Clark County Council likely to address probation move Tuesday

Clark County

Discussion

February 19, 2010

Clark County Council likely to address probation move Tuesday

By BRADEN LAMMERS The News and Tribune Fri Feb 19, 2010, 08:56 PM EST

Another move to consolidate services and cut operational costs may be on the horizon for the Clark County courts.

In addition to pursuing the possibility of consolidating the courts into a single unified Circuit Court, Judge Dan Moore is urging the county to pursue consolidation of the county’s probation offices.

As it stands there are five separate probation offices — one being the juvenile probation office, which has to remain separate as defined by state law — and each department has its own department chief.

The move to a consolidated probation would hope to have a similar impact as the goals established for the court consolidation.

By pushing the offices together, multiple cases by one offender could be managed more easily, communication between departments would be streamlined, flexibility would increase among the staff and funding would be more easily managed from a single source, Moore said.

The effort also would save costs for the sheriff’s department. Officers would save time and money by only having to bring a prisoner to one office instead of taking the offender to multiple probation departments multiple times.

“It makes sense,” Moore said.

Because the county is pursuing the option to consolidate its court services, Moore believes it should look at probation at the same time.

“The timing is right,” he said. “It’s very compatible.”

Timing also may be influenced — beyond the discussions of unifying the court — by legislation originally proposed in January 2009 to consolidate probation departments throughout the state.

Senate Bill 428, introduced by Sen. Phil Boots, R-Crawfordsville, “consolidates multiple probation departments in counties having more than one probation department into one probation department under the supervision of a joint probation committee consisting of all judges having the authority to impose probation.”

According to the Indiana General Assembly Web site, the bill is in committee in the House.

The move to consolidate probation offices has been made by a number of counties throughout Indiana.

Only 19 counties — out of 92 Indiana counties — including Clark, remain with nonconsolidated probation departments.

“It would appear that circumstances of these economic times present a chance to consolidate some services, or at least explore possibilities,” Moore said in a letter addressed to other Clark County judges and council members.

Moore’s suggestion is to move the probation department into two divisions separated by misdemeanors and felonies.

“The merger of the three adult felony probation operations seems worth exploring,” Moore’s letter said.

His plan would not change the structure for the misdemeanor probation office, because it handles a high volume of cases and often deals with minor offenses such as traffic violations.

A separate department for juveniles is required.

“There are things that can be shared,” Moore said. “I just thought it would be the best option to be in charge of our future.”

The main purpose of the consolidation is to avoid duplication of services, but Moore said his plan does not have to be the one adopted.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be that compromise, but I am a firm believer in nonduplication of services,” he said.

Despite the proposed move to one office, Moore does not believe the effort would cost any employees their job.

“The duplication of services is what the concern [is] upstate,” he said.

The Clark County Council has plans to address the issue at a special meeting it called for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Clark County Superior Court 2 Judge Jerry Jacobi, who has repeatedly requested additional funding from the council for his court, has said it has no dedicated budget for probation for 2010.

Repeated calls to Jacobi, who also was the main addressee of Moore’s letter, were not returned as of press time.