  • Routine breath and urinalysis testing of adults on supervision
  • Providing emergency funding to address critical survival needs (i.e., housing, food, etc.)
  • Conducting home visits, searches and seizures
  • Ensuring payment of adults on supervision financial obligations (i.e., court ordered fees, fines and restitution).
  • Making disposition recommendations to the Courts and other releasing authorities
  • Coordinated criminal activity investigations (with other law enforcement agencies)
  • Direct referrals to treatment, educational, and social service programs

Programs and Services of Interest

Sex Offender Supervision/Notification: One officer has the responsibility to supervise approximately 50 sex offenders as part of his routine duties. Some of these offenders require community notification and virtually all require treatment, polygraph examination, and close supervision (See Sex Offenders.)

Cognitive Intervention: Lincoln County Parole and Probation has achieved national recognition for efforts to address client thinking patterns and beliefs through programs provided directly by a Lincoln County Parole and Probation staff member including the development of cognitive based orientation program.

Work Crew: Lincoln County Parole and Probation utilizes program participants on daily work crews that provide a variety of public services to Lincoln County.

Electronic Home Detention/GPS Monitoring: Lincoln County Parole and Probation coordinates the use of electronic home detention units in order to provide an alternative to jail incarceration and provide stringent community controls. (See Electronic Home Detention.)

Jail Release/Intensive Supervision: Due to the demand for jail space, Lincoln County Parole and Probation supervises a small caseload of adults on supervision who had been serving a jail sentence but were released prior to the end of their sentence.