The P&P Hiring Procedures Workgroup is excited to announce they have finalized policy and corresponding documents associated with the revised Hiring Process which will become effective 01/01/2021.  The revised process will:

• combine several policies and procedures;
• provide clarity on the hiring and transfer process;
• change the name of the Background Investigation Report to Pre-employment Summary;
• require the same Pre-employment Summary document to be used for the PPA I (CTO I) and PPO classifications;
• eliminate the need to type a Background Investigation Report;
• provide guidance on the role and responsibilities of the Regional AOSA and District SOSA;
• provide guidance on file maintenance and document retention;
• revise the POII Interview Questions to include questions regarding remote work and the revised supervision model;
• include a revised Recommendation for Hire Form which sets out specific information needed to evaluate candidates; and
• expedite the hiring process to have a positive impact on workload and operational issues.

Zoom Meeting are currently being held with District Administrators, Associate Superintendents, Unit Supervisors, and SOSA’s to cover over the new process.

Eastern Zone Deputy Division Director Lisa Schulze commented, "I’d like to thank those districts that participated in the pilot and to everyone who provided feedback. In addition, I’d like to thank the Hiring Procedures Work Group that included Jennifer Allen, Sarah Brendel, Traci Heisinger, and Mary Beth Lammey."

The Southeast Region (SER) kicked off their first ever Leadership Welcome Workshops in October and November 2020. The workshops were for newly promoted managers in the Southeast Region. The workshops focused on providing newly promoted managers a brief overview on topics such as Engage 2.0, Dashboards, Quarterly Reviews, Reflect Meetings, The Corrections Way, Caseload Reviews, Performance Counseling, PACT, and EAP. The workshops were facilitated by the SER Regional Administrator Don Arias and SER Regional Training Coordinator Jason Royle.

This article was submitted by the Drug Court participants in Henry County.

"Chances are that upon entering the Henry County Recovery Court program we were all quite distant. Disconnected, detached, even. Our long-term drug use had slowly forced us into a state of total self-isolation that had secluded us from the rest of the world and the people in it. Our morals, goals, standards and expectations were mostly non-existent and the ones that did remain were skewed at best. We didn't trust you. How could we? At this point we didn't even trust ourselves. To say that we were skeptical is a huge understatement. Gracefully, you recognized this, and furthermore you understood it. And so you begin to reintroduce us to ourselves all over again by way of cognitive restructure through a very simple program design for very complicated people. For the first time in what feels like forever we begin to feel like we are a part of, rather than apart from. You pour into us, and when we resist, you push harder, for you are aware that this is a matter of life and death. You encourage us to get back to basics and slowly but surely we start to get well. The support we receive from the program, our families, and the community is overwhelming. As we learn to communicate better people tend to respond to us better, and the stigma associated with being an addict falls away one day at a time. We are no longer uncomfortable in our own skin, you may even consider us confident. Our feelings of social awkwardness is replaced with gratitude and soon enough we are again able to enjoy the people and the things long lost to us throughout the course of our active addiction. And on the best of nights, when we're really lucky, we even get the opportunity to enjoy it all together."

Henry County Recovery Court. Strengthening communities; Restoring hope; Rebuilding families; One addict at a time.

“How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses” is a four hour training that was developed by SAMHSA’s GAINS center for Behavioral Health & Justice Transformation.   

The class is recommended for criminal justice professionals and focuses on increasing our understanding of trauma, creates an awareness of the impact of trauma on behavior and teaches us how to develop trauma-informed responses in our day to day lives.

This training came to Division of Probation and Parole through a grant from SAMHSA’s GAINS Center. 

Identified P&P Staff, along with several individuals involved with CIT and recommended Department staff, attended an online Train the Trainer course with GAINS Center. 

This training opportunity is being rolled out to staff at CSCs through the end of December 2020. These sessions are an in-seat class with masks required and social distancing guidelines in place. After the first of the year the hope is to offer additional sessions across the state for any P&P staff to attend. 

Pat Parks, OSA at District 17, was selected as Northeast Region Employee of the Month for June 2020. Pat was nominated by District 17 SOSA Sandi Doss. Sandi wrote, " Pat has been a tremendous asset in keeping the clerical department running smoothly since the departure of two of the clerical team members. She comes into work each day focused and ready to work. She not only does what needs to be done, but also pitches in and helps her co-workers without being asked. She has assisted her team with warrant/detainer/cancellation entries, final forming, openings, suspensions, closings, looking for files and contacting the Court Clerk for Orders. 

When her co-workers are not in need of her assistance, she takes it upon herself to go through the suspended files and see if any of them have been reinstated or closed out. She has gone through the warrant book and made sure everything is current. She also keeps our Department letters for closings up to date with current information.

Pat is very organized and gets things done timely and efficiently. She is greatly appreciated by her team and co-workers at District 17."  Pat is pictured with Northeast Regional Administrator Todd Fleharty.

Congratulations Pat!

District 3 Unit Supervisor Amy Sanders and PPA Barry Wright, received Northeast Region Employee of the Month for September 2020.

Amy and Barry were nominated by Unit Supervisor Jenny Wilson. Jenny wrote, "On 08/27/20, I was contacted by our newest officer that a person had called and said that they had a client's medication script out front and wanted to turn it in. I advised the new officer to ask the person to put on a mask and meet me in the lobby so that I could get details as to what was going on. As I was contacting the supervising officer of the client I could hear there was in issue in or near the lobby. When I got to the front of the lobby I could see numerous police cars outside of our building along with Unit Supervisor, Amy Sanders and PPA, Barry Wright. Amy was talking to the officers about the person that had brought the client's medication to the office who appeared to be under the influence of substances and who turned out to have a 96 hour mental health commitment on her. The person happened to be a client that had recently been discharged from supervision. As officers were trying to apprehend the female subject on the mental health commitment she became very uncooperative. The temperatures outside on this day were in the 90's. Amy stayed with female the entire time calming talking to her trying to get to be compliant with the officers. At one point she was having an anxiety attack and attempted to escape the handcuffs and ended up on the ground and Amy held her head up off the ground while the officers were attempting to adjust the cuffs on her. Barry was also with the female offering direct assistance to Amy and offering encouraging words. The female was eventually able to be calm down enough by Amy and Barry to be placed in the patrol car so that she could be taken to the mental health hospital. As I stood and watched my two coworkers that day it made me very proud that they were my co workers and that they were thinking of other's life's selflessly during a time that many are not."  Barry and Amy are pictured with Regional Administrator Todd Fleharty.

Congratulations Amy and Barry!

As a result of funding the state received from the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, the Office of State Court Administrators has solicited interest in a local convening of stakeholders to address mental health issues, behavioral health responses, pre-trial practices, alternatives to revocation or incarceration, gender responsivity, competency evaluations, evidence based assessments and screenings. However, priority will be given to the team who applies to address behavioral health concerns with the justice-involved populations.  

The purpose of the convening is to design responses from the court and the community to ensure this population is served and treated prior to incarceration.  An invitation was sent to all Presiding Judges to discuss how to get the initiative started by applying for funding to have these local meeting and identify their stakeholders. P&P is participating in this very important initiative. Pictured is District 2 PPO Nikki Hinkle who sits on the 3rd Circuit team commented, "The goal of our team is to strengthen community partnerships."

How do I get active involvement with case planning and use strengths to assist the client in success?  

Carey Guides are available for both case planning and strengths.  Consider using the Case Planning Carey Guide with the offender at the beginning of supervision, or when they are struggling to understand what we are trying to help them accomplish.  When discussing strengths, staff are encouraged to identify, but what then?  Have the client complete the Carey Guide on Maximizing Strengths.  It helps them and you see what their strengths are and how to use them to be successful.