Support for a second chance

Together, the Chief Adult Probation Officer and the Director of Juvenile Court Services for Pinal County recognize the exemplary service of their staff whose combined efforts and skills provide investigations and supervision of offenders, child advocate services, victim services and detention operations to benefit this community, its families, and its offenders.

July 18-24 represents a well-deserved nationwide celebration in recognition of this difficult and often silent work.
 
For over 100 years, officers have been supervising offenders to make our communities a safer place to live. These dedicated professionals serve crime victims and hold offenders accountable for the wrong they have committed to our families, friends and communities. It is through their commitment to public safety that our communities are a safer place for everyone.
 
Today in Pinal County, Adult Probation manages over 2,300 offenders with caseloads averaging 70 offenders to one officer. A snapshot of a day at Juvenile Court Services reveals supervision of 597 juveniles from diversion, to detention, to probation, and management of 327 active dependency cases.  Probation staff work days and nights on school campuses, in judicial offices and in your town. 
 
The challenges they face are tremendous, yet they continue to make a difference. These officers are active in their communities by creating links between the justice system, community leaders and organizations, and the public for offenders who need help re-integrating into their neighborhoods.
 
They are professionals who constantly acquire knowledge of what motivates offenders and apply that knowledge in the most effective way possible. The work they do has become multifaceted and goes well beyond supervision and surveillance of offenders – it has expanded to include working with victims and community in a much more involved capacity. All of this is done in an effort to ensure the highest level of public safety.
 
These professionals provide “Support for a Second Chance” in their communities and deliver on their promise to enhance public safety and help restore juvenile and adult offenders to lead productive lives with these pillars:
 
· Monitoring behavior
· Fearless pursuit of helping people turn make positive life changes
· Results-driven management
· Specialization
· Technological innovation
· Accountability
 
Community corrections professionals face real dangers in their jobs and are often asked to risk their own safety to make sure that others are kept safe from crime.
 
During this week, please help us honor and recognize the work these professionals do each and every day of the year.

Diane L. McGinnis is director of Pinal County Juvenile Court Services, and Todd D.
Zweig is the Pinal County Chief Adult Probation Officer.

Submitted photo