Probation Programs

Pretrial Services: Prior to sentencing offenders are supervised and processed through the following mechanisms:

  • Bond Check-in: Defendants released on bond pending sentencing report in person to the probation department on a daily or weekly basis.
  • Presentence Investigation: Defendants who have been found guilty are set for sentencing by the court of record. Prior to a sentencing hearing, these individuals cooperate with this department in completing a thorough presentence investigation. This report, which is reviewed by the judge prior to rendering a sentence, delves into the defendant’s criminal background, prior incarcerations or attempts at community control, biopsychosocial factors that contributed to the underlying offense and a thorough assessment of offender criminogenic risks and needs.

Basic Community Control: Individuals sentenced to Basic Community Control are supervised closely by department officers for a time period determined by the sentencing Judge, not to exceed five (5) years. During this period of supervision officers maintain consistent personal contact with the offender based on their own criminogenic needs. His evidenced-based practice allows officers to spend more time and effort on cases that are of the greatest risk to reoffend. Throughout the course of community control supervision, officers are supervising the offender’s compliance with the rules and conditions imposed by the Court. These include compliance with treatment, payment of restitution and costs and abiding by the laws and expectations of the greater community. Additionally, officers are assisting offenders in identifying areas of need that may increase the likelihood of criminal recidivism. Officers then link offenders to appropriate community services that will best mitigate these areas of need and risk. Failure to abide by the rules and conditions imposed by the Court will result in a spectrum of departmental and Court imposed sanctions and possibly revocation of community control.

Criminal Nonsupport: These offenders have been charged and convicted of a felony for nonpayment of court ordered child support payments. Individuals are supervised by an officer who ensures that consistent payments are made on current support amounts, as well as arrearages that have accumulated on the case. Officers work with the offender’s employers to establish garnishments when appropriate. Failure to pay as ordered while under community control supervision for criminal nonsupport could result in additional departmental sanctions, a formal violation before the Court, court ordered sanctions and ultimately revocation of community control status.

The Intensive Supervision Program provides a more stringent supervision to the offender for a specified time of his /her supervision period.  During intensive supervision, the offender is monitored through office, field, and collateral contacts to ensure they are adhering to their numerous court ordered conditions, while addressing various needs that contributed to their criminal behavior.  To that purpose offenders are referred to applicable services, i.e. mental health/ substance abuse treatment, vocational services and have the opportunity to participate in the Thinking for a Change Program (a cognitive behavioral program addressing changing the offender’s thought process).

Examples of services available to offenders in the Intensive Supervision Program are listed below: 

  1. Counseling at Your Human Resource Center
  2. GED training
  3. Mental health counseling/treatment
  4. Substance abuse treatment
  5. Community service program
  6. Restitution program
  7. Sex offender counseling/treatment
  8. Electronic monitoring
  9. Drug testing
  10. Residential treatment (CBCF, Group homes, half-way houses)
  11. Vocational services
  12. Thinking for a Change Group 

Criteria for successful completion of the program:

Participants in the Intensive Supervision Program must follow all of the standard conditions/rules of community control in addition to the requirements set forth by the Intensive Supervision Program.  Participants are expected to follow instructions and guidance from all probation officers and staff members of the Adult Probation Department.  They must follow their individualized case plan which is devised specifically for them addressing their needs.  The basic program follows the movement of the offender through three (3) distinct phases; each phase is designed to facilitate the offender’s transition to standard/basic community control and eventually successful completion of their term of community control.

Specialized Dockets: The Wayne County Common Pleas Court constantly evaluates trends and shifts in adjudicated populations and develops specialized programming to best meet these trends. One methods of responding to these trends is through the development and administration of the following specialized programs:

Pretrial Diversion Program: The Wayne County Pretrial Diversion Program has been established by the Wayne County Prosecutor to meet the following objectives and efficiencies:

  1. Reduce the common pleas court criminal case load;
  2. Reduce the prosecutors’ criminal case load;
  3. Improve collection of restitution, fines, court costs and fees; including fees for court appointed counsel; and
  4. Reduce recidivism as demonstrated by showing that participants who successfully complete the Program are not convicted of new felony offenses for a period of five years.

Qualifying participants are placed under the supervision of the court Pretrial Diversion Officer for up to one year. Participation in the Pretrial Diversion Program is voluntary and requires the offender to pay a reasonable fee for supervision services, attend treatment/counseling as appropriate, complete community service and pay all restitution owed. Upon successful completion of the individualized program conditions, all criminal charges against the defendant are dismissed avoiding the stigma and disabilities occasioned by a felony conviction. Consistent with the tenets of evidenced-based practices, effectiveness and recidivism data is collected and evaluated for a period of five years.

Mental Health Court: The Mental Health Court program is a voluntary program for offenders who are mentally ill and need assistance to be successful in maintaining compliance with treatment. The Wayne County Common Pleas Court recognizes that with proper care, support, and treatment, individuals with mental illness can recover and lead meaningful and productive lives.

The primary mission of the Mental Health Court is to:

  1. Preserve community safety
  2. Reduce the need for incarceration of persons with mental illness
  3. Lower recidivism
  4. Work in Collaboration with the mental health system to meet the special needs of these individuals

Offenders are first referred to the Mental Health Court Coordinator and a mental health assessment is arranged. To be considered for inclusion in the program, participants must be diagnosed with a mental illness such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or major depression. The participant must also agree to comply with court supervision and treatment. Once accepted, participants are required to attend bi-weekly Mental Health Court sessions to update the Judge and other staff involved as to the participants’ progress in treatment. Participants may be required to attend counseling, obtain psychiatric services, comply with medication regimes, receive employment assistance, or other individualized services. The participant is supervised on Community Control by a probation officer with specialized training in the area of mental health. Additionally, the offender will also be assigned a case manager from the Counseling Center of Wayne and Holmes Counties to assist with daily needs.

The Mental Health Court has been recognized by the Supreme Court of Ohio and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as the second in the State of Ohio at the Common Pleas/Felony Level. In addition, the Wayne County Adult Probation Department was instrumental in the implementation of the Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for local law enforcement.

Treatment in Lieu of Conviction: This specialized program is designed to meet the unique needs of first-time felony offenders who have a significant drug or alcohol problem that contributed to the underlying offense in which they are charged. Offenders who are referred to this program undergo a thorough alcohol and drug assessment at a community based treatment facility. Upon acceptance into the program, offenders are supervised under standard community control conditions for a period of no less than one (1) year. In addition to these standard conditions, Treatment in Lieu offenders are must complete treatment per the recommendation of the treatment provider and the Probation Department.

Strict eligibility criteria must be met to be considered for participation in this program, to include:

  • An assessment of the defendant’s substance abuse history, along with a treatment plan.
  • Offender has not been previously convicted of or pled guilty to a felony.
  • Offender has not been previously granted Intervention in Lieu of Conviction.
  • Offender is charged with a felony for which the Court, upon conviction, would impose community control sanctions.
  • Drug or alcohol usage was a factor leading to the criminal offense with which the offender is charged.
  • The offender must be willing to comply with all terms and conditions imposed by the Court.
  • The offense cannot be a felony offense of the first, second or third degree or an offense of violence.
  • The offense cannot be in violation of Division (A)(1) or (2) or Section 2903.06 of the Revised Code (Aggravated Vehicular Homicide); Division (A)(a) of Section 2903.08 (Aggravated Vehicular Assault); Division (A) of Section 4511.19 of the Revised Code (DWI); Section 2925.02 (Corruption); 2925.03 (Trafficking); 2925.04 (Manufacturing and Cultivation); 2925.06 (Steroids); Section 2925.11 (Possession) of the Revised Code that is a felony of the first, second or third degree;
  • Cannot be an offense for which a sentencing court is required to impose a mandatory prison term, and/or a mandatory term of local incarceration.
  • Intervention in Lieu of Conviction would substantially reduce the likelihood of any future activity.

Upon completion of all recommended treatment and program conditions, the charges against the defendant are dismissed.

Drug Court: This court is currently being developed and will be implemented in August of 2009. The Drug Court program is a specialized docket responsible for handling non-violent felony drug/alcohol related cases through intensive treatment and supervision. It is a structured program where offenders will be given the opportunity to address their substance abuse issues while being closely monitored by the Judge and the rest of the Drug Court team. Participants will be required to follow specific expectations after pleading guilty to their offense.

It is the philosophy of the program that a comprehensive approach will be used to assist individuals in becoming responsible, contributing members of society. The program involves 12 months of intensive treatment, regular court appearances, submission to random drug screens, attendance at counseling sessions, regular meetings with probation officer, possible 12 step meeting attendance and other services such as personal counseling, community service, GED classes and vocational/education assistance.

Electronic Monitoring: Electronic Monitoring helps to enforce offender compliance. The goal of Electronic Monitoring is to:

  • Restrict offender to his/her residence at all times except for deviations permitted by the special conditions imposed on the offender.
  • Provide an additional supervision tool that addresses public safety, punishment and correctional objectives
  • Operate as a supplementary sanction which is, by nature of the program, restrictive to the offender.
  • Reduce the jail population by monitoring offenders in their homes.

All costs associated with Electronic Monitoring are paid by the offender.

Community Service Program: The Community Service program permits offenders to complete Court ordered community service hours while repaying the community for offenses they have committed. The offenders assist in both special projects and daily tasks at the participating agencies.

  • Reading Group: The Wayne County Common Pleas Court initiated a Reading Group for offenders in the Adult Probation Department in 2002. The Reading Group provides a group setting to promote literacy. It also provides insight to assist participants in becoming a productive member of the community.
  • Guidelines for participation - coming soon
  • How to become an approved Community Service site: If you are a nonprofit organization you may be eligible to become an approved community service site. Please contact Jarrod Brown at (330)287-5597 for additional information.

Moral Reconation Therapy Group (MRT): The MRT group is a systematic, step-by-step program that meets weekly. Offenders progress through their steps based on completion of tasks, assignments and testimonies. The average length of the program is 4-6 months. This program is evidenced-based, it addresses criminogenic factors and will re-educate offenders socially, morally and behaviorally to instill goals, motivation and values. The program challenges faulty thought processes that could lead participants to future criminal involvement. The program is designed to enhance self-image, promote growth of a positive, productive identity and facilitate the development of higher stages of moral reasoning. MRT significantly raises moral reasoning levels, life purpose and other positive personality variables.

Thinking for a Change Group: (From the National Institute of Corrections – NCIC) Thinking for A Change is a cognitive-behavioral program, governed by a simple, straightforward principle; thinking (internal behavior) controls actions (external behavior). Therefore, it is necessary to target offenders’ thinking in order to change their actions that lead to criminal conduct. Some offenders engage in criminal conduct because they are under socialized, lacking a repertoire of pro-socially acceptable responses to their daily lives. This often takes the form of aggressive acts but can also be manifested in withdrawn behaviors, or other anti-social behaviors such as those associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Other offenders engage in planned and deliberate criminal acts supported by strong antisocial attitudes and beliefs. Their way of thinking supports and justifies the serious offenses they commit. Behavior change cannot take place for these individuals until they become aware of their thinking and see a reason to change.

Thinking for A Change uses a combination of approaches to increase offenders’ awareness of self and others. This deepened attentiveness to attitudes, beliefs and thinking patterns is combined with explicit teaching of interpersonal skills relevant to offenders’ present and future needs. The goal is to provide contextual instruction and related experiences so that offenders are confident and motivated to use pro-social skills when faced with interpersonal problems and/or anti-social or stressful problems. The philosophy of the program endorses that offenders should be empowered to be responsible for changing their own problem behavior. The intervention program provides the offender the tools to take pro-social action and change their offending ways.

Day Reporting Program: The Wayne County Day Reporting Program (WCDRC), an alternative intermediate sanction program for individuals who are either; (1) currently sentenced to community control and in need of additional structure, supervision and services, or (2) Sentenced directly to the program in lieu of incarceration. The Wayne County Day Reporting Center (WCDRC) is a highly structured non-residential facility that offers integrated cognitive-behavioral interventions through individualized supervision, daily reporting, employment readiness training, substance abuse screening and referral, and education and community resource referrals to address the various concrete service needs of the target population. The WCDRC is operated by the Adult Probation Department of the Wayne County Common Pleas Court which provides a continuum of community corrections services to compliment intensive supervision, referrals to residential/treatment programs (e.g. substance abuse treatment, Community-based Correctional Facilities, etc.), and Basic Community Control supervision.

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