Adult Probation and Parole Department

Steven Austin, Director
Phone: 215-683-1277
Fax: 215-683-1293

This division is responsible for personnel issues and facilities and grant management.

PERSONNEL - Counseling and discipline

FACILITIES AND GRANT MANAGEMENT - Several staff who have other duties share the following responsibilities:

• Drug detection center - APPD operates an on-site drug detection laboratory which is staffed by a contracted vendor. The department has made a concerted effort to drug test only those offenders who would benefit from this service. This has resulted in a reduction in the number of tests and the associated costs.
• Building management - 714 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
• Vehicle fleet management
• Equipment and supplies - ordering, storing, inventory, distribution and repair
• Supervision of part-time clerical employees
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local grants
• Maintain messenger service
• Management of service contracts

Jesse Reason, Director
Phone: 215-683-1266
Fax: 215-683-1216

This division consists of three (3) Administrative units along with the ARD/Fraud unit.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPERVISION (AS) - The AS units supervise offenders who are predicted by the APPD Risk Tool to not commit any new offenses. The ratio of offender to officer is higher in these units with reduced reporting frequency. Supervision is also conducted via Monitor Connect, which reduces the reporting requirements while ensuring that the client remains in compliance with the Orders of the Court and Probation and Parole.

ARD/FRAUD

• ACCELERATED REHABILITATIVE DISPOSITION (ARD) - ARD is a diversionary program available to certain first time, non-violent offenders at the discretion of the District Attorney's Office. ARD officers supervise offenders in the ARD Program.
• FRAUD - Fraud offenders are convicted of defrauding the Department of Public Welfare and/or Unemployment Compensation. Some officers are funded by the Office of Inspector General.

Kathres Orr, Director
Phone: 215-683-1270
Fax: 215-683-1491 or 1399

This division consists of seven (7) Moderate supervision units

GENERAL SUPERVISION (GS) - Seven GS units supervise offenders who are predicted to be charged with a new, non-serious offense. Offenders supervised by this division report to APPD monthly. Step-Down supervision is provided as a graduated reward for compliance.

Joseph McKillip, Director
Phone: 215-683-0283
Fax: 215-683-1153

This division consists of Five (5) Anti-Violence units and four (4) VPP units. These units are regionalized.

ANTI-VIOLENCE - Five AV units supervise offenders who pose the greatest risk to public safety. They are predicted to be charged with a serious offense within two years of their probation start date. These units are regionalized and use intensive supervision techniques such as field visits and targeted patrols, as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Step-Down supervision is provided as a graduated reward for compliance.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP (VPP) - VPP is a multi-agency effort to reduce violent crimes among high-risk/at-risk juveniles and adults aged 18 to 24. VPP officers conduct Targeted Patrol with Police Officers, visiting homes between 4:00 p.m. and midnight in 1st, 12th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 35th, and 39th Police Districts. The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) presented its Distinguished Annual Program Award to APPD in 2007 in recognition of the success of VPP.

Christopher McFillin, Director
Phone:215-683-1267
FAX: 215-683-1327

This division consists of all court ordered specialties, including Sex Offenders, Forensic Intensive Recovery, Intermediate Punishment, Monitored Supervision, Domestic Violence, Specialty Courts, Violation Electronic Monitoring and Mental Health.

DOMESTIC INTERVENTION - The Domestic Violence unit supervises offenders prosecuted by the Family Violence and Special Victims Unit in the DA's Office. These are chronic, serious domestic violence offenders court-ordered to domestic violence treatment and supervision. All cases with a domestic violence condition are referred to anger management counseling.

FORENSIC INTENSIVE RECOVERY (FIR) - This program was developed in conjunction with the District Attorney, Public Defender and Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. Offenders in this program have the dual diagnosis of drug/mental health problems and are supervised in the FIR unit.

INTERMEDIATE PUNISHMENT (IP) - IP is a probation sentence established by statute intended to divert offenders from state prison. Offenders who have substance abuse problems and are scored in the upper range of the Sentencing Guideline calculation are eligible for IP and their supervision includes inpatient drug and alcohol treatment and house arrest with electronic monitoring.

MENTAL HEALTH - Offenders in these units are stipulated by the sentencing judge. Offenders have documented psychiatric difficulties and require mental health treatment. These units work closely with the Department of Behavioral Health and the Court Mental Health Clinic to identify treatment options and develop supervision plans for the offenders. APPD has Case Managers from the Department of Behavioral Health working directly on the premises to provide immediate assistance and referrals for services.

MONITORED SUPERVISION - This unit provides a structured alternative to incarceration for offenders who are monitored electronically and referred for needed treatment. Offenders who violate their monitoring conditions are subject to arrest by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office.

SEX OFFENDERS - This unit intensively supervises offenders convicted of sexual offenses. Supervision includes urinalysis, counseling referrals, and monitoring of stay away orders and inappropriate living arrangements. The officers initiate Megan's Law registration for those offenders convicted of designated sex offenses. Female sexual offenders are assigned to one officer to specifically address their issues. Computer technology monitors and blocks internet usage by certain sex offenders.

SPECIALTY COURT

• DUI Treatment Court: Three grant-funded caseloads are dedicated to offenders convicted in DUI Treatment Court. DUI Treatment Court allows eligible offenders (individuals with multiple DUI offenses with no history of violent crime or other legal complications related to their DUI offenses) to serve reduced jail time by attending extensive treatment that is legally enforceable.
• Mental Health Court: A FJDMHC caseload consists of offenders diagnosed as severely mentally ill and convicted in the First Judicial District's Mental Health Court. The Philadelphia Forensic Assertive Community Treatment Team (PFACT) is an integral player in this specialty court, as PFACT provides the services to these offenders
• Dawn's Court: An all-female caseload, consisting of court-ordered female sex offenders as well as female offenders convicted in Dawn's Court. This is a specialty court that hears prostitution cases for offenders that have been victims of sexual assault/abuse.
• Veteran's Court: A FJD initiative with the Veterans Administration. An officer is assigned to handle all veteran offenders sentenced by this court, the goal of which is to stream-line the services available to these types of offenders

Patrick J. Austin, Director
Phone: 215-683-1416
FAX: 215-683-1276

The Director of this division oversees Intake, Court Mental Health Clinic, DNA Testing, Operations, Out of County/Out of State Supervision, Prison Population Management, Parole, Community Service, and Pre-sentence Investigation Units and victim services.

COMMUNITY SERVICE - This program arranges all Court-ordered community service for offenders so conditioned. APPD has developed well-monitored site placements with responsible organizations. APPD receives reports on hours of service by offender and maintains computerized records of completion.

COURT MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC - Mental health evaluations are ordered by the judiciary to determine the offenders' competency to stand trial and assist in their own defense. Evaluations are also ordered for involuntary commitment cases, amenability to treatment determinations, and special requests from trial Judges. The clinic honors APPD requests for mental health evaluations on supervised offenders and provides training for the judiciary regarding mental health issues.

DNA - DNA samples are collected from offenders convicted of felonies in accordance with Pennsylvania Act 185-2004. Testing is conducted with State Police Standards by a technician from Compliance Oversight Solutions Ideal, LLC, a contracted vendor. The Pennsylvania State Police supplies collection kits and receives the results.

INTAKE - Intake technicians use Monitor to initiate probation cases for all offenders so sentenced. Case initiation involves briefly interviewing the offender, entering docket information and running the offender risk assessment. All new probation officers do a rotation in this unit as it is the best training ground for understanding the business of probation. Student interns and externs are also assigned there. Unit staff works closely with the Clerk of Quarter Sessions.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT - These specialized technical staff handle the administrative transactions generated by certain frequently-occurring case events.

   RECORDS MANAGEMENT

• Maintains and catalogs master files, each of which contains all documents accumulated for any offender supervised by APPD whose cases have expired.
• Initiates out-of-county dockets in Monitor.
• Responds to subpoenas for archived case information.
• Responds to requests from other agencies for information on active and expired cases.

   Non-Sitting Judge Hearings (NSJ) – Non-Sitting Judge Hearings (NSJ) – For those members of the judiciary who are no longer presiding over matters in the Court of Common Pleas Philadelphia County, docket inventories are administratively re-assigned to a designated member of the judiciary and are handled by one probation officer. CRASH COURT - This court hears all Gagnon I hearings. These hearings are handled by one probation officer assigned to the Supervision Support Division.

   VIOLATION OF PROBATION MANAGEMENT

• Generate and track arrest warrants requested by officers for offenders who have violated or absconded from supervision.
• Track potential open-bill violations through the trial phase, identify direct violations and request violation hearing on 'ready' cases as determined by our assessment of offenders' legal profile.
• Field inquiries from agencies nation-wide regarding our offenders apprehended in other jurisdictions.
• Issue and track warrants requested by State Parole agents on certain shared-supervision cases; schedule and attend warrant hearing.

OUT OF COUNTY/STATE - Offenders who reside in another jurisdiction but are convicted of a criminal offense are supervised by the Probation Department in the county of residence, with administrative monitoring by officers in this unit. APPD receives reports from the supervising jurisdiction, which sometimes requires intervention by our officer. This unit also provides courtesy supervision for offenders that live in Philadelphia but were convicted of a criminal offense in other jurisdictions. Cases are returned to APPD for cause.

PAROLE - Parole staff are responsible for the timely issuance of petitions to sentencing Judges based on local parole eligibility rules. The Release Information Network (RIN) is a networked computer application used by APPD and the Public Defender to support the paroling process. The Parole Unit receives and acts on both approved and denied petitions received from sentencing Judges.

PRESENTENCE - Two presentence units are staffed by experienced probation officers, who conduct background investigations examining and evaluating the offender's criminal and psycho-social history. Investigators compose reports for requesting Judges to assist in sentencing.

REENTRY INITIATIVES - Coordinate with local Churches regarding the safe surrender of offenders who have absconded from probation and express a desire to resume supervision.

VICTIM SERVICES UNIT One probation officer is dedicated to assisting victims of crime. This officer reaches out to all victims of sexual offenses and survivors of homicide attempts.

Michael Pancoast, Director
Phone: 215-683-1287
FAX: 215-683-1293

This Division provides services to the entire Adult Probation and Parole Department (APPD) and the First Judicial District of PA (FJD), including but not limited to data extractions, data presentations, training of new staff and policy development and revision.

MONITOR - Monitor is the APPD case management system used by probation officers to enter data on all aspects of case supervision. Managers also use Monitor to audit cases and otherwise oversee the operation of their units. Technically proficient staff maintain liaison with the vendor and conduct ongoing weekly and ad hoc phone conferences to support and improve the program.

TRAINING - This multifaceted unit arranges for and conducts training which, among other things, complies with the Pennsylvania Board of Parole and Probation mandate of 40 hours for professional staff and 16 hours for support staff. The Training Unit studies and develops policy for the department. FJD subsidizes, through APPD, certain graduate studies for which training hours are credited

Jillian Eidson, Director
Phone: 215-683-1285
FAX: 215-683-1293

The Director of this Division oversees all special projects and research relating to APPD.

SPECIAL PROJECTS AND RESEARCH - This division provides APPD with operational and evaluative information not otherwise available. Two degreed professionals conduct fruitful studies and receive support from and liaise with partners from academic institutions. With the University of Pennsylvania, the department developed and implemented the APPD Risk Tool which is used to assess offender risk. With George Mason and Temple Universities, the APPD implemented a customized needs assessment and complementary case plan to better identify and respond to offender needs.

PROB-START (Probation Supervision Through Analysis, Research and Training) - This overarching management construct using data from APPD’s case management system (Monitor) and conducted by the Deputy Chief Probation Officer commenced after Monitor had been in use long enough to yield informative results to targeted queries. Management routinely identifies, reviews, and acts on trends. Group case conferences are held with administrators and management where pertinent cases are presented and explained. Identified practices are lauded or remediated. They serve as the basis for policy development and department-wide training.

WEAPONS RELATED INJURY SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM (WRISS) - APPD maintains a database of shooting victims in criminal incidents in Philadelphia with data from the Philadelphia Police Department. APPD uses these data to identify APPD offenders who were the victim of gun violence and disseminate weekly reports.

Answer: Probation is an alternative to incarceration in which the offender is permitted to serve the entire sentence in the community, under the supervision of the Adult Probation / Parole Department (APPD).

Answer: Parole is an alternative to continued incarceration in which the offender is permitted to serve the remainder of the sentence in the community under APPD supervision.

Answer: 714 Market Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106

Answer: Call Probation Information at 215-683-1000 (Give your name and date of birth)

Answer: Obligations imposed by the sentencing Judge which offenders must satisfy in order to complete their sentences

Answer:

• Complying with APPD Rules & Regulations
• Pay Economic Sanctions
• Enter or attend Treatment
• Obtain a GED
• Submit to Drug Testing

Answer:

• Upon your release, report to APPD within 72 Hours.
  • If already on Probation or Parole – report to your Probation Officer at 714 Market Street.
  • If you are not already assigned to a Probation Officer – report to the Probation Department Intake Unit, located in Room B-01 in the Criminal Justice Center (13th and Filbert Streets).

Answer:

• Discuss your employment goals and plans with your Probation Officer
• Request assistance in preparing for your interview
• Provide verification of the places you have contacted
• Ask your Probation Officer to intervene with a prospective employer who may have concerns regarding your criminal record

Answer:

• Provide regular verification of your employment and work schedule
• Advise your Probation Officer of any employment or work schedule changes
• If necessary, ask your Probation Officer for flexibility regarding your reporting time to allow for the minimal disruption of work hours.

Answer: Economic Sanctions are monetary obligations determined and ordered by the sentencing Judge.
They can include:

• Fines/Costs
• Restitution
• Supervision Fees

Always make a payment. Payments show you are responsible and accountable even in small amounts.

Economic Sanction payments can be made in person at:

-OR-

Answer:

Answer: When you fail to comply with, or complete the obligations of Probation/Parole.

Answer: If you are convicted for a crime committed while on Probation/Parole.

Answer: A legal document allowing APPD to arrest and hold you in custody pending a violation hearing before the sentencing Judge.

Answer:

• If you are arrested for any of the crimes listed below, you will be detained and held in custody pending a hearing in front of your Judge.
  • Murder
  • Aggravated Assault
  • Rape
  • Robbery
  • Involuntary Deviant Sexual Intercourse
• Your Probation Officer has the authority to lodge a warrant against you in response to any violation.

Answer:

• Ask your Probation Officer to explain the Warrant and Violation Hearing Procedures.
• If it has been determined that you have violated your Probation or Parole, he/she may schedule a violation hearing.
• The APPD will advise you of the Violation Hearing date and time.

Answer:

• Follow the rules and regulations of Probation and Parole
• Report to your Probation Officer as scheduled
• Comply with or make good-faith efforts to complete your special conditions
• Make payments on your economic sanctions
• Maintain/seek gainful employment
• Remain arrest free